[fastenova]

Interesting feedback so far, and I can't say I altogether disagree with them, but...

I have a 2018 XSR and we just turned over 24K miles. I've done 2 10-day trips with it, one 2600 miles on the stock seat w/ Puig windscreen and one 4800 miles on a Corbin seat w/ Dart windscreen. On these trips, I had many 300+ mile days and a few around 500. Despite having back problems for the last decade, I find the XSR to be quite comfortable for longer trips, and aside from the seat and windscreen mentioned above, I've just added bar risers and a rear rack to hold my duffels more securely. In my area of the US, 50 miles is a quick after-work fun trip, and a day trip with friends might be 200-300 miles. I've never really had an issue with comfort, the bike has plenty of power, and gets great fuel economy, plus always puts a smile on my face.

I can't say much about the pillion accommodations as I don't ride with one, but I'd definitely consider something like the Tracer 9 GT as it has better passenger capability, especially if you see yourself wanting to tour more but don't want a fully-faired sport touring bike (I recently got a Concours 14 for long touring duty, and while it's great, it is heavy and a pain to work on because of all the plastic).

While the 500X is a great bike, you may find yourself wanting more power in a year or so, and the 700 does not really leave you wanting for more at normal road speeds.

I do agree that the factory rear shock is atrocious. I have RaceTech emulators in the front and an Ohlins shock in the back, all set up for my weight (210 lbs) and it made a world of difference in overall road handling and especially stability through corners.

I think it makes for a fantastic all-around first bike, and after spending some time on it you may want a bike that's more specialized in some way (sportier for track days, bigger for touring, higher ground clearance for taking off-road) but the XSR will do it all fairly well.

 

[fastenova]

I agree with KLX678, looks matter! You want to feel good and cool while you're riding your bike, not be embarrassed by it! One of the main reasons I chose the XSR over the other bikes in its class back in 2018 was the round headlight and 'retro' styling along with modern technology. The MT-07 was a little cheaper, but I didn't like the front end much. It's grown on me since then, but I still love the round headlight on the XSR.

A friend has a 2017 Kawi Z650 and he just did a headlight swap to the classic round light, and it looks so much better! Customizations like that can be very affordable if you have a garage, some basic tools, and patience. I think he spent $75 all in between the headlight bucket and lens, bulb, and fabbed and painted the brackets himself.