I realise now that my 50/50 onroad offroad spec is misleading; what I mean(t) is 50% on good road (tar, well formed dirt road) and 50% on poor road (dirt roads and tracks) with single and firetrail type tracks probably the worst I would normally encounter. Very little would be true cross country (ie. not on a road as such). In Australia think Simpson Desert Crossing, Birsdville Track, Great Central Road, Gibb River Road, etc.

On these sort of roads the softer GS800 is a defiinite option but my concern is the complexity, reliability & fragility of the GS800 (and the KTM). I read an interesting description where the author claimed he would choose the KTM (technically the far superior bike) only if he had a truck load of spares and specialist KTM mechanics trailing behind him at all times! Not an option for most of us (non-celebrity) mere mortals!