Phil,
FWIW, I wrap my 66 year old body around the K-S and love every minute of it. I actually find it easier to ride than my former GT which was a beast and difficult for me to toss around. I do like riding twisties and have them all around where we live. By-the-way, part of the reason the K-S is more flickable is a little secret BMW used in designing one part of the bike. The bars are wider than the old RS/GT - this translates to not only a much lighter bike, but one with more leverage. Well, I could go on; the esa helps, giving a comfortable, less jarring ride on the straight roads and a stiffer platform in the turns; and the Hossack front seems to give better feedback than the telelever. There, I've said it all. Well, some wil argue the damper takes away from the slow speed manuvering - and that's true compared to my wife's ST, but a little speed makes them about the same when turning.
Agree with you Jeff, especially having seen that number of motorcycles, that maybe just waiting for a few months to see if what developes on the new GT would make sense, especially if longer trips are anticipated for the new bike. You know, BMW would just have to increase the fuel capacitiy, as an example, on anything they call a sport-tourer, looking at the present competiton.
Miles