Hi Guys, planning an Africa trip, 3 months around west africa, bit of desert, bit of coast, all road types (and lack of). My big contempaltion at present is what bike to use.
I am by no means a mechanic so simple is better, reliable is paramount and obviously I need to be able to turn it into a bit of a on/off road tourer (can this be done with the 600E or if the frame a bit light?).
In addition the cost variance between the 2 is fair. It is not so much the purchase cost that concerns me, it is rather that the more expensive it is, the more worries one would have about its safety while left unattended, over night etc..
A further factor, I would be using it to commute while in London.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi, over the summer i owned both these bikes and did a 10K mile tour using both bikes (my son used the XT600E which i still have). in my opinion the Tenere is a far better bike especially on the road and gives better fuel consumpion. It is surprisingly good off road and has an excellent tank range of 350+ miles at a steady pace.
The XT600E benefits from a lower seat height and is a fair bit lighter,
Andy B

As much as the Tenere' appeals (I wish we could get them here in the US!)
given what Trich has said, it's got to be the much lighter weight and much less expensive XT for a first Africa run.

Why not find a low miles used one that is already set up for travel? Don't get suckered into hard panniers however. Biggest amateur mistake. Go soft bags, keep it cheap and simple but find a bike that has been gone through and has skid
plate, bark busters, rack of some kind, case guards perhaps, big tank, nice seat (important!!) proper tires and perhaps a nice box of spares.

You won't find many Tenere's set up this way but XT's are much more common.

The Tenere' weight is massive for a single. Go weigh one, you won't believe it. It's got to be 30 kgs. heavier than a standard XT. If you are a novice off road rider this will really hurt you and could be quite discouraging.

By the time you've added all the bags and tools and camping gear, you've added a lot of weight to any bike. So starting off light is best.

The Tenere' would work for more experienced off road riders or those not doing any rough going.

As far as theft goes, not such an issue in Africa from what I've read of reports here. I've only done Morocco, no problems at all outside cities.
You just need to find a place for the bike. Not too hard most places.