If in a city a raider or sonic has to be almost the ultimate point to point machine ?? Low c of g.. Narrow bars.. Slice through traffic.

I had (actually still have) a Honda Sonic 125cc in Chiang Mai for over five years. Great for getting the young fella to school and sneaking through traffic, turns on a dime and runs on the smell of a semi-oily rag

From a safety point of view you can't beat the small auto scooters in Bangkok. Otherwise the rest of the traffic waits for you to flick through gears, assuming they are patient to wait rather than run you over. I do hate the small wheels they have though, but they are so light and nimble that its pretty amazing some of the tricks the Thais do with them. I also have an NSR proarm in Bangkok and to be honest I would not want anything larger. With the proarm you get some open road, but not much until you hit the next set of lights/junction.

Obviously out on the open roads outside Bangkok you can enjoy a big bike, but then all the hassels of spare parts and much increased cost of ownership. I suppose you can also buy a big bike Honda; parts are always easy for Hondas. You can always get someone outside the country to send them to you. Its just all hassle and cost. Thailand is really a small bike place; its just not geared up for big bike ownership. Just my opinion; you can choose to differ