TRAVERSE Issue 05 - April 2018 | Page 47

1200GS, for various reasons Daryl chose to switch to the 2012 Suzuki V-Strom DL650. First, there is a difference between what you want and what you need. On such an adventure, even though we are travelling fully loaded, two up, a bigger engine is not really needed. Travelling with an expensive bike might also give the impression that we are big spenders, and in certain countries, this would make a big dif- ference when it comes to getting rea- sonable prices on accommodation and any repairs that might come up. Speaking of repairs, a bike with minimum electronics is a lot more re- liable for travelling in less developed countries. Another thing to take into consid- deposit required upon application is – it all boils down to taste, itinerary, eration when choosing a motorcy- calculated according to the motorcy- budget and one’s style of adventure. cle for such a trip, is the Carnet de cle’s value. Even though the V-Strom DL650 is Passage where most of the time, the In the end, there is no perfect bike a middleweight adventure bike, it is TRAVERSE 47