I'd avoid the Ducati, Triumph, BMW etc. They are decent bikes but are expensive and don't have the dead nuts stove-bolt reliability of the Yamaha Tenere and Suzi V-strom. I wouldn't want to be beholden to a Duck dealer for anything!
Bigger displacement is better for some of us; a passenger, gear, mountain climbs and headwinds make that an easy choice.
I personally like the Honda VFR1200X--aka the Crosstourer in Europe--with its DCT trans and will hopefully find one this Summer. I've clutched/shifted bikes all of my life but want to try the automatic DCT (they make a clutch/shift model as well.) The big Hondas been outta production for a few years, but still plenty of new non-current bikes out there.Honda's Africa Twin 1000 is another insanely good bike, it has a choice of DCT or manual transmissions as well.
Those Hondas would last you a lifetime.
The Tenere is a great bike, and probably a better choice than the Suzi, IMHO. Its bulletproof shaft drive solidifies that choice over the chain-driven Suzi if you do much gravel work. Other than that they are likely a toss-up.
The funky looks of the Strom are pretty cool.
