Adding running boards to the CTX700 would make it very close to the Integra (NC700D) that is sold in Europe. Same engine, frame and suspension. Just a slightly different implementation of it. Over there, Honda sells it as a "scooter". It just goes to prove our definition of a "scooter" is getting more and more blurred over time.
As for choosing to ride in the rain and cold, or not...I do. Riding gets me in the HOV lane for commuting to work and saves me about an hour each way to work and home. It also saves me $$$. I've saved over $7700 in the past couple years over the gas it would take me to drive the car. That's paid for the bike.

And the best reason for riding is that it is immensely fun, whatever the temperature. I was more comfortable riding to work for an hour at 16F, than I was in riding in 100+F temps east of the Cascade mountains. If you know how to dress for it, you can ride in any temps...comfortably. So why not???
I don't want to buy a "garage queen". Function has to take precedence over buying a bike as an expensive toy. Maybe when I retire in a few years, I'll think about having a bike as a toy.
(And each of us have different needs for riding, so it is all good.) In the meantime, I'm looking for something that'll serve me well for commuting Monday through Friday and be suitable for weekend trips across the state.
The only reason I'm considering the CTX700, is that I might get a better suspension.
(The jury is still out on that since there's none in a dealership to test ride.) The Seattle roads are falling apart as the local and state governments can't afford to repair them. I honestly wonder if we'll get to the point where you need something like the NC700X just to commute to work. Not to take off-road, but to handle the pot holes.
Otherwise, I'm very happy with the Burgman 400. I put 49,000 on the first one and sold it only because I found a phenomenal deal on another that I couldn't pass up. Basically, I traded one with 49,000 miles for a new one with 1 mile and it cost me a couple hundred $$.
For those of you who haven't looked at a maxi-scooter like the Burgman 400, you might be surprised at what you'll find.
(And no, I'm not a salesman, nor trying to sell anyone. "Real" motorcycle riders tend to dismiss maxi-scooters because they don't fit the "normal" image of a motorcycle.
) For instance, I'm leading a ride over Snoqualmie Pass, Blewett Pass and Stevens Pass in a month when the snow clears. Distance is 340 miles and 7 hours plus stops. That's not a big deal, and I do other day trips like that several times a summer. Last June, I completed a SS1000 on it going from Seattle to Montana and back. It handled that ride just fine and was extremely comfortable. I've thought about doing a Bun-Burner 1500 or Bun-Burner 1500 Gold on it. It'll take it, I'm just not sure I can.
The only thing I really have against the Burgman 400, is the suspension. I was being really stupid one time and was up to about 90 mph following some sport-touring bikes on the North Cascades Highway and the bike wallowed around a couple corners when it hit some large bumps.
(They slowed down, I didn't. I think they were smarter.
) That's a one-time issue, because I don't ride like that normally, but the suspension does let you know when you hit a pot hole...and that can occur on a daily basis.
So if the suspension on the CTX700 is better, then I'm in the market for one and I just want to make sure it'll do everything the Burgman 400 has been doing for me...hence, the reason for asking the question in the first place.
Chris