Today, I put down a deposit on a '14 LHT after doing some research. Like you I am completely new to touring. I personally choose the standard over the disc because it was cheaper and easier to fix on the road. However, the discs do provide with greater stopping ability, especially in wet conditions. The best thing to do is start reading blogs and journals and take note of the different bikes people use and figure which style suits you. Some people use whatever is laying around, some rehab old MTB's, some have entry level tourers like the LHT/Tourist/920, and others take out a mortgage for a bike built by retired NASA scientists living in Oregon.