"Horsepower will determine how fast you get through the swamp. Torque will determine IF you get through the swamp."

If the first three are comparable in price, the first has better numbers.

Torque is the 'grunt' that get you moving. I've never seen your neck of the woods, but I picture it as hilly and in town driving. More torque will help out in both instances! My first bike, about seven or eight years ago, was a '76 KZ400. I'm 225 and it pulled me around town just fine, full of clothes and my lunchbox. Now, it was about 100 rpm per mph, so it was pulling 4500 rpm at 45 mph. Fine for in city stuff but not much on highway! But, even for a little bike, it had no trouble stop light to stoplight and would take off in second gear with very little throttle. I've had a few four cylinders, Kz650, CB750K, etc, and they were quicker and revved higher, they didn't have the same torque as the various twins I've owned. My current bike is a big step up, a 1700cc RoadStar. It's not quick by any means but it has tons of torque!! I can come to a pretty steep hill in top gear and just roll the throttle, no thoughts of downshifting at all! I had a 650 V-Star before and for its size, it had plenty of torque too, it was a V-Twin also.

Another thing o look at as Byron brought up is gearing. Now, we can't easily change tranny gears, but sprockets are fairly easy to swap out. If it's a chain drive you are looking at an hour or two to change the two sprockets. You may lose some top end speed and mileage, but you will be better able to climb hills and take off easier, especially if you are loaded down with 'stuff'. I'm not sure on a belt drive, but in going to bet there will be options available to you.

--
https://facebook.com/M2bKydex/

All else being fairly equal! Of the first 3 the first has by far the best looking numbers . On anything that drives I love low end torque. The torque is what gets you going. the more your can produce at a lower RPM the better.

I am not a fan of high revving engines that have all of their power at the top end. It makes the ride much more uncomfortable, plus a engine that is working harder will normally wear out quicker. I like a car that can run around all day while keeping the RPMs low, our car starts making over 300 Lb ft of torque at about 1200 RPM so you can drive around at under 2000 RPM and still accelerate faster than most vehicles. At 75 MPH in 6th gear it is only turning around 1700 RPM. For me that is way more fun to drive than a 4 cylinder car that you have to rev up to 4000+ RPM to climb a steep grade. I remember crossing the continental devide a few years ago in my Ram with the Hemi. We were going 60-65 (the speed limits) up a steep grade with no trouble, and I was passing multiple vehicles that were only able to pull the grade at 30-45 MPH. Sure I burn a little more gas but it is nice to be able to maintain speed going up hill.

.........just like firearms, I've owned a LOT of motorpickles, mostly Hondas but a fair share of Harleys, BMWs, Kawasakis, Yamahas, BSA, and some I don't recall.

I'm not the best rider in the world, though I've known a few outstanding riders. Be that as it may, I always have preferred a bike that achieved its goal with torque rather than high revs. For lack of a better description, the ride is calmer to me, less busy, and does what I want in a more forgiving manner.

All that being said, there is a point many fail to consider about motorcycles, one that has a tremendous amount of impact on handling and comfort. That is riding position, extreme in its effect on your ride.

Lets categorize position as one of three. Hunched over, crotch rocket style. Very effective at speed, when the wind on your chest can assist in holding you up, it can become quite tiresome at lower speeds...or with age and "bad backs".

Next would be the neutral stance of traditional British bikes, or UJMs (think Honda CB350 or CB750). A great all around riding position, as the flat saddles allow you to shift your carcass around with relative ease. Additionally, the typical mid-mount foot controls mean that one can stand on the pegs with alacrity, something I've needed to do more than once in my riding career. Even something as simple as standing up to stretch whilst riding is very, very important when cruising more than an hour.

Finally, cruisers, or the sit up and beg position. Comfortable, usually cushy, really great on long runs if you can manage a back rest of sorts. A good trick is to put a loaded duffle bag across the passenger seat. My only real gripe with cruisers is that they often sport forward controls. Try standing on pegs or floorboards that are at the front of the frame! It can be squirrelly or even downright dangerous. If at all possible, see if your cruiser choice has mid controls. You can always mount a highway bar if you feel the need to ventilate your boots.

Whatever you choose, I strongly feel that a torque-y bike is to be preferred. And as Byron pointed out, the trans and final drive are overwhelmingly important in how that torque is delivered.

Otony

Gets up to speed quicker, changes speed in traffic quicker, and not as demanding of being in the exact right gear in any given situation.
As far as riding comfort, highway pegs and a backrest help A LOT. If you were coming through Iowa you could check out how I have my Victory set up, but a 100" v-twin would ruin you for the stuff you're looking at.

All engines have torque, all engines have horsepower. Horsepower is horsepower and that's what determines maximum power, and usually occurs at a relatively high rpm. If an engine has torque numbers worth bragging on that generally means there is good power lower in the rpm band, and this makes the engine more flexible. It allows the engine to pull better at lower speeds, you don't have to downshift as much to get the vehicle going.