[alanmcorcoran]

I've done a little more Googling and the two KTM models that caught my interest are the Adventure 990 and the 990 R. The R seems to have a little more horsepower and perhaps an upgraded suspension, but I'm not 100% sure of the differences. They fall weight-wise in between the Geezer and the Strat - about 470 pounds IIRC. On the forums, I have heard a good phrase for trying to separate out some of these bikes: "Do you want a mostly dirt bike that is legal to take on the street for a while or do you want a bike where you are gonna ride 100-150 miles on the highway to get to 20 miles on the dirt." I definitely fall into the latter category. I also am not a seasoned dirt rider and will probably limit myself to literally dirt roads, rather than mud, sand, off road, etc. So, I want to get something that I can ride 150 miles without getting a giant blister on my ass, but I could pick up easily if I skidded out on a fire road that might lead to a more secluded campsite. Two of the competing bikes mentioned a lot are the BMW F800GS and the BMW1200 GS so I'm gonna Google up a bit on that. I get the sense that the BMW1200GS is probably best suited for me - heavier, more suited to longer distances, but can still handle fire roads. But I like the panniers and the design (and the idea) of the KTM better. But I think it's not really suitable for a 150 mile ride.

Your thoughts welcome...