XT500/XT550/XT600
 

i need help in choosing a bike to tour through Africa. i am keen on one of the 3 bikes mentioned above. i heard the shocks on the XT 500 are pretty crap and that it is also a very slow bike. the XT600 Tenere looks like a pretty large bike and difficult to handle as i am quite a short guy (1.76).please could someone point me in the right direction

The right direction would be towards the SEARCH button... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

I can confirm that the XT600 Tenere is quite tall. I am 1.82m and can barely touch both feet on the ground at the same time.

The original Tenere wasn't too bad, although it had a 35" seat hight, and was certainly quite a handful on slow going (I used to drop mine doing slow turns all the time). XT600E's are easily available, and one of those with a larger tank would be what I'd go for. XT500 and 550's are quite old now, but condition is more important than age....