A modern bike is very different from a Commando. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. You have a choice, you can win in the corners or you can win in the straights. A lot depends on how the bike handles and the power characteristics are a major factor. I usually ride my bike up and down through the gearbox, so that when I am cornering, I still have a heap of revs and use the gearbox to accelerate hard while the bike tightens it's line. If you do that with a modern bike, you get the hi-side. A modern bike is usually more suited to 'point and squirt' and the rolling distance in the middle of corners is usually longer. You can make a Commando behave like a modern bike, but you would lose a lot of inherent advantage. If you come out of a corner on a Commando beside a modern bike and have to rely on a straight line blast down the next straight , you will probably always lose. But if you turn under the opposition and get on the gas much earlier, you have the run on the other guy. The heavy crank avoids the situation where you get sat on your arse in the heat of the moment. Smooth power delivery is at a premium with a Commando. That is the reason I use a 2 into 1 exhaust and not separate pipes with megaphones and my carburation is always spot-on. Anything which causes jerkiness in corners can crash you.