For the better times to come:

I want to travel for about an year or two in South America. Thinking about buying a new bike and selling it afer the trip. In consideration are Honda XRE 300 and Royal Enfield Himalayan (20% cheaper in Colombia). I dont want to do real hard dirtbiking, but a bad gravel road or the Transamazonica should be in range. Waht would be your suggestion? Thanks in advance!

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Actually both those bikes are quite similar. Air cooled, 5-speed gearbox, 24,5 HP and 25 HP, 21/18 wheels, fuel capacity 13,5 l(XRE) and 15 l(Hima)
The Himalayan is a bit heavier as its weight is 196 kilos and then XRE dry weight is 146 and thus probably near 175 kilos wet.

I questioned different people about the XRE quality when I travelled in south America, especially when I was in Brasil where its made (its also assembled in Colombia and Mexico) and what was said about it was it had some quite stated weaknesses, the cylinderhead easily developed cracks and also the EFI system was said to be primitive and prone to failure. However the XRE has been in production for many years (since 2009) so those things might be fixed by now(?)

The lighter weight of the XRE would definetively be a noticeably advantage on rough roads. On the other hand the Himalayan seems to be a better travel bike and seems to be able to carry luggage and even a pillion with more ease than the XRE.
Actually a very close race it is. Im really not sure which one I would have chosen.....

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I'm a sucker for Enfields, Vespas and all things with a fair bit of nostalgia.

I've had to restrain myself from pulling the trigger on the Himalayan for my girlfriend (size and price is good, and it looks so cool!). What's been holding me back is concerns related to the combination of reliability and sourcing parts.

Although it is very capable, there are better options in the same budget bracket, especially if you look for second hand Japanese bikes with low mileage. Ground clearance, shock travel, wheel size, power to weight ratio... In my experience, the longer you travel, the less you care about the nostalgia of the bike and the more you care about features that make the bike more or less suitable for the the job - namely taking you on a journey. That much said, riding a Vespa in places where it shouldn't be, has given me far more positive social experiences than when I have been riding a big adventure bike. Still, having been there and done that (and it was great, and I'm glad I did it), I think those days are over for me - I now much rather prefer having the most suitable bike my budget can allow for. Riding on an unsuitable bike (not that the Enfield is unsuitable, it is very capable), is very adventurous and opens up for a lot of interactions - but it is also a constant struggle, it is nerve wrecking and it restrict you in terms of what you can do without hating life or ending it.

What I am trying to say is that while the Enfield gets a passing grade, it's not at the top of its class in neither performance, reliability nor serviceability. Going for a Himalayan will likely not be a mistake, it just might not be the best choice you could have made. But, if it is the only adventure bike you have experience with, you probably won't feel as though you are missing much. And, if you have a particular fetish for the Himalayan - well, then it probably is the best option.

If you follow itchyboots, note some of her complaints related to the bike. Now that she has so much more experience, I would be surprised if she would get the same one again if she was to replace the one she has now - unless she was sponsored. I think one of her main reasons for choosing her first Himalayan in the first place was economics, availability where she was at, as well as familiarity with the bike having rented one before - with little prior experience with any other adventure bike, it was a safe choice.

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Don’t confuse modern Royal Enfields with ones of old.
The latest edition of the Himalayan is very popular in the UK and a very well built and reliable motorcycle. They are extremely easy to work on for a home or back street mechanic. There are plenty of dealerships in the UK and parts are just as easy to get as any of the Japanese makes.

Lots of people I know have bought Himalayans. Many of them view it as a baby GS - more so than the 310 - due to its low COG and huge amount of torque. These buyers are ageing and just don’t want a big adventure bike anymore.

The RE interceptor 650 and Continental GT were the biggest selling motorcycles in the UK in 2020 - that includes all sizes, even Honda 125s.

Yes there is a certain amount of nostalgia here - but not enough for these sale figures, the bikes have to be decent enough.

My friend has a WR250R and is an extremely experienced off road rider, his wife has a Himalayan - he told me that the Himalayan would do 90% of the off road riding that the WRR would do and he’s seriously thinking of switching, as you could ride the Himmy for 2 hours, do the trails and ride home again.

RE are a serious brand - when the Himmy had frame problems they bought out Harris frames who sorted it. They are opening dealerships all over the world, at a rate of knots - itchy boots found them in SA.