I was thinking about my old GPZ900 the other day. I'd love to ride one now to see how they'e stood the test of time?
Pretty good to be honest, rode one only last year and their still good, ok they're not going to keep up with your latest race rep's on tracks, but 99% on the road they are still right up there and comfortable with usable features. Much of this of course is subjective, as if you can't ride well, it doesn't matter what your on.
I've seen people on on FZS600, Goldwings, CB500's even big scooters out ride R1/FZ1's, ZX10R, GSX-R etc, anyone can go fast in a straight line and stand a bike on it's nose! The trick is doing it safely and on today's roads, high speed is not really a factor these days, what with speed cameras/vans and traffic mass, not unless you want to lose your licence or die that is. Blasting off the lights only to be past, because you can't corner or filter safely is utterly pointless