adventure bikes are fine for what they are made to do, interstate travelling I'll take a good sport or full fairing any day of the week. (now we are encouraging him arent we?)

as per The Dakar. for me the bikers are the real guys with gonads. Physical as all hell, specially the sand sections, gotta work those bikes all the time, going at a good clip, and keeping track of the route by yourself (no co driver) , picking the damn bike up when it tosses you....they are nuts but boy you gotta be tough. My first bike was a 175 enduro and was fun as heck to ride, good training for getting a feel for traction and such.
The South American version has been quite a success, lots of Latino teams too, and the landscapes are great too.