Hi all,

Ive been reading this forum for a while since ive decided to buy an xt660 and may i firstly say its quite nice to see another close knit friendly community on here. (the only other place i felt matched was my old sv forum.)

Now im going to be one of those annoying people and ask that awkward question of "what bike do you guys think i should get?" even though we've never met let alone seen me ride, but the question still stands...?

i was really looking at buying an tenere because i really wanted something i could commute to and from work (15 miles of main road followed by 2 miles of country) then take out to the yorkshire moors for a bit of green laning and light off roading. Also my new niece has just been born 350miles away and it would be nice to have a bike to travel economically that distance in comfort a few times a year.

The only problem is im not confident in my off road/ green laning ability as the 1 and only time ive been is with my old dt125 years ago which felt great but it was a much smaller and lighter bike.

I do worry about the xt660r off road capability (the pipes underneath the frame i can see getting damaged by uneven terrain etc. ) also how appropriate it is as a tourer?

I suppose my question is... Will the xt660z ten be appropriate enough tfor a skinny lad like me to develop my off road skills? and if not will the xt660r be good enough for off road for me to be confident to use off road without smashing the poor little thing.

PLease note im 180cm tall (5'10) and i cant buy or own a bike like a dr 400 or more off road orientated bike because it will get stolen in my area. i did own a ktm smc 690 for a month or so but since having that i got broken into twice when they tried to get it so had to sell. (that and the bloody thing would try and kill me on my way to work!)

i hope this isn't too much of a bother for someone to give me a bit of guidance, after all the best answer would be to go find one local to test ride but untill i sell my cbr i dont have enough for a deposit.

thanks a bunch!

mark