I rode my YBR250 around China and the bike was great! No mechanical problems apart from changing gears when hot. Back suspension is also not great but this is perhaps because my baggage was to heavy and the center of weight was too far back. It would bottom out quite often and I needed to be careful on rough roads. If I was going again on a trip like this Id take bags instead of those fake pelican boxes and lighter rack.
Oh and get some extension for the front mudguard, after few km on a muddy road the cylinder is completely full of mud and this can cause few problems when its hot ;)