My friend has a brand new one and I got a chance to ride it. I'm comparing it to an 06 SV-s. In some ways it's better, some ways I prefer the SVs. You can definitely feel the power difference right off the bat coming off the SV. I wouldn't say the handling is better than an SVs, It felt a bit awkward because I'm used to leaning forward a bit more and the SVs feels more natural in the turns (I've never ridden an SV standard, to comapre). It's a nice bike and it's comfortable. Plenty of power. It's a hell of a lot windier on the street tripple because of the tiny shield up front and your body is more upright. Like anything else it has advantages and disadvantages. I love my SV though. hehe