Mine was a touring bike, a Specialized Stump Jumper. I guess having all of my school books for college in the panniers didn't help things, though... lol
My experiences back in the dark ages of on-road bikes was that they tended be a bit squirelly over a 40 mph. And as you discovered, nobody sees you even wearing day-glo colors...
When I bought the new bike a while back, the guys at the bike shop recommended a hard tail for me simply because the FS versions would cause me to fight with the rear suspension with every pedal stroke. I'm glad I listened to them.