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Regarding carry on motorcycles, back when I had two wheels, here's how I carried, depending on the bike, riding attire, etc...

-Shoulder holster underneath the jacket
-Tank bag with the pistol in it
-Zipped jacket pocket (for small guns)

Annoyed - EXCELLENT post - very well put.

Although I do offer one instance when you can turn without countersteering...this was back in my young days (high school/college)...I raced a little bit of motocross, I picked up a tip from the local hotshot - he said to "learn the art of the wheelie" - so I did....I went out and rode wheelies everyday after school...all day....on my TT600, on the RM250R...on the XR200 (my fave, as it is LIGHT - and it didn't have the power to wheelie up in every gear, so you had to start it out right in 1st and then keep it going through the gears with just balance!)...started riding wheelies through all the gears...ok, kewl...started 1-hand wheelies....then figured out how to go around corners on a wheelie...you just lean...this was at fairly slow speeds (20-30 mph or so). The good old days.

The Annoyed Man wrote:The only difference between your leaning, and my deliberate counter steering is the vigor with which it is done; but the physics of the thing dictate that no motorcycle can be steered without counter steering input.

BTW - I think the Honda would be a good choice...but I'm currently not well-versed on the other current similar bikes out there. Hondas are always nice.

I highly 2nd the class as well - it's typically worth it for the insurance discount even if you were to gain nothing from the class...but you will. I've been riding ATVs/dirtbikes since I was 11 or so....raced motocross for a bit in high school and then rode the daylights out of dirtbikes in college....I've had a few streetbikes from crotch rockets to cruisers...they are all a blast! I've had my Motorcycle license (the Class M endorsement on your TX license) since I had my first bike. I took the class a few years ago with my dad just as a refresher. I buy/sell a bike every few years, currently bikeless right now. Still go riding dirtbikes/ATVs with a buddy of mine that has a garage full.

Out of all the bikes I've had, this is still my favorite one, the 1985 Yamaha TT600, I bought it when I was in high school (sophomore or junior) and I rode it all through college. I'm a huge fan of the big bore thumpers....power ANYWHERE at ANY speed....there was a street-legal version of it (the XT I think?). A buddy had the KLR650, he really liked that. I think a large-displacement dual-purpose would be a BLAST! But remember, there's ALWAYS a bullseye on you...you've gotta ride at FULL attention at all times.

I can also 2nd what Annoyed has said about countersteer - once I learned that it opened up a whole NEW world. When I took the MSF class I mentioned during open discussion the countersteering technique - the instructor was not happy at all with this, he wouldn't even acknowledge it - he kept on saying "you must lean".... Oh well...and this was coming from a "hotshot" on an R1.