Wow, some really interesting insight into people's experiences. Thanks very much for the feedback.
My own limited experience on litres has also shown up that different litre bikes seem to go about going fast in different ways.
The Aprilia and new R1 for example, seem much closer to the balance and poise of an R6 than say the S1000RR or ZX10, where brute force grunt, laid down with impressive electronics seems to be the approach.
I'm very keen to get stuck in to a litre bike and all the challenges with setup it may present. That's one of the biggest parts I like about this sport to be honest! Even shifting from a Gixxer to the R6 took A LOT of getting used to and a lot of tried and failed setups!