There is some interesting and useful information that has been provided here on this topic. I can only offer an opinion based on my personal experience. If I am going to areas where I expect the roads to be reasonably good and I think I need to cover a bit of distance then I will take the big German bike.
It sure is a great touring bike and I have covered a couple of hundred thousand kilometers in fifteen years doing that. If I am going to ride on desert or rougher type roads then for me a lighter bike is better. When I have shipped a bike to ride overseas and think I may want to poke down a dirt road, then I ship my DR 650. It is a much lighter and simpler bike, it can keep up with the traffic, is less stressful to ride on sand/dirt and carries all I need. Most importantly, as I tend to travel by myself, I can pick up the bike if I drop it on a sandy track.
I understand each rider will have their own framework for decision making.
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