Opinions on Dahon Bikes?

I'm beginning to get that "third bike itch". Myrtille and Behemoth are
both city bikes and have my everyday riding needs pretty much wrapped up
between them.

I have started to dream of longer runs, bike touring in beautiful
holiday places. But this almost always seems to mean renting an
unfamiliar bike locally and getting used to its idiosynchracies.
Behemoth is way too heavy to cart around. And there are many kinds of
terrain for which she has let me know she is unsuitable.

Dahon makes a folding bike called the Speed TR which has a rack for
luggage and a Sram DualDrive shifter. I am tempted by the possibility of
a bike that I could take with me on trains, and travel with on tours. I
know a very intrepid Russian lady in Cambridge who has a Dahon Speed
Pro, a related model, that she swears by. She has ridden it all over
France. She says it is a dream. She can take it anywhere and it then
takes her anywhere. But she is light and wiry with her steel-colored
hair and her Imperial accent, and I would never be so bold as to place
myself in the same lofty cycling category as her.

On the other hand, I've spoken to dealers here in Paris who claim they
have stopped keeping Dahon in stock because they had too many problems
with these bikes. One told me he had a customer nearly kill herself when
her Dahon came apart at the folding join in full traffic. These dealers
swear by Brompton for folding bikes, but I am not that sold on Brommies.
I'm not keen on the 16" wheels and find them very heavy and clunky. They
are famous for their elegant folding system but I'm not looking for
something to take on the metro. I cannot tell if the dealers were
knocking Dahon to promote Brompton or whether they really did have a
good reason.

Also there is a concern for the wieght limit on the Dahon models I'm
looking at. I am very near it. With luggage, I would be over it. I don't
know how important this is - would it prejudice the folding system and
void any guarantees?

The Speed TR costs over £600 so it's not an anodine purchase. I'd be
grateful for your experiences/opinions.

EFR
Ile de France