Guys, thank you so much for your input, all appreciated!

Tires was always going to be a problem. Two up with luggage, strapping on a tyre on the back on the rollbag is not really an option! I've heard that Cairo is quite a problem for getting tires. I probably will get a mate of mine to ship a new back tyre out to me in Luxor or Aswan. I'll organise that closer to the time when I know exactly when I'll be where and for how long.

The battery I will replace in Italy before we cross over into Tunisia. Ditto for getting the valve clearances checked. In fact, to be safe I think I will fork out the money for a 8000mile service, even though most was done already. That way they can also check if the carbs need balancing, although I think that is very unlikely.

Anybody know of a cheap reliable mechanic who can help me out in the Genoa area in Italy?

Also, I saw on the internet that there is a Honda dealer in Cairo. Anybody had any experience with them? Can't they supply tires?

Regards,
Namsa.