Originally Posted by Pplater

For the past 3 years my wife and I have been going back and forth between the DR650 and the CB500x too. I think we'll go for the 2019 cb500x stock, just add a skid plate, crash bars, maybe taller windscreen and soft luggage. There are many ride reports on ADV forum of DR650s in South America and Africa. We have enjoyed reading them, such as Mick and Tanya's Earth's Ends, and there was another one involving 3 climbers who climbed mountains riding south from USA. Most of these RRs involve a lot of wrenching on a DR.

Jamie Z i think one consideration which I have not seen you mention in the previous 3 pages is - How comfortable are you wrenching on the bike? For a DR, simple changes in elevation in Peru and Chile could require you to make adjustments to the fuel air ratio. Foul a plug from running too rich and you'll need to change spark plugs. The carb engine requires more work than the more trouble free EFI twin cylinder engine. But all these are not an issue if you are comfortable wrenching the DR. The cb500x helps mechanically noob riders like me. But when the sensors on the FI bike goes, I'll probably be stranded.

In preparation for our trip, my wife and I managed to learn the following on our Yamaha FZ6S over a few years from our mechanic friend- Change tyres, front fork seals, sprockets and chain, spark plugs, wheel bearings, all fluids on the bike. But we can't manage all electrical faults and the engine, so I expect the DR will have more "engine can't start" days, or "engine not running well" days than we know what to do. I know we will not be able to exploit the lighter weight of the DR, much as we would appreciate it, because we are not that kind of rider who's good with working on the carb engines, clutch plates, and electrical faults that are inevitable on a 6 continent, 200000km rtw tour we will soon embark on. I know we will regret it when the going gets too tough for the cb500x, but I also know the DR will leave us stranded probably more often, although its easier to fix at random bike shops in developing countries.

We leave for trip in October 2019. We are 10 months out. Buying the 2019 cb500x in USA and heading Ushuaia over 14 months. Maybe we'll see you on the road. Stay in touch?