Why is there no mention of using the Honda XR 650r. I mean this bike has it all, no?
Tough frame, water cooling, kickstart, big aftermarket tanks. Lots of grunt, reasonable suspension.

ok, whats the deal. Why isn't anyone raving yet? I am trying to decide whether its the KTM adventure, or do I build up an XR 650R. I have a short time to figure out this dilemma and its eating me.

if you're in a hurry, I can only offer feedback from trail riding with a mate who has the XRR: they're ace, but very thirsty and occasionally complete bitches to start.

Martin will be bringing his to Algeria at Christmas so I'll be able to tell you more after, but here are my thoughts: butch alloy frame doesn't necessarily mean good fatigue life, but does mean you can't easily repair it; rear sub-frame won't take much load; at 10-12km/litre, you'll need a lot of fuel for out of the way places. mind you, some say the seat is so poor you wouldn't want more than 100km range!

dodgy starting seems to relate to the decompressor jamming - Honda deny it, but I've met others with the same issue ... it simply won't build enough compression to find TDC, let alone fire up.

KTM Adventure is set up for touring on and off-road. big tank, reasonable seat (?) and good sub-frame designed for 2 people or 1 plus luggage. of the KTM or XRR, I'd go for the KTM for a "world tour", but I'm not convinced that water cooled, high performance engines make much sense when the octane rating drops to 80-ish.

for better or worse - not sure yet! - I've plumped for the XR650L with the "40 litre" Acerbis tank and a heap of ther mods.

good luck
Richard