I've only ridden a BMW a couple of times... comfortable, good for long trips. From what I understand, quite reliable.
Ducatis are expensive as f*ck and probably only worth it if you're obscenely rich.
Trikes are for old farts.
Don't get a Harley unless you like fixing it every other weekend. Plus they're the queen marys of bikes. Slow and cumbersome. A Shadow or Goldwing would be preferable.
I've never had the opportunity to ride a gixer... I've heard good things, but probably too much for me.
I ride a Yamaha FZ1000, and I'm very happy with it. Comfortable, perfect mix of handling and power for a moderately skilled rider such as myself, and I've never had any problems with it. I laid it down a year ago, had it back in shape in no time with little money. Not a lot of plastic, which I think is ugly and also it's expensive.
KoolBak wrote:I ride a v-max on the road and a tt600 dirt....LOVE riding; been doing it damn near 40 years now

My dad rode a v-max for a number of years, it was a great bike. He's moved on since then, but yeah, good touring bike.
I guess it all depends on how skilled and/or serious you are. If you just want to cruise around town and look like a douche, get a hog and don the leathers. If you actually enjoy riding, find something you like.
-TG