"Is the 650 expensive to maintain? Would it be a good long distance touring machine? Do they keep their value?Are parts easy to obtain?Anyway thanks for letting me join the forum and ride safe."
"Expensive to maintain" boils down to whether you buy a $20 Service and Repair Manual on DVD and do the maintenance yourself. There is a dramatic, night and day difference between DIY costs and BMW dealer costs. If you rely on a BMW dealer, you can join many on this forum and elsewhere who Biblically gnash their teeth and rend their garments over the high cost of maintenance. DIY and it's remarkably cheap to keep. One example: I can change the CVT belt every 12,000 miles for $90 with a Mitsuboshi belt; BMW dealers charge up to ten times that amount for the same Mitsuboshi belt with "BMW" stamped on it. If you DIY, GS-911 or MotoScan diagnostic apps are useful.
I think the GT is easier to work on than Burgman 650's and Honda Silver Wings, and I owned three and four of those, respectively. I'm on my 4th GT. Parts are easy to acquire. Value-wise, GT's cost more new and used than comparable bikes. That's BMW. Touring-wise, I've only ridden up to 400 miles at a time. For me, the GT is a little light for continuous superslab riding, but a lot of people seem okay with it. I typically max out at 65 mph and the bike is perfection at that speed. The weather protection, storage and comfort are excellent for touring, especially with a taller GIVI aftermarket windscreen.