Excellent – This bike is a gem. Not too big or small; delightful and good fun to commute, punt along on a weekend ride, or go touring on. A keeper. Just about everything! My missus had a 650 V-star and I found it too uncomfortable for me (195cm). This is slightly larger and far less pressure on the tail bone. I have owned lots of sports-bikes and sports-tourers, plus an "adventure" bike - but this just does it all for me. I like the look (I have a 2008 model), have fitted bags and a screen, plus a sheepskin. It handles 1-up touring nicely. Brakes are adequate, without being awesome, but ridden within it's design brief, I find them OK. Fuel economy is fantastic - 20km/l commuting and 23-25km/l touring/open road cruising. Also fitted staintune pipes and it sounds lovely, without being obnoxious. Slight increas in HP and 5kg lighter than OEM 'zorsts, so it is noticeable. Handling is good for a cruiser and you can punt along at a fair clip, even through the twisties. Why I like it so much is that it is "fun" to punt along at legal speeds, whereas most modern sportsbikes ain't fun to ride unless you're doing license-losing speeds. I commute daily on this bike, and always get to work with a nice relaxed feeling. I'd put this bike as the top value for money bike I've ever owned - 8990 ride-away with a good trade-in deal on my VFR800Fi and remainder of new-bike warranty. It had 8000klm on the clock when I bought it and previous owner was meticulous with looking after it and servicing. Had it just over a year now and it's never let me down. Nothing! I would like a 20l tank, rather than 15.5, but with good fuel economy, it doesn't really matter. I'm not likely to do more than 250klm before wanting to stop for a stretch anyway, but knowing you have a 400k range instead of 280-300 when touring would be a bonus.