I’ve never had any problems switching motorcycles - ya just have to pay attention!
I got one GREAT BIG WAKE-UP CALL when I rode the Buell for the first time. Lofting the front wheel with an angry twist of the wrist, lofting the rear wheel with firm grab of the right lever; that first ride left me literally shaking. It had been twenty years since I’d ridden a sport bike. I was taken back by how much the bar had been raised.
It’s entirely plausible to me that an experienced cruiser rider could be easily overwhelmed by the performance of the current crop of sport bikes. They’re a whole lot more sensitive than the bikes of the ‘70s & ‘80s. They’re much more demanding to ride than your garden variety cruiser.
The bikes that were giant killers back in the day are slouches compared to today’s full-on rockets . . .