Just a comment or two on the chain drive: yeah, I like shaft drives too, for all the same reasons as everyone else. That said, if I really wanted a particular bike for long distance use, and it happened to be chain drive, that would not be a deal- killer for me.
Chain drive gets a bad rap, I believe, because it is not done 'correctly' in the first place. We sling oil all over it, than ride it a thousand and often many more miles, then slather oil on it again. The pistons and rods in the engine would last about two days if lubed like that. :-( The far better way to go would be with an automatic oiler; they greatly extend the life of the chain, which also reduces the rate of chain stretch and so minimizes general chain maintenance, but at the same time the bike will actually stay cleaner than trying to flood the chain once every now and then. A small amount of oil, constantly applied, works wonders and with reasonable chain gaurds does not even make that much of a mess, at least IMO and for my use.
Some years ago a long- distance rider (goes by the handle 'Warchild', good guy but.... INTENSE :-) ) decided he wanted a Hayabusa for long distance use. Much like you just said, he wanted a lighter, leaner bike than any sport tourer or tourer offered so he went the other way and started with a stripped down sport bike and dressed it to his liking. Of course he piled tremendous miles on the chassis but he also installed an automatic oiler from the get- go, and as I remember, he was getting 30K+ miles out of a chain / sprocket set. Certainly more maintenance than a shaft drive bike but not so bad as to be overly annoying IMO (and apparently, in his opinion also). The basic point being once an oiler is in place, there really is not any trip that anyone really goes on, including some extreme rides such as across the country and back, that would require chain maintenance along the way.
Just wanted to throw that out there as food for thought.
Brian
Well here it is: https://www.cycleworld.com/2018-kawasaki-h2-sx-sport-tourer-debut
Chain drive, which is disappointing of course but pretty much as expected. For those that use their bike as a
daily commuter and an occasional touring bike I guess it's not that viable. I was thinking it's still in the running
as a replacement bike for my C14 when mine runs out of warranty in 2021 but maybe not. They didn't mention
anything about increased electrical power for accessories which is definitly one of he C14's strong points. For me
it's still in the running (although the new Honda 'wing looks good too) because of they way I ride. I'm either on a trip or it sits.
I might go on 3 day rides a year.
I usually have to add new tires and change oil etc before any trip, so adding a little chain maintenance before leaving
is not that big of a deal, especially since I'd be going on a trip with more power, about the same torque, better fuel mileage
(reportedly) and almost 200 lbs less weight. Time will tell. I'm getting on in years, so I may even quit riding by then? 
