Ahh, such a tough decision.
I had an '03 VFR. I loved the bike. I have to say that I wish I'd had a pre-'02 though. The '02+ VFRs feel as though they carry their weight higher. Also, the VTEC added nothing good and the gear driven cam whine's non-existence is disappointing...
The VFR would have been a much better bike in the twisties if it had decent suspension. There's the problem though. VFRs are not cheap. For a bike in its price range I'd expect it to be completely competent in all areas from the factory. The lack of adjustability of the forks and shock really made the bike suffer handling wise. Don't get me wrong, it handles pretty well, but just not REALLY well. It IS, after all, a sport TOURING machine, I know...
I think the Falco is actually a more competent machine in the tighter twisties...
A CBR F3 with Heli-Bars is an EXCELLENT choice. I kid you not... My fiancee has one. The Heli-Bars made the bike MORE COMFORTABLE than my VFR was! The bike's a LOT lighter. It carries its weight VERY low, and has about the same horsepower! I could do 500 - 600 mile days on it with no problem...
I guess, from the factory, I'd choose an FZ1 as the "best overall" sport tourer. Even though my Tuono is absolutely sick in comparison handling wise, the FZ1 has much more leg room, much better wind protection, and it's not ridiculous hideous to put luggage on it.
I use my Tuono as a sport tourer. It's VERY comfortable. The only problem is that my legs get a little cramped after a few hundred miles, but nothing a little walk around the gas station parking lot doesn't fix. The handling is absolutely amazing. Aprilia truly offers the BEST value for your dollar as far as component quality and build quality goes.. There is truly no bike on the planet I'd rather own... Most of my sport touring is to get to GOOD twisties. My Tuono is comfy enough to get me there and then AN ABSOLUTE BLAST to ride once I arrive... I'd much rather have it that way than to be ultra comfy on my way to the twisties only to be only partially happy with my bikes handling once I arrived...