Just my $0.02. My last bike was an '02 Triumph Thunderbird. I put a Givi rack & bags, a windshield, highway pegs, a centerstand, and 57,000 miles on it since I bought it in July of '02. Toured all over, loved the handling, rode it like a cafe racer (including grinding flat spots on the pipes and center stand) in pretty much every state in the nation, including two trips to the Dragon and the Cheraholla skyway. It didn't have chicken strips, it had scrape indicators; you know, the point at which it is leaning so far that I'm draging every part that can be drug without losing road contact, and that was often with me hanging off the inside on turns. But with 70hp and ~60N-m of torque, it was a fun bike but lacked oomph on tours, and while I held my own with my Daytona buddies, I longed for a more nimble horse in the canyons. Rode a bunch of options, including a Rocket III, a BMW 1200GS and an R1200RT, a 1050 Triumph Sprint ST, and had ridden a used '05 FJR (for about 15 miles behind the owner, leading on his Hardley, ie slowly). After much debate, settled on the FJR. The bike before the 'bird was an '82 Suzi GS1100GKZ full-dress touring bike, complete with frame bars around the bags, that I rode the crap out of, but it was always too heavy of a bike for around-town stuff, and never felt that nimble. I still love a lot about the 'bird, though finding dealers is always a biatch (as I nervously realized while driving 1000 miles on a leaking water pump to get to a dealer on my tour route that could have one delivered from Triumph in 2 days). The FJR is clearly not a sport-bike, and is not as nimble as the Sprint. But it is way more fun than either of the Bimmer's, except perhaps off-road, though I doubt that the GS is all that and a bag of chips in dirt.... fire roads, maybe, but dirt? And what the FJR lacks in sheer flickability, it makes up for in a) long distance comfort, and B) dramatically more power than previous bikes. It is certainly no *less* sporty than my T-bird, and I rode the hell out of that bike. I'm now getting used to much more dramatic lean angles--I scraped my boots on a twisty back road this weekend, that is, the outside of my boots while my feet were nestled up against the frame. Freaked me out a bit, 'cause I'm used to hearing "skkkkkkrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" from sparking parts before I feel the boots rub! I would like this or that to be a bit different, but am in no way disappointned in my purchase. Now I have to decide--do I sell the 'bird, or cafe her and race her in the sub-1000 naked bike heats.......