Hi all, planning on quitting jobs/selling stuff/etc and heading east from Istanbul for an unspecified period with no rota planned as such. We'll be on the road for 6 months or more heading to as many of the exotic and remote places the internet and youtube can throw at us.
Our bike is a '12 XT1200Z, which has served us well over the years flawlessly taking us on multiple trips across Turkey and Europe. If our proposed trip was purely asphalt then I wouldn't think twice over which bike to use, but a bad back and the weight and overall size of the S10 with (Ard Case) panniers has me thinking how practical the beast will be in majorly crowded cities like Mumbai or any city in Thailand etc where there are billions of two wheelers. Same goes for river crossings/off road/sandy/muddy conditions or poorly constructed mountain passes etc where the bike could be dropped multiple times over a short stretch. Loading the bike on trains/boats also.
These are some of the reasons why I've got an urge to sell the S10 and get an XT660Z. We did many trips on our old XT660X, which is nowhere close to the Z ergonomically, but that served us well over the years. I know there are a bunch of couples that have done serious trips 2 up on a 660Z, so its not a case of can it be done? I'm wondering whether its better I switch to the smaller Z sibling....thoughts???
Our bike is a '12 XT1200Z, which has served us well over the years flawlessly taking us on multiple trips across Turkey and Europe. If our proposed trip was purely asphalt then I wouldn't think twice over which bike to use, but a bad back and the weight and overall size of the S10 with (Ard Case) panniers has me thinking how practical the beast will be in majorly crowded cities like Mumbai or any city in Thailand etc where there are billions of two wheelers. Same goes for river crossings/off road/sandy/muddy conditions or poorly constructed mountain passes etc where the bike could be dropped multiple times over a short stretch. Loading the bike on trains/boats also.
These are some of the reasons why I've got an urge to sell the S10 and get an XT660Z. We did many trips on our old XT660X, which is nowhere close to the Z ergonomically, but that served us well over the years. I know there are a bunch of couples that have done serious trips 2 up on a 660Z, so its not a case of can it be done? I'm wondering whether its better I switch to the smaller Z sibling....thoughts???