Yup, cynics all of Your!
But in AndyM's rants lie pearls of wisdom...and a penchant for sidecars, so he can't really be normal...
To answer Matt's question of why not a Victory....why not indeed...had a quick look at a Vision Tour or a Kingpin, they handle better than a Harley, have more power and hydraulic tappets so dead easy to maintain, just change oil, check bearings etc, job done....same as older GL1500 Goldwings (Keith Cross is the expert on here for them though). Its me short legs that drive me to it....
Yep, GVWR does present a bit of an issue, the Mrs isn't a huge lass, but she's not that light and I tend to make up for any shortfall in her weight with my lardy bulk....combined with gear & a bit of luggage we'd be pushing 230-odd kgs so pretty close to the Victory's GVWR and well over the Stroms...
Mind you, I'd keep some sort of hooligan tool for the solo rides.