at the IMS in indy, I had the chance to test fit a bunch of different adventures. the r1200gs was hands down my favorite. the flat twin has such a low CG, the bike is effortless to come of the side stand. I love that. its a hefty bike, but feels light. seat height is huge, not going to lie. its the tallest bike ive ever been on, and is the only bike ive ever tip toed on (im 6'2"). after having the small experiece I had on that machine, there would be no way id be interested in anything else. if you truely want something that can handle more serious offroad, look into the ktm. its more geared towards that side of the spectrum.