You asked: "Has any one had direct comparison between the AT and the 650cc BMW"

Between 2000 and 2005 we lived in Bolivia - I had a wonderful Africa Twin (Frank on AT) and my wife had the F650GS.

The Africa Twin is an unbelievable robust bike, which I would always buy again.
The F650GS was a total desaster. The motor died around 14000 km in Brazil. I drove from Rio de Janeiro (where the BMW garage said because it was a german BMW I had no warranty) to the head office of BMW in Sao Paulo. They said, if I repaired the bike with BMW garage Rio (double price compared to the Suzuki garage offer) and the repair would fail, they would send the parts to Bolivia and repair it there. No warranty if I had chosen the Suzuki repair. Ok.
The repair did not last, a dying bike reached La Paz and although we claimed the written warranty in Brazil and Germany several times - we never got it....
The bike never drove again - my lesson: Never buy a BMW. Never trust even a written warranty. Repairs are double expensive than in rice-cooker-garages.

The Africa drove through all the worst you can imagine and had only minor failures - the worst was a contact in the sidestand, which connected "secretly" and made the engine ran unround. I drove at least 4 times to a garage until a smart guy in Iquique found it out.


Now:
After being without bike for five years I just had to decide what I wanted to buy. I knew what I wanted: A brandnew Africa Twin please!
But there is nothing on the market like that. So I just ordered a Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere.

Why?
Life-Rule number one: No BMW!
The Honda Crosstourer told me directly: "Don't you even think about driving me through anything but best roads!"
The Triumph - a friend told me "too much plastic" - but I liked her somewhat.

But in the end I wanted the Tenere. I could not find so many gimmicks on her, the test bike drove perfectly (even thru a german forest) and a BIG reason too was the price.
BMW and Triumph are crazy expensive compared to a Tenere.

I live again in the Latin Americas now and I need a robust bike with simple and proved technic. I do not need a showbike. I need a bike I can lose and get on again - and if the Tenere is not as robust as I hope at least I paid 30% less.