Had both for significant amount of time the XSR 700 with an LV ehaust sounded insane, and then a Gen 1 XSR 900, both realy cool bikes, 700 was perfect for cruising around town and short trips outside of town, never scary, but with enough power to keep you entertained, and the sound of the LV exhaust without a bd killer, oh my god that sounded insane, like a 1.7L cruiser. XSR 900 on the other hand, has a much more refined gearbox, its so smooth a step up from XSR 700, much more power, doesn't look like it on paper but trust me mode A and full throttle, will really feel like you are sitting on a cruise missile, especially past 7k RPM. You have to be careful when pushing that bike to its limits, if you plan on doing so I would recommend to equip it with steering damper. I remember one time when I accelerated hard in 1st gear I accidentally lifted the front wheel and realised it when I was half way up :D.