SDRider, what was your previous bike? All the issues you have mentioned are present in the 696. I was hoping the rough road issue would go away with the adjustable suspension the Evo possesses.
SV650, a bike I bought new and rode for 3+ years, 17,000 miles and modded the hell out of. Prior to that I owned an old Honda 750 I put a few thousand miles on. I've ridden a number of different bikes during that time.
I just clicked over 1,000 miles on the EVO today on my ride home from work. Commuting isn't something I need to do on this bike but it's something I like doing. I don't ride it to work every day, I have a nice car I can do that in if I just don't feel like riding but I enjoy doing it...especially during the summer. Anyway, I'm really starting to enjoy this bike. The exhaust has smoothed out a bit and the bike seems to run a little better now that I'm beginning to break it in. I think this bike will just get better with time.
The suspension is still quite stiff over bumps so I just grip the tank, loosen my grip on the controls, and lift my arse up off the seat a bit.
![](http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6301/mybike2.jpg)