I have seen some dealers offering reduced rates on older bikes, not the same thing as "Upping the labour rate", still seems a bit crap to reward those pulling upwards of £10k for a new bike with higher service costs - but as a consumer you have a choice and could bugger off and buy another brand.
I understood 08 (MU) models were improved in both reliability and had a bit more power and sharper steering so I bought one, not without faults in 18 months and worse than any Jap bike I had owned so I returned to the Japs.
There is a good argument early bikes will have had most weak components sorted by now, and I think the same issues still roll on for any year.
The FD's are still prone to early expiration (08's may be slightly better and twin cams better still) and you still need to carry an FPC.
Beyond that I think the other "well known" issues are more likely very rare exceptions such as Gearbox failures and Dropped valves (although both extremely expensive)
And if you avoid the gadgets even less to go wrong, ABS controllers are expensive and not uncommon failures (not so common either) ESA shocks won't last forever and cost a lot more to replace than the conventional ones - plus have other electronic components that may fail (although the seem pretty good)
On the plus side dealers love to stitch punters up with every accessory and dislike bikes with few gadgets, which if your in the market for a low-spec bike makes for a bargain.
I fancied a new GS last spring and was considering just the comfort pack (Heated Grips and Computer) it would be harder to sell on, but had little to go wrong, bought a Tenere in the end as IMO they are less likely to go wrong and cheaper to fix
My best buy would be a 2010 twin cam with low miles and few extra's, or a 2011 Super Tenere which would set you back the same sort of money (as a basic 2010 GS) and have ABS and Traction Control.
