Rough riding on secondary roads?

[Grumpy Goat]

It's all about suspension travel.  The GS is like riding a magic carpet on rough roads compared with R/RS

Precisely. Suspension travel, front wheel size, bike weight, spring rates and damping, etc. For instance, the RS has about 5 inches of suspension travel whereas my Tiger has over 9 inches of travel at both ends.

The RS (and any other sport tourer) has a different focus (street riding only) which tends towards stiffer suspension, so naturally the ride will be stiffer. ADV bikes try to bridge the gap between street and offroad, which is why they are the most successful platform for the multi-dimensional rider.