Test road both the RT and RS and felt the RS was much better suited for the role of sports touring machine. Just paid $14K for a new leftover 2010 RS SE5 so saved a ton for options. Purchased the full Corbin package with custom built saddles, trunk box and sidebags. Madstads Robo shield, Hindle exhaust, K&N airfilter, all the air management stuff, Capt Jim's Smooth Spyder pulley, tons of LED light options, swaybar, Garmin GPS, floorboards and other performance mods. Faster, smoother, lighter, better mileage and saved $$$ over an RT. Yeah, had to install it all, but worth it. As someone hinted above, some of us are the Ducati STS group and some are the Electroglide group (owned both). To each his own. Can tell you I'm thrilled with the Spyder. Been riding hacks for 50 years, owned 47 different bikes and the Spyder is my favorite hands down. Sad part of this story is that the bike is my wife's. I'm still riding my '97 HD Heritage with a sidecar, but I look forward to each time I take out her bike and come home grinning from ear-to-ear.