STFU Already
It's like a skipping record with you guys. Every single time a review of one of these adventure bikes is posted, the exact same people always pipe up about it being to big and heavy and therefor has no place in the cycle world. You know what? Go buy a fuckin' MX or enduro bike if you want to do serious off road riding with whoops and jumps and whatever.
If you want to ride for thousands of miles on the apshalt, gravel and dirt roads, go at least 300 miles between fill ups and carry a months worth of gear for camping, spare tires, spare fuel and water, etc.... then you buy one of these. This will take you places a plastic clad and cast wheeled street bike would fall apart on and go farther and more comfortably than a dirt bike with a seat like a board and revs to the moon at highway speed, needing a top end rebuild every 200 miles..
This friday, I'm taking my bloated pig on a 12,000 mile 24 day trip from Texas into Newfoundland, Labrador and into Nunivut, then through the backcountry of the Dakotas on the way home. About 3000 miles of my trip will be loose and deep gravel, about 1000 miles of dirt and the rest pavement. I'll be making good use of my 350 mile range and still be taking an extra 3 gallons of fuel, a bunch of camping gear, rations, tools and various clothing items. Try that on a CRF450 X or R. Even the XT 660 can't be as much of a pack mule. Fun bike though. Sadly unavailable in the US, just like the Africa Twin.
Been doing trips like this for 15 years now. Check out the advrider site and see how many riders use these bikes as intended. Quite a lot.
