There's a lot of misinformation in this thread. What you see on the temperature gauge is the temperature of the coolant going back to the engine. Hot coolant enters the bottom of the radiator and cools as it rises. The return line is at the top. The thermostat opens in response to the temperature of the coolant in the engine. Most thermostats have small bleed ports that allow some coolant to pass so the temperature at the thermostat is closer to engine coolant temperature.
If you are running at a constant rate on the highway the thermostat will open and close regularly. There's plenty of air flow, so the coolant stays at a relatively constant temperature. In city riding the temperatures tend to fluctuate and may rise until the fan kicks in. When you're stopped with no fan the coolant temperature rises quickly. When you are between stoplights (or whatever else is impeding your travel) the air flow increases. The coolant temperature in the radiator drops.
None of this says what the temperature in the engine is. A 190 degree thermostat is fine. Also, putting in a colder thermostat may lead to drivability problems and rapid carbon buildup in the heads. Removing the thermostat completely can cause overheating because there isn't enough "residence time" for the coolant in the radiator. 217 F for the fan to kick in is no reason to be concerned. Variations in temperature readings from bike to bike is more a function of how difficult it is to measure temperature accurately with relatively cheap instrumentation than in actual running differences.
If the fan kicks on occasionally in stop and go traffic, and if it stays off other times, then don't worry about the temperature indication. Just worry if it rises and keeps on going higher with the fan on.