Do you think your height was an issue? I'm 5'-7" & my wife is 5'- 2" do you think we would face the same situation as you did? I have an 08 SERK with 61,000 miles, we like riding every chance we get up in the Northeast. We took a 10 day trip to Maggie Valley and the surrounding area last summer. We went alone and drove their and back & @ 59 years old I have to say it did beat me up quite a bit. I have the AK-20"s,13" Bitubo's and a True Track, aftermarket seat and while the bike handled very well for what it is I think I would like to be spoiled by some of the rider comforts available on a pure touring machine. I guess I will have to rent one this spring because the dealers don't let you spend that much time on it. I'll keep the SERK only because the high mileage makes it difficult to get a decent price so the next one will be a Wing or the BMW for the longer trips. Who knows?
I'm 5'10" and my wife is 5'4". As far as touring long distances my Roadglide wins for me. Although its a wonderful machine, it still has more of a "crotch rocket" seating position to me. However, I was waiting on the market to catch up with the new model and get a set of engine guards and highway pegs. Also some adjustable rear floorboards are available aftermarket for prior year models. I figured the passenger FB's would be a waste though as far as the wind issue went for my wife. I think the highway pegs would have been perfect. I know I wouldn't have a Harley without them.
As far as the top heavy issue mentioned, I had none of that. It manuvered much better at low speeds than my RG.
The dealers around here had demos to ride. Try to find a dealer with a demo and go take a nice ride wife your wife. Take two if you can.