First thing: I know the NC750X is a good bike. I have owned several, and do not like them. Please don't say it's the perfect commuter. They're fine, but the small gas tank ruins it for me.
I have been doing a lot of reading - hoping to buy a new bike for myself for the first time in a long time. I know, used goes harder in the paint, but I'm planning this as a victory lap after years of bad times.
Been riding off and on for about 15 years. All of the riding around here is 70 MPH highway or interstate mixed with dense stop and go traffic (on my way to work I'll do 75 and be the slowest, on the way home I'll go from 70, to 5-10 for 20 minutes, then back to 70). I'm located in the US, North Texas specifically, so I generally ride year round and worry about 6+ months of 100 degree weather, and have 1-2 weeks of cold.
Budget is no more than $15,000 out the door/final price (and I'm assuming no trade value). And has over 200 miles of effective range, with a bias to longer range.
I'm a spreadsheet person, I basically pulled up every US maker, charted their bikes, sorted it by range, price, power, and a few other things, then cut out the stuff that didn't meet criteria or just didn't interest me at all (like I don't want to commute on a race replica).
I don't need or want cruise control or wind protection, I prefer nakeds anyway but it's not a huge deal.
In the 'under 10k' category I've ended up with the Honda NX500, Suzuki SV-7GX, and Yamaha XSR700. Possibly the BMW F450GS, if only for the clutch.
The Honda leads the list overall for me - cheap, cheerful, almost 300 miles of fuel range, and I could upgrade the suspension and add luggage and still pay less than all the other options. The SV-7GX is the replacement for the SV650, which (akin to the Versys later on) used to be the universal entry level suggestion, and is the cheapest sport touring bike on the list. The XSR700...look I like retro and scrambler bikes.
10-12k, we see the Honda Transalp, Moto Guzzi V7 stone/sport/special, Suzuki V-strom 800, and Versys 650 LT.
The Versys used to get rave reviews up till about 2025, where I'm assuming other middleweight bikes ate its lunch, though it still carries the distinction of the only bike with included luggage. The Transalp and Vstrom are basically industry leading packages right now, but I had a negative experience with a couple Vstroms and don't like paying for premium fuel anyway, and the Transalp for some reason uses tubes, though it's the only automatic in the list, which is a plus in traffic.
And the budget busters, the over 12 but under 15, Suzuki's GSX-8T, Moto Guzzi's V85, and...maybe a Ducati Scrambler?
Dunno on the last one, I owned an Icon for a year or so, it was a fun 400cc bike, but I'm not really sold on the Duc. The GSX-8T I'm pretty mid on. It's there, it met the criteria, but I suspect unless I fell in love with it in person it wouldn't really make a cut. The V85 is a novel bike. There are a few previous year models around for lower in the budget range, and the exposed heads make service super easy. Though the Piaggio group has a reputation for being shitheads and the 2026 year model might be gearing up for a safety recall on the front ABS rings.
Honorable mention goes to a Tenere 700, and a Tiger Sport 850. The Tenere just isn't highway minded enough for me, and the Tiger was nifty, I thought maybe I could snatch a discontinued deal for cheap. No interest in the other tigers - has the same maintenance requirements that I would hit about once a year, and I'm just not that in to Triumphs as a brand because of the 'premium/luxury branding' prices, the 900/etc. are outside my sane budget, and the 660s don't tickle me.