Hi, I'm new on the forum. I'm looking for a bike to do a little travelling in southern Europe, with some off-road ability (my next travels might me a little further afield.) Italy looks like a good place to pick up cheap used bikes, a lot seem to be imported here to the UK. There are cheap flights too. My budget is fairly small, I'd like to spend no more than £700 / 1000 Euros on a bike.. less if possible . I drove a knackered 80's Honda XL125 with bold tires around Costa Rica for a while, I loved it, perfect in the mountains, but slow on the main roads, where traffic overtakes you, and up hills and into the wind.

I like the look of the Honda XLR250 baja's. Is there any point getting a 250 over a bigger bike (ie yamaha tenere, honda dominator.. they seem to be go for very little on ebay.it) for the sake of saving fuel? Or do they use the same at 60mph+? The lower weight is nice when you're up to your knees in marsh. I'd probably want to use the odd motorway / 'peage' in france, can a 250 keep up 70mph? Will it be painfull? To quote a user on this forum:
-------------------
i got a 32000km used HeroHonda Karizma (i am in India)

at a cruising speed of 85-90kph : 2.6 liters@100kms
at a cruising speed of 95-100kph : 2.9 liters@100kms
--------------------
Can xlr250 do likewise? What would you be looking at for a tenere? Thanks for you help..