Hi all,

to set the scene...
I have just arrived in Montevideo after doing this trip the other way around. landed in Halifax,NS,Canada, rode to the Rockies then south through USA,Mexico, blah,blah, Colombia, Ecudor, Peru, Bolivia..arghhhh, Chile, Argentina and now Uruguay. 10months and about 30,000 miles. can't be sure -speedo broke.
I am riding a 1995 BMWf650, and just to remind you, this model does not have injectors, but does have a vacuum compensator in the carb.

I often wondered about the size of my bike when seeing locals 4 up on their Chinese 125s. I also wondered where I could get spares from if something broke. (several bits did) But on reflection I realise that it is more about the type of person you are than the bike. If you can figure that out then you may be able to make a correct choice. I travelled through several countries with Fast Freddie, (Hi Fred if you are reading) and he needed a GS1200 because he likes to travel fast, enjoys overtaking going up steep mountains, and wants his luggage to be safe and dry. Me, I have had no problem with doing a few miles at 40mph behind a 40ft lorry hauling a 20ft trailer!!! but when they start belching black smoke or the stench of red hot brake linings fills the air I want out.
Then again, the endless miles of flat, dreary landscape in East Patagonia or the Peruvian desert is easier to take at 60 or 70mph than 40 or 50. Can you put up with long days of following a truck across endless pampas?
What time of year are you going, will you take a tent, that makes for a more enjoyable trip but adds kilos to your weight, and, like me, you may not be able to use it as much as you thought. It is freezing cold at night at the moment and Bolivia, Peru, Ecudor, Colombia and most of Central America have no, or very few, campsites. In the countryside of Peru 3 guys helped me out, but showed me their identity cards first! 'Anyone who doesn't may rob you' was the answer when I asked why. 'And you must not be here after dark.' Little did they know but I was just about to get my tent out, after that I didn't. So can you be confident of getting to a town with a hotel, not all towns have one.
Breaking down is not so bad, 99% of people are friendly, despite what I just said, and will stop and aid you, it's when you are in the high mountains doing 15mph because your bike won't go any faster due to the altitude (also read Lois Price on that, brilliant book, changed my life) and with the daylight going, that's when you will need the balls required, because people will see you are still moving and assume you know what you are doing, when the only thing that keeps going through your head is, 'Where the f*** is that town?' (Against that I can say I had hundreds of WOW moments too)
Also make sure the air intake is high, most of us who have been through South America this year will have ridden through rivers where the road used to be.
Now if you are resiliant enough, (I don't mind admitting that some of my journey was exciting but it scared the crap out of me), and you are ok with hours of wondering 'just what is that noise?' then you can choose anything from a skateboard to a scooter with no trouble. If, like me, you need a bit more reassurence, then you will take a bike that is reliable and sturdy. The only thing I would really like to have changed on my f650 was to have injectors for better thottle control above 8000ft - for a month I forgot I had a top gear, as I couldn't get enough revs to make it stick!!
As you are not a mechanic, take a few lessons on basics - any offers guys? - and definately get some Spanish lingo, the more the better.
Phew, after all of that it may look as if I am trying to put you off, I'm not. What I really am pointing out is that if you do not have to worry about your equipment, then you can settle back and enjoy the view.

So it's up to you, good Spanish, and laid back, take the Chinese.
No Spanish and need to know what is going to happen next, get a Beemer or Honda, or head for the bike forums on the HUBB, and by the way my BMW cost me £1600 on ebay so you don't have to rob a bank.

In the end it's all only metal, rubber and plastic, so I can think of no logical reason why you should not get on the bloody thing and ride, because that is where the joy is, the freedom to go this way or that; the number of backpackers I have met who wished they were on a bike was incredible, and many had never riden a bike in their lives, but being stuck on a coach for 12 hours is not much fun either, especially when you see something out of the window that you really, really would have liked a closer look at, on a bike you can.
I'm not up to date by any means, but you can read about my preparations and the easy part of my journey in http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fairless/
I will try and update the prep section to indicate what worked and what didn't, and I truly hope you get to make your trip, because to quote an old 60's song, even the bad times were good.

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Happy Trails

Stagbeetle

It is not the Journey nor yet the Destination, that is the Prize; it is the people you meet on the way.

Blog on http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fairless/