I've beat the hell out of my 600. It has 24k miles, was totalled in an accident, rebuilt, and still takes a beating. It starts right, never has any problems, and since I've owned it (4 years), it has only been in the shop once. And it was all my fault.
I bought it when it was totalled in an accident and rebuilt it all from scratch. The one time it went to the shop was because I did not winterize it very well and has to have the fuel system flushed out. That's the only problem I've ever had with my 600.
I wouldn't buy any other motorcycle than a Honda.