Firstly welcome to the forums secondly regarding the XT i have to agree with previous replies xt range is a very good range of bikes to look at for beginners i purchased my xt660x 3 years ago a few month after passing my full bike test i have done several 200 mile + journey on mine as well as commuting to work and days out in the twisties whatever i threw at it it does well i have rode in rain, snow and blazing sun it does not seem to care handles comfortably and puts a smile on my face