I had and 2008 XB12Ss. I loved the way it looked, sounded, handled...etc. I didn't love baking it in the heat in traffic. I didn't like the finicky ignition, plug-fouling etc.
I bought a Red 2009 CR about a month before the fire sale (darn it). I have had no problems with it. I did get a recall notice for the chargins system, but havent replaced anything yet. It's way faster than the XB. The water cooling is awesome. Just a better bike technologically speaking in my opinion.
When the bike first came out, I thought it was fugly for sure. It wasn't until I saw it in the dealer, and I saw the lines from above and the front, that I 'got' it. I now think it is beautiful yet mean looking. It's an awesome bike.