Just to flip the coin a bit... I just moved in the other direction.

I have a pretty sweet '04 R1, which I've ridden now for almost 4 years.
I love it and it handles perfectly... but... I decided to add a CBR600RR '08 because I really want a nimbler, smaller bike. For me the biggest downside to the R1 is the heavyness in turns on the track, but commuting on it is very comfy. Perhaps it feels heavy to me 'cause I'm a girl and "only" 5'11.

For the 600, I'm looking forward to riding it on the track and street... Unfortunately I haven't been able to ride it because of all the snow, but from the few hundred meters I have, I can't wait to start riding it.

 

You will notice a big difference in power without going into triple digits. The power that the bike has in 2nd 3rd and 4th gear just rolling on the throttle a little bit is amazing compared to the 600's. I find it much more comfortable than the 600's too. I have owned a 2002 f4i, 2004 r6, 2005 cbr 600rr, and my latest 1000rr. The 1k is the way to go it sounds like for what you are looking for. Like you mentioned before, you don't like the mediocre performance at low rpm's. You will not have that problem with the 1000rr. See if one of your buddies will let you borrow theirs for a test run, that's how I got mine. My buddy was telling me how great the 1k was compared to the 600, and I was skeptical. I took it out for 15 minutes, got home and went to the Honda dealer that day. Good Luck, and let us know what you end up doing.

 

I made the jump from 01 F4i to a 07 1000rr. I love it. I'm 6'2' and the 1000 is soooo much more comfortable in long rides. I just bought my bike in Jan. and already have logged 1300 miles on it. And that's not even commuting to work.

The power definitly took some getting used to and i'm still feeling it out. I also noticed a big difference with the weight in the corners. If you're taking good lines its not gonna affect you too much but you can definitly feel it being more heavy. I loved the nimbleness of the 600 but i'm super happy with my 1000.

With your size and experience i say take the step up.

 

I'm new to the site, and i must say, I used to own a 99 ZX6R Ninja, and thought it was the fastest thing on two wheels.. Untill I let my friend borrow it, you know the end of that story. Anyways, a few years passed, and I just said hell with it and bought a CBR1000RR 07' with .02 miles on it, feb-1st.. i have close to 400 miles on it now, and the difference is night and day, I even had some young punks come in my work today with a black 600RR talking smack, but i let them, because with the 1K, you don't need to talk, the RR will do it for you... I'm thrilled to death with the bike, and scared to death of it too, and that's how we get along.. I'm a cruiser, not a Racer or knee dragger.. I'm about looking clean and if needed, i can crack that right hand and say bye!!

 

I went from a '91 F2 to an '06 1000RR and like you said I thought my F2 was fast which it technically is but not relative to a 1000. My F2 is heavier and not as powerful so I was used to riding a heavy bike so my 1000 is way lighter.