[quote=“plasmatron”]I’d agree with Dangermouse… You can have one hell of a good time on any bike, of course once you know what big capacity, weather protected, all terrain touring/scratching/exploring/blasting are like it’s hard to go back but you really can still have a hell of a good time on any bike…[/quote]I also agree with Dangermouse apart from the anti-scooter stuff.
For me, a good machine is something that does what it is supposed to do in the simplest, most practical way. While I did some nice trips on the FZ150, a wannabe sport bike, it was too heavy, underpowered and frustrating because of the constant gear-changing.
Small capacity two-stroke motorbikes are nice but of course they tend to lack the weather protection and storage capacity of a scooter.
I don’t do so much recreational riding at the moment but I’m having fun on my BWS scooter. Of course I’ve got it running nicely, and it’s a fun, lightweight, zippy machine that’s good in town or in the tiny twisty backroads. It also takes my Oxford Sport pannier bags so I may well do a bit of touring on it at some point. Only thing is, next time I’ll do most of the riding in the early-ish morning before the traffic gets too bad. I find it pretty tiring focussing on defensive riding for long periods of time along busy roads.
[quote=“plasmatron”]Just look at the Guy Damon D’Ianson from BIKE magazine… Whilst Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman rode around the world with schmancy BMW’s loaded with a million pounds worth of expensive kit and backup cars etc. in the Long Way Round to mass ooooh’s and aaaaah’s and “isn’t Obiwan a proper biker, I’m going to go out and buy a BMW” public rapture… this Damon guy (a proper bike enthusiast with years of big bike experience and track days, road testing etc.) has been riding around India for the last 6 months on a Pulsar 150cc and we’re not talking about pissy little “Lonely Planet” trips around India…[/quote]My Mum gave me the DVD special edition of “The Long Way Round”. It’s great. I’m not really bothered if other people in other places have done longer journeys for less money on mopeds held together with bits of string. It’s still fascinating watching, especially the stuff going through Kazakhstan and Mongolia. And I think even Damon D’Ianson would have been in trouble had he been doing the Road of Bones in Siberia.
McGregor and Boorman were just two guys who like motorbikes doing a world trip on nice bikes because they could. And they made a TV series about it, a) because it helped with the costs, b) as a memento and c) because, rightly as it turned out, they thought quite a few people would want to watch it. I don’t see what’s so bad about that.
But then, I also think that the “Lonely Planet” guidebooks are a useful resource.
(had a bad night the night before and couldn’t get out of bed) 
