Best sports bike for real (UK) roads and some long distances - advice please.?

I ride on the road, usually two up. I live in the North, where we have some fantastic bendy stuff, but also some horribly bumpy surfaces.

There are obvious better choices for me than a sports bike - any sports tourer, maybe some of the big trailies - but I've always ridden sports bikes, and I like the style so that's all I'm interested in. My wife agrees, and it's her bum going numb on the back.

I'm looking to replace a Triumph Daytona, just because I've had it a while. It ticks the boxes for me because I like the look of the thing, and it copes well with real roads.

What I'd really like is a ZX-10R, but every review I've read screams about how uncomfortable it is, the suspension too harsh for UK B-roads, and how the gearing is hopelessly high.

Can anyone recommend a current sports bike which is designed for the road, not the track? Is the ZX-10 really that bad?

Looking forward to your opinions.

Best sports bike for real (UK) roads and some long distances - advice please.?ktm

If you really like the ZX-10R, then there is an easy way to improve the suspension - read the handbook and don't be frightened of playing with the settings. You would be surprised just how much difference you can make when you adjust things like the preload, compression damping and ride height to suit your riding style and more importantly, your combined weight if you do ride two-up.