Welcome! I have yet to even test ride a dual sport / adventure style bike. Are they comfortable enough for commutes? I feel like the high seat position would get a bit rough for commuting traffic (if you're in a city or suburb with busy rush hours).

I'm currently in the process of converting my INT650 into a somewhat capable dirt and gravel road bike (kind of like a Scrambler, I guess). I'll be installing a recently purchased sump guard, ordering an extended rear fender, and fitting some 70%/30% Pirelli tires. There are quite a few county roads near me (Nebraska / Iowa, U.S.A.) that are half paved, half dirt or gravel, between intersections. Some of the dirt/gravel parts are just as curvy as the paved sections. Will be fun roads to explore. I imagine both your bikes feel great on dirt/gravel!

For me, I didn't think about knuckle protection. I had riding gloves, but only for slide protection, no real knuckle reinforcement. Also, the 2 times I have dropped my bike were from near-standstill. 1. A few months into bike ownership a false neutral caught me off guard while trying to park. I wasn't ready for the forward lurch, and slow-dropped the bike onto it's right side. 2 A month or so after the first drop, I was startled by a speeding car coming at me as I was about to pull out from a stop sign, and I grabbed all the front brake and tumbled off the bike to the left at maybe 2 or 3 mph.

Looks like a beautiful ride.

I have a bit of a pre-ride checklist, but it's not really religious. fluid levels / color chain tightness / irregularities blinkers /headlight / brakelight saddlebags closed / strapped tire inspection / pressure test controls - f. brake / r.brake / throttle / clutch / shifter check clothes / gear check helmet

@Marie Wilson

So, it's not an earworm, but he once explained that you can view all objects as cones to navigate around. So I like the phrase, "This is a cone."