Welcome to the site Dan. first thing, I would hope you would fill in your location at some point. We have owners in here from all over the world, and it helps when referring to things like aftermarket purchases.
With that out of the way, an America is certainly doable for your purposes. It's not the perfect bike for long distance travelling, but with a windshield and some aftermarket saddlebags that have room(unlike the Triumph ones), trips are doable. I've been on a 1,700 mile trip to the Salt Flats and back, and the bike handled it with ease. If you're riding solo, piece of cake. 2 up it gets a little cramped and heavy, but my wife does okay and doesn't complain.
Much of the above depends on what you want. If you want full fairing coverage to keep dry, this isn't the bike. Gas mileage isn't going to be as good as say, a 650 V-Strom. That bike also sits up higher allowing you to see traffic better. But then it's also cosmetically challenged.
I think when buying a Triumph, you almost HAVE to want one. Aftermarket is sparse compared to Harley and the Japanese, and the dealer network is a lot smaller. But IMO bikes should be bought not based on how practical it is, but how the bike speaks to you. So when looking for a bike, buy something that you like and fits your personality, not something that gets 4.3 mpg more than another model, or one whose spec sheet shows 3 more hp.
