If you want a bike for road-touring maybe have a look at roadbikes and not the so called Advbikes? No need to run 21/18 wheels with knobby tires when youre looking for a bike for mainly roaduse….

Any of the bikes you mention will be fine for youre use - its all about personal preferance. If I was economically aware I would buy a NC700/750X. They easily get 80-90 mpg imperial and have tappets that you can adjust with a screwdriver. So cheap on gas and easy to service.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I find myself exhausted and in desperate need of a nap every time I check these threads. OP, you've run through the options and variations on Vstrom, CB, Norton, Norden, GS, XT, KTM, AT, T7, Super 10, RE, and probably a whole slew I'm forgetting. That includes purchase of at least two very different bikes about which you declared the beginning of an "adventure." You must enjoy the evaluating and winnowing a lot more than I do--I'd have long since made a decision, taken the plunge, and never looked back.

In the event that you'd actually really like to make a decision--which has the advantage of freeing up time for OTHER pursuits--I'm thinking maybe choose a short list of priorities, take your best guess as to which will satisfy most of them, then act accordingly. Whatever you choose, I can promise it'll have major disadvantages--price, weight, power, convenience, maintenance, glamour, accessories, _______, and ________ [insert whatever other qualities you believe important in this space]. That's a given.

Of course there's nothing wrong with shopping around intensively for for another year or two or five, as long as that's where you find your pleasure. But what you're doing now sounds remarkably like what it appears you were doing five years ago, i.e., comparing dissimilar bikes without resolving anything except that none of them check all the boxes. In my mind, that's a good place to *start*, then move on: "None are perfect, so here's what I'm going to do....tomorrow, if not today."

Edit to add: maybe it's obvious I own a KLR and a DL 650, as I have for the past 15 years. Both were obvious choices, and both suit me just fine (although I might switch out the former one of these days).

Just a thought. As always, ignore whatever doesn't apply.

Mark

I'm like Mark "pick one and live with it for a few years".
I've personally gone through 6 bikes in the last 45 years (yikes!) and still have 4 of them.
'76 Hercules GS175 Enduro, (my last race bike, still have), 1981 BMW R100CS and 1982 BMW R100S (both gone), 1986 R80G/S, our RTW bike, still have, 2002 Suzuki DRZ400E bought in 2019, still have, 2007 BMW R1200GSA (new to me in 2015) still have. I'm considering getting it down to 2, but it's hard.

ALL bikes have quirks, NO bike is perfect. Work with it till it fits you, and YOU adapt to IT.

OR you can be like a friend, who has recently purchased his 14th KLR. He is trying to get his stable down to less than 4. lol! He's owned more bikes in 10 years than I have in my life.

Another friend has over 100,000km on his 2014 DR650, engine untouched, but he's at modification 73 last I heard, making it perfect for HIM. That's not counting maintenance, wheel bearings etc!

I couldn't count the modifications to my 86 R80G/S, the Hercules is almost stock but not quite, the 1200 has the basic usual mods, panniers, suspension etc. The DRZ - uncountable, and working on more at the moment.

My advice fwiw - and it's not worth much except to my clone - pick the closest, ride it - do you LIKE IT? Does it FEEL GOOD? Does it MOSTLY FIT YOU physically? Will it do it's ASSIGNED TASK? If yes to all, buy it and live with it and make it work. And remember nothing is perfect. It will have flaws. Fix them for YOU. There is great pleasure in making it work, making it fit you to perfection, and knowing the bike well enough to do just about anything to it roadside.

Hope that helps!

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com