Do what you want man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously they ride rougher than a bike with suspension and a 5inch thick foam seat. Its a trade off. If you really wanted a "touring" bike why not go with a Harley bagger? Or for how cheap you can hardtail a XS, do it that way and save up for another bike (or another XS) and save that for long distance. I have a hardtail custom build and I LOVE how it rides. I feel so much more in tune with the road. It is over 9 foot long though and has single radiused downtube running a 300mm tire. My seat is at most, 1 inch of super hard camping pad foam, bolted straight to the frame, my girlfriends seat is 2 inch of same hard foam, suction cupped straight to fender and she thinks it rides fine. We have put on 250 miles straight with it and she thought it was fun! Ive put over 400 miles on in a day and never even thought twice about it. In the end, just do what you want. Bolting two steel rods in the shock places will not give the same ride as a hardtail (although it will give you a general idea). Hardtails have a low ass end to the bike and it changes how you sit on it, changing how it effects your ass and back over bumps! I think my hardtail I built last year, rides smoother than softail I built 2 years ago. No one will be able to tell you, how "you" will like it. I personally love mine. And you will get arguments both ways. I have 3 other bikes with suspension, and they all have ups and downs!
Justin