I did about 60k miles on a Suzuki GS500 on my own and about 10k two up and I am now riding an XTZ 750 two up. More power means more fun but I have to say the 48 something bhp the GS had was just as good for long term touring. All I can see is with the more bhp chain and sprockets, tyres and brake pads won't last too long. Comfort is much better but I could have just as well raised the handlebars on the GS. Plus I find a new problem almost every week... bearings gone, cable connectors melted, exhaust broken in half. Slowly, part by part I restored it now but I would have hated to find out about these things in Mauritania.

I would say, if you like your XT then get a better seat made for it, change whatever you don't like on it. You can do a complete overhaul instead of buying another bike and then you won't have to worry about hidden problems. Or get a GS500

I agree. You seem to love that XT. I bet you could get a seat from a breaker and have a seat with a more generous pillion pad (maybe with a step) made relatively inexpensively. Indeed, you might be able to do it yourself.

More power would be good 2 up but more and more people are swearing by smaller bikes these days.

Personally I don't ride 2 up, but I'm with you on the XT. Mine is quite simply my perfect bike.

Matt

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Oh, I love the XT all right! I bought it as a drudge bike for winter and bad weather, but these days I ride it in preference to the Triumph (and the Bonnie before that, and the Pan before that, and the Ducati before that).

The problem is that the XT is tired and in need of a good deal of TLC. Tyres and chain need replacing, wiring loom is very flaky, frame and rims are rusty, engine is rattly and down on power ... the list goes on. It could be the basis for a great tourer, but it will need taking off the road and giving some proper money and attention. If I sell the Sprint to fund all of that, I would be without a bike until the work was done, and that can't happen.

If I got a bike that could double as a daily driver and a modest 2-up tourer capable of tracks and mild dirt, I could retire the XT to the garage and do all that work in my own time.

I'll never sell it, obviously.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

What about buying a second XT? Hehe

Another XT600E? That had crossed my mind!

If I sold the Sprint I could get a really nice one ...

Stop it, stop it, you're not helping

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

I think I may have found a solution.

The Sprint has proved very hard to sell. I put it on eBay three times but it didn't reach what I thought was a reasonable reserve. I was on the point of trading it in against a BMW K75 with a dealer, which would have fulfilled the 2-up 'slower' touring role, and left the XT to be rebuilt as an overlander. But then on the last day of the third auction attempt a guy contacted me and offered me his BMW F650GS (the 652cc single) as a straight swap. Given that I would have been lucky to get £1500 for the Triumph, and the F650GS seems to sell (2004 model) for £2000 - £2500, I reckon that's a blinding deal from my side of it. The GS has a full BMW service history and factory panniers, and 20k miles in 8 years.

I haven't even seen the bike yet, and it may all fall through, but I think I may have found something close to my 'super XT' - similar size and character, but more power and better for carrying a passenger. I'll post pice here if/when I get it, but I have a few other irons in the fire and I am not letting those go until the GS keys are in my hand.

I plan to run it as my daily rider for the rest of the year. If it doesn't suit, it should be easier to move it on than a sports tourer. Every dealer I spoke to said that the market has dropped out for bigger, faster bikes, and these days everyone wants middleweight dual-purpose bikes.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

Fair enough, but my experience of owning more than one single cyl bike is that one of them is the favoured ride and the other(s) are neglected in that they don't get used; this can happen in any circumstances when owning multiple bikes but when there are machines of very similar design and engine capacity available to you then one of them will become the machine of choice.
In this case you will be seduced by the smooth single cylinder F650GS

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Dave