The SM is a quality bike. I personally prefer the SM over the BA for the bars, tach, wheels and dual disk front brakes.
With pods and pipes the power will be adequate. Going from EFI back to carbs is like stepping back in time, however.
Based on my 07, if you want to tour 2-up then plan to upgrade the front springs & rear shocks. The gunfighter seat is great solo (I actually prefer it to the solo seat), but not so for 2-up. If you put bags on the bike then you may want to relocate the passenger pegs forward.
This is one of those bikes that grows on you the more you ride it. The BA & SM can be readily customized to your liking. From my perspective a stocker is really just a starting point...a 2-wheeled blank canvas, that if done properly, you will get to paint into your own masterpiece.
