The stock Yuasa in my '03 lasted 8 years. Any brand that can do that, I will buy again.
If the battery was to fail during a ride, can the bike be bumped started in order to get home?
It depends on the way the battery fails. As Rock said, sudden battery failure to zero volts (unusual, but can happen), you will be stuck. More common though is gradual failure, where the battery will not be able to supply 60amps to the starter, but
will be able to send 5amps to the ignition and fuel injection. In that case, yes, you can bump start. If you get into this trouble, put the headlights on high beam and remove the high beam fuse to conserve power. Once running, switch to low beam if you need lights.
If you plan on finding yourself in a bump start situation (and I highly recommend it so you can report to SVR how long your battery lasts :evil6

it would be good to do some practice bumps. The SV will skid the tire in 1st gear; I have bump started in 2nd, and some folks recommend 3rd. Find a slight hill if you can, and give it your best shot on the first try because it sucks to try again after you are winded! ;D