A lot has changed....
I'm an old fart now, and I don't ride bikes like this anymore...
Your comments however have a familiar ring from my own riding/racing days of late 60's, early 70's.
Yes, Yes I know that tires, engines, and suspension are not even from the same universe that I grew up in -but: We set up our race bikes light, and twitchy, because when you were in the zone, you could get in and out, up, down, and around with much more confidence, precision, & safety - once you were really at speed, bumping shoulders and rattling each others fairings.
It seems funny now, but if you had been on nice road trip on something like an R100 BMW, and then jumped on your RD or TZ they could actually seem hard to keep in a straight line.
But a little track time, and actual race inputs, all that twitchiness seemed to disappear. Hard throttle, hard brake, and your brain rewired for speed, you could place your bike where you wanted it, when you wanted it there.
I quite sure you are describing the same phenomenon. Give me the nervous steed every time in an agressive situation. It feels, less safe, but since it will do what's really asked of it - it's really more safe! When your riding skill catches up to it, your confidence level comes with it!