woodart/Robert,
First off, WELCOME! A lot of the responses above seem to be negative, but these guys just want to make sure you know what you are getting into. I'm going to give you a positive story.
Quick background: It's uncanny how similar your project is to mine. We are a family of 4 (wife and 2 young kids) who are building an off grid home in Grants Pass, Oregon. Our land is only 1/2 mile from the last power pole, but the power co wants >$50k to bring up power, then monthly service fees after that. Quick math shows investing in an off grid system was a good deal. We decided on 2 Outback 3600 watt inverters, battery bank, and 2400 watts of Evergreen solar panels to start with. The listeroid is going to be the backup. Like you, we will have propane stove/oven and dryer and a 1/2 hp Grundfos SQ well pump, but everything else will be just regular (energy star) appliances. It's a log home about 2500 sq ft. Wrap around porches similar to yours, and recently logged land (320 acres).
I bought a JKson 6/1 listeroid and 7 kw ST head from Joel Koch up in Portland a little over a year ago. It has taken about a year to get everything working just the way I want it, explore the engine, clean it out, make a frame, concrete base, create a propane canister muffler and exhaust system, hook it to the power system, etc. etc. But that has been in my spare time along with many other projects. There were a few mistakes along the way, i.e. not enough mass in the base, but now I am very happy with the results. It flawlessly charges the batteries via the Outback inverters and the inverters put out clean power to everything else.
My reasons for buying a Listeroid were many: I liked its multi-fuel capabilities. there are people who have run them on wood gas, which is another one of my projects (slow and languishing project, but see the alternative fuels section of the forum). Guys like Jens run on waste motor oil. I've started collecting WMO in 55 gal drums and letting the gunk settle, and I'll try running that this winter.
If push came to shove, many components of Listers can be repaired or created if you have access to a machine shop. Try doing that with most off-the-shelf gen-sets. (Of course, I have a little 5 kw screamer Coleman/Subaru Home Depot jobsite-special for emergencies, too.)
Like drdeath, I'm in medicine, specifically radiology. Everything I do involves high tech machines and computers, and at home I'm a computer nerd, running Unix and Linux servers, etc. Working on the Listeroid and helping build my own home provides a welcome break from high tech.
Now with all that said, you are welcome to come up here anytime and see my setup 1st hand, play with the Listeroid, see how it interacts with the off-grid equipment, etc. We're not *that* far from you. BTW: my wife and I went to college in the Napa Valley by St. Helena, so your area is somewhat familiar.
If you're still looking for a Listeroid, you'll be hard pressed to find them brand new from India with the EPA regs you read about on this forum. All the dealers are out of business. I'd recommend a 6/1. Definitely not a dual cylinder. If you're off grid you will be running it to charge batteries to supplement your solar panels. You want it to run at at least 50% load. I run mine at just over 2000 watts when battery charging, but my inverters are adjustable in their charging amperage draw. Also think about other gen heads besides ST heads. I've been happy so far, but other guys here would recommend Marathon, etc. Also, it was a chore getting the ST head past the electrical inspector because it wasn't UL listed.
Now, if you want one that has been cleaned and runs great with about 100 hours running time, always under cover, only run on diesel so far, etc., mine may be for sale! It's great to start with. You would need a frame and a ST head. (Honestly, I'm only considering selling because I may be able to get a 12/1 one a friend may be getting rid of. I would down-rate the 12/1 to 650 rpm and fit it to my existing frame and ST head.) If you want a new engine for less than what I bought it for and already in usable condition, call me! 541-227-8485 cell or email: marcus (at) docbryner (dot) com and we can discuss it.
Just my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt. I'm no mechanic but these engines sure are fun.
@cujet: Your engines are beautiful. For someone who doesn't like these beasts, you sure do a great job, and you have many fans here!
@everyone else: Thanks for all the help! It has been and continues to be a great learning experience.
Marcus