By the sounds of it, you are not looking for a sport bike, but more of a Sport-Tourer. The Katana, or "can-a-tuna", is alright for a sport tourer. The Ducati is an Italian, fast, naked-bike masterpiece. That's why its expensive. If you want a nice sport-tourer for cheaper, check out the Suzuki SV650, or the Korean sister Hyosung GT650R which contains more of a street bike appearance while retaining the sport touring ride.

But the best thing to do is to go to different dealerships and sit on each of the bikes you're looking at. More important than top speed and horsepower is comfort. Then again, more important than that is the sound that comes screaming out of your exhaust pipes