Ils IMO you chose the right bike
I love my 996s and with 50mm termis they sound awesome and go like stink. I was recently riding with a friend down to the SOF who was on a new K5 GSXR 1000 and had no trouble keeping up. We were hitting 130 for long periods but nothing more and taking the slip roads and sweepers at a fair pace. So the 996 is a very capable bike and still the prettiest by far.
Good luck with the MOT I've found that as long as the can doesn't have a "not for road use" stamp on it a lot of places will let it past.
