Other than speed, any sort of highway cruising or long distance riding pretty much necessitates a liter bike. The gearing will be much more comfortable for these settings. My 696 on the highway SUCKS.
I don't know what highways you're riding on (you might be talking about the Autobahn, for all I know), but here in Colorado, where the highways are anywhere between 50 mph and 75 mph posted, the 696 scoots along with the greatest of ease. Should one decide to crack the throttle open, and watch the speedo climb, it gets up to 118 mph before it starts to struggle.
Now granted, the S2R1k can do the exact same thing with even less effort, and the massive acceleration doesn't start to slack off until you're north of 130 mph, but that's what you get with 43% more displacement.
Now, the 848, is a variable story, depending on what gear you're in at the time you decide to rip the throttle back, and accelerate from 50 mph up to arrest me, but please have mercy, Mr Officer, speeds. If you were in 6th gear, you accelerate at a nice relaxed rate, until you personally run out of balls, somewhere in the 140 mph to 160 mph range (the bike still has more balls than you). If you were in second gear, you are now bouncing off the rev limiter, at exactly 100 mph. And I really do mean that it takes exactly as long as it just took you to read that sentence.
Why do you need that much power at your finger tips?
Its not to get out of the way is something dangerous happens, as 90% of the dangers that happen would be better suited to you scrubbing off speed instead of piling on more.
Its simply because it's damn fun to have that mush power and acceleration available, all the time, whenever you desire it.
A car that accelerates just as quickly as an 848 cost significantly more.
Heck, a car that can accelerate as quickly as the 696 is going to cost more than an 1198S does.
Its all about finding what floats your boat, of course.
Some of us need the extra power to get our boat cruising along.
BC.
