Talking about the other brands, It's going to be an interesting conversation around the campsite......I'd say it's going to be almost like talking about a cousin the family kinda avoids but puts a good face on when talked about. LOL.
People will have preferences and no doubt the passion will flow either way but the reality is the AT will be cross shopped from anything from a WR250R to a 1290. It's the nature of this game, lots of choices and options. More importantly, riders skills are all over the place which should be the actual restriction instead of the ridiculous talk about bolt sizes and/or widget comfort.
My twig of knowledge, coming from owning a previous 1200GS, the AT is a BARGIN! Yes, argue all you want about hp, weight and no cruise or heated grips...... The reality is for the price, there is NOTHING like it and if it's anything like the previous AT, Honda won't change much on this bike for a while. Surely the competition will add God knows what to it's bikes but the AT will still be what it is, simple, reliable and capable.