A question for the more experienced riders among us.
I currently have a 400cc sportbike which I feel like I'm getting towards the end of my time with.
I've been riding for a few years and all my fundamentals are good. I can comfortably ring out the throttle through first and second and am comfortable with the acceleration/speed. I'm basically never "surprised" by the bike any more.
For city riding, which makes up 90% of my time, the 400c is plenty. The only area that really leaps out as lacking to me (this is really key to the upgrade) is when you're on the freeway at 80km/h - 100km/h and need to accelerate to overtake or for an increased speed limit. The acceleration in this circumstance is fine, but hardly impressive.
Top of my list at the moment is either the Kawasaki
2021 Ninja 650 or
2021 Z900. For reference the peak power of each is:
400cc - 33kw
650cc - 50kw
900cc - 90kw with traction control/modes
Now, on the one (probably more sensible) hand the Ninja 650 seems like an excellent and obvious choice. The size/style/ergonomics of the bike are very similar to my current one, so I'd basically be stepping onto the same bike but with 50% more oomph.
On the other, the Z900 has nearly triple the power, but comes with the full spread of modern rider aids. Traction control for the road, rain, etc. Improved suspension, brakes, blah, blah, blah...
As contradictory as this might seem for the inclusion of the z900, I don't want an ultra-fast bike. I don't race, I'll likely never go to the track, never in my life am I going to be ripping down a deserted highway at 200km/h+.
So my question is basically, do the rider aids actually make the 900cc a better option despite the huge step up in power, or is the 650cc a better way to go despite the lack of "safety net" technology.
I need to go and test ride both bikes, of course, but I'm not sure I can really get the answer to my question with a few test rides. Obviously I'm not going to take the z900 around the first soaking wet corner I can find at full throttle to try and wash out the rear end so I can say "Yep, the traction control saved me. Good pick".
Interested in feedback from anyone whose got proper time on comparable bikes.