The VFR, be it a 750 or 800 is probably the very best all-rounder I've ever encountered, but you still have to keep it fairly busy to get the best out of it. If you look at the torque figures for the two
'96 ST1100 (mine) 111Nm at 6000RPM
'06 VFR800 82NM at 8500RPM
That tells the story for me and shows why the ST doesn't need 6th gear. I used to look for an extra gear on my K1100LT but don't on the ST, also very importatnt.
The '06 ST1300 does 117 Nm at 6500 rpm which makes it very similar to the 1100 but I've only ever ridden a 1300 once for about 5 minutes. I have owned 2 VFR750s and ridden 800s and as much as I loved them both, I wouldn't swap my ST1100. The normal rider (into which group I put myself) wouldn't be able to do anything on a VFR that he/she can't do on an ST. I find the ST immensely more comfortable and prefer its bulk. Being 117kg, I always felt too big for the VFR but fit nicely on an ST. My two cents worth.
