Not to be that guy who only recommends what they ride, but have you looked at a CB1000R? They can be had fairly cheap used, and they sit much more upright than a vfr (also come stock with bars instead of clip ons) ... No wind protection, but a decent helmet and you won't notice... Plenty of power, and the stock gearing puts most power down low despite being an i4.. Redline is just under 11k rpm, and power is usable at any rpm... 6th gear on Highway will definitely put you around a semi quickly, and for around town you can leave it in 6th anything above 35mph with no bogging or hesitation... Seat also feels pretty low to me, but I'm 6ft so may not notice if it's too high for you