Hi All,

I am in the process of choosing a bike for a RTW off-road trip starting spring 2004. I'm new to all this and so far I've narrowed the choice down to either a TT-R600 or an XT600 but I have a few questions..

I want the best unladen off road ability I can get (without sacrificing reliability) as I plan to occasionally unload the luggage and go for some serious off road fun :-) This is steering me towards the TT-R rather than the XT at it is lighter and looks more of an enduro focused chassis but still in steel and with the nice reliable XT motor.

Would anyone agree / disagree with this choice?

Can anyone tell me what model changes took place from say 1998 to 2002 for the TT-R? (and/or XT)

Are there any model changes that make one years bike much better than another?

Are the electric start models really worth having? (I seem to remember reading somewhere that the TT-R600E suspension was a lower spec than the kick-only TT-R600)

I tried to find TT / XT model histories on the web but no luck and although the excellent looking xt600.de site probably has the info I want, I can't read German :-(

Lastly, any other bikes I should be looking at? I ruled out Honda XR650R because of ally frame / high compression and XR650L because of availability. KTM just too expensive I think and parts perhaps a problem. I also heard stories of electrical frailty when abused.

All opinions and advice much appreciated!

Thanks very much, Andy.