Or hows about an Enfield Trials, although the roadtrip south may be a real trial (sic). A more modern classic would be the DRZ or XR400, both with a reputation for dependability (and uncomfortable seats (oops...)). Or something that'll do distance and dirt - XT660r.

An Enfield !!!
I had a brand new Bullet last year and it went back to the dealership 5 times in 6 months and then I got rid of it and changed it for a 1957 Matchless 600cc which has never given me any problems :-)

I'm quite taken by the idea of a Bonnie though and think that I'll take one for a test ride.

I had an Enfield too!

The 5 speeds aren't too bad for reliability so long as the dealer did his job. Anything from a track to a B-road they are are great fun. There are two large drawbacks that led me to sell though. First of all motorways are a living hell when you know any sustained high speed is beyond the engines cooling capacity. Even finding a truck and doing 56 mph requires you to pull off and exercise the motor every 30 miles which means your navigation needs to be pre-planned and accurate. If you can do that for 10 days, you'll be due an oil change, not so easy when that's in the middle of Norway or somewhere. This to me, at the risk of upsetting someone, and in a European sense only, puts the Bullet at a plaything level unless you want to do a heck of a lot of work.

Now the EFI model I'd look at. I swapped my Bullet (18HP iron engine) for a working MZ. MZ 300's put out 23 HP all day and have no cooling issues. You can tour them using any road you like. The Bullet EFI at 25 HP with the alloy engine should be in this class although service intervals still don't compare to 10000km on the zed or 6000 miles on a Triumph.

The odd thing is I'm not into old bikes! It so happens the shape and mechanicals of Bonnevilles, Enfields, MZ's, Urals etc. just fit me better than modern bikes that always seem to come with too many cylinders or bits of plastic I don't need.

Andy