Ask 10 riders and you will get 10 answers. For cummuting in Cape Town, which has some of the worst traffic in the world and wet UK like rainy winters, I would look for something with a fairing, good fuel consumption and a bit of power, to stay out of trouble.
The Honda NC750X was high on my list the last time I evaluated options. The high seating position makes lane splitting easy, the fuel consumption was amazing. The power there, but not unmanageable.
What did I do, well I bought a BMW K1300R with too much power, no fairing and a ridiculous amount of grins per kilometre.
So ride what makes you happy, just stay safe within your limits.