Hello everyone
I'm new to this site and I have to say I am seriously impressed by the amount of information available and the apparent willingness of everyone to offer sensible and practical advice. I thought I'd post this to see if anyone can give me genuine advice on what may be a totally bonkers idea! lol
I have been riding on a "fair weather biker" basis since 2002 and have loved every minute of it. I have been all over Ireland (which is where I live) and have had numerous Summer trips to Europe, primarily France, Spain and Germany. I have always had a nice big bike for these trips (Triumph Trophy 1200) and obviously cruising on this bike was no effort at all.
Unfortunately due to financial obstacles (through losing my job) I have had to sell my beloved bike and 2009 was the first year since 2002 that I didn't have a European trip.......and it broke my heart .

So here's my plan, or perhaps a crazy idea, and I was hoping someone here might have had a similar experience and can give some actual advice,,,,,

I was thinking of a 3 week trip to Europe in July/August 2010. I will not be able to afford a big bike for the trip but I can get hold of a small bike at sensible money. The bike is a 1996 Yamaha DT125R in really good condition with only 9k on the clock and I can buy it for around £500. I don't have any concerns about the reliability etc. of the bike........but is it REALLY a practical bike to take on a trip that will probably cover 3-4000 miles in 3 weeks? I'll plan to travel light so won't have any huge luggage issues and ideally I'll stay in proper beds at night so won't have to carry camping gear. Will the vibrations etc. be too much? Will it make me numb to cover a couple of hundred miles on it? What other issues should I bear in mind?

I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has done a trip of comparable miles on a similar size of bike. Obviously it would be easier/better on a bigger bike but I don't think I'll be able to afford it and am thinking that any bike is better than no trip at all.

So that's the situation I find myself in folks, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks
Chris