Ditto with me too. A lot of good/excellent posts above. This is really a very good thread.
Matt, you are not alone. I am by no means a fast/aggressive bike driver either. And I am even less so on the Concours than any other bike I have owned. Mostly because it is higher and heavier, it just scares me. Despite the weight and height, it is a very powerful bike, more power than anything else I have owned, so that doesn't help matters. In the past, most of the time I rode with (always followed) a friend, who is a MUCH better bike rider than I am. And that changes everything. If he could do it, I knew it was safe for me to do also, if I did it the same way... and with practice and repeating, I started to learn what was possible- which is far, far, far more than my internal warning system would ever have allowed. And it was far less than what my other bikes could do, too.
Unfortunately, he moved away, and I upgraded to the Concours and have never ridden with anyone again, since. I lost my practice and have no idea what the limits of the Concours are (yes, they are a zillion times higher than any Harley, but that is not the point). It doesn't help that as I get older, I am more afraid and nervous than ever. But, for me, it is not a contest. I really don't care if I am fast "enough" in corners... I am riding to either have fun or to get someplace. Both can be accomplished without pushing the envelope.
The alarms in your head CAN keep you safe, even if you would be safe going twice as fast. I know if I don't do something stupid, the Concours (yes, even on stock tires) can go way beyond my worst panic alarms. What scares me more is what I can't see- a sudden something around a corner, a deer jumping out, a car turning in front of me, a car veering into my lane. There are times it is hard for me to relax and enjoy a ride because I know just how dangerous riding a bike can be. Fortunately, I have never had a bad accident or wipeout; if I did, I am probably one of those people who could simply not recover and ride again