Thanks for the advice. I've decided to go the Goldwing route. I've got the perfect sportbike for me already with the FJR.
I was really considering the adventure route. Saturday I went and looked at a new V-Strom 650 and an older V-Strom 1000. The stroms weren't serviced and the dealer told me I'd have to give him 2 hours notice to do a test ride.
I sat on the V-Stroms and the 1000 felt too heavy and tall for me to be comfortable in the hills and trails. The 650 was a LOT lighter but it still was tall. I kept thinking about my older brother (my height) whose wife made him switch to a boat a couple years ago after he got in a bind in California and fell over down a hill and hurt himself pretty bad.
I also maneuvered around an FZ1, and it felt a lot more nimble and seemed like it would've been pretty easy for me to manage. It would have been really fun but I don't know how smart I would have been with it. I think I'll probably always want one a little, but I don't need to be doing track days.
But then the wife and I test drove a Goldwing and I really noticed the difference. Even with my great windshield and Russell Day Long seats, she was shocked how much difference there was on the Wing in the wind. More importantly, she gets leg pain on the FJR (half what she did on the VTX) but she said the Goldwing was much more like sitting in a chair than the bind she feels on the FJR. So it really is going to add a lot of miles and comfort to our trips, which I need to invest in since I am so blessed to have a wife that "usually" likes to ride with me.
And the great news is that I found a beautiful blue low mileage 2007 Goldwing with the options I want on ebay. I was nervous about doing a fly and buy on ebay, but the guy owns an FJR! He's gotta be okay, right? He was very communicative, helpful, non-pushy and seemed like a great guy from his emails. Then I found out he's a forum member. He accepted my offer this afternoon. Personally, I'd trust the credibility of a long time FJRforum member more than I would trust a dealer. I won't identify him unless he wants to identify himself, but I'm looking forward to meeting him Friday and much more excited to meet our new blue baby!
So I bought a 2007 FJR with 7000 miles two years ago, and a 2007 Goldwing with 7000 miles this year. I see a nice habit forming.
