I bought mine because of the value that it is.
I was daily riding my Honda CB700SC -- which was great for commuting. However, it wasn't very comfortable on longer trips, and there was zero luggage capacity for pickup up some groceries or for trips. I bought some soft bags to throw over the rear seat, but that was more of a stop-gap than a solution.
I knew that I wanted a bike that was more functional and comfortable for long trips -- I wanted to do some touring. I looked at all the options, and I thought I'd end up on a BMW. My hesitation, however, was the price. while I was thinking about it, my friend encouraged me to check out Suzuki. We went to the nearest dealer (about 30 minutes away) and we saw the V-Strom. Nice bike. It had a good balance of being bigger than my Honda, while not being huge. And the Adventure packaged added the luggage that I wanted. I'm also familiar with some forums where many V-Strom owners do tour, so I knew the bike could do it. However, I was concerned that the 650cc parallel twin wouldn't satisfy me. For some odd reason, Suzuki stopped making the 1000cc version, and the used one that the dealer had was overpriced. So I went home, wondering if I wanted to accept the smaller motor. After reading more about the bikes, online, I decided to check out the Kawasaki Versys (very similar to the V-Strom). Price wise, the Versys was definitely more compelling (about $1500 less expensive than the V-Strom, based on my conversation between a Suzuki and Kawasaki dealer). It was a nice bike, but again, the 650cc was a sticking point for me. I knew it would be enough... But I've never really liked "enough." I much prefer to have "more" than enough. My local Kawasaki dealer also sells Honda -- and I've always had a soft spot for Honda (all my other bikes have been Hondas). I started looking at the CB1100 and I really liked it. It had the retro look and it reminded me of my CB700SC. With 1100cc I knew it would get me around with decent power. Why did Honda only use a 5 speed? I have no idea. And of course the issue then became luggage, and it simply wasn't the perfect bike that I wanted. The dealer then said, what about a Concours? I had never given them consideration. I assumed it was too expensive, because I knew it was a sport touring bike, and the BMWs I liked were too expensive. I also assumed that it was not really all that special, and existed solely so Kawasaki had an offering in the category. I mistakenly believed this because you don't really hear much about the Concours unless you own one, or know someone who does. You hear about the Goldwing. You hear about the BMWs. You don't really hear much about the C14. I was already at the dealer, so I said I'd take a look. I love throwing my leg over new bikes, so I'll check out almost anything, anyway. Once I started looking at what the C14 offered, I realized that this was much more than I expected. It didn't have all the bells and whistles of the BMWs -- but it did have everything that I *needed*. The few things that it didn't, I could add, myself. It also fit me well, and it looks good. The tag on the handlebar also showed a price that was less than the BMWs. Of course, it was still more than I wanted to spend. I made a comment along the lines of "well, I suppose if I were going to spend that much, I'd probably just splurge on the BMW". The dealer told me not to bother, and he proceeded to make me a proposition that I really couldn't say no to.
If price were not a consideration, could I, in good conscious, say that the C14 is the best sport touring bike? No. I'd probably end up with the BMW. It's a darn good sport touring bike -- well rounded in most respects -- but it's not the best.
However, when you consider price, I am not aware of any other bike that touches the C14 for value.
The C14 is not the fastest bike.
The C14 is not the cheapest bike.
The C14 is not the most comfortable bike.
The C14 is not the most reliable bike.
The C14 is not the easiest bike to wrench on.
The C14 is not the best looking bike.
Despite not being the best at any of these things, I cannot think of any other bike that is good as the C14 when you consider ALL of these categories. (assuming you're somewhat similar to me, and want a bike that you can do everything with).
To answer your other question, I looked at pretty much everything from Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati, Triumph, and Harley Davidson.
So that's the short story of how I came to own a C14.
