Margus,

Thanks for the lenghy reply!

I sat on a GS1100 and I could barely bring it up from the side stand! I am only 1,74m, so the overall height of the Beemer makes it hard for me to manage...the weight too seems a lot heavier compared to the strom...

Unfortunately, no africa twin or Teneree here in the US...Otherwise these would be on top of my list ...

The DL1000 seems plasticky, and cheaply built, espacially after riding quality built bikes like the triumph, and the aprilia...but it is also cheap...ya can't get a diamond ring for the price of zirconia...

To me comparing the Strom and the GS would be like comparing a Range Rover and a Suzuki Vitara...the only reason why we compare the bikes is because they are more affordable ...

Anyway...the GS looks fantastic, I here only good things about it and it makes me want one so much...I am very skeptic about their true reliability and the cost of maintenance and parts and insurance etc...

Basically I am concerned about budget overtime...

Yes, my aprilia is better built and more reliable than my SV 650 but, come to change a part, or do maintenance and the price are sky rocketing for the arpilia...same thing for insurance...

I want to stay away from that on a RTW...especially with my very limited budget...

but I 'd love to hear someone doing a RTW on a Strom...Anyone?

Heard too many bad things about the tiger...although I love the looks and the engine performance, I am staying away from the bike, too many issues to my taste...and very few dealers around the globe to manage the issues(i.e. surging, EFI problems, etc...)

Thanks for your words of wisdom...I am still looking/researching/loosing sleep over which bike...guess the test rides will fulfill my sleepless nights!

Cheers
Sam

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\"The path matters most, not the destination\"