[dhgeyer]

Have not ridden a Sportster myself, but the 883's have a terrible reputation for vibration. Several people in my local club have them, and even at idle you can't see anything in the mirrors, they're shaking so violently. I believe they are neither counterbalanced nor rubber mounted. Harley went through some very bad years when they were owned by AMF. The bikes made during that time are sometimes called "bowling ball bikes". You don't want one of those. I don't know what years those were, but someone else here might. After a 200 mile or so ride, the people in our club riding the Sportsters are shot, and people riding other bikes less so.

I've owned 2 Honda 600 VLX's and one Kawasaki Vulcan 500. The VLX engine is smooth and very reliable. The mirrors are mounted fairly wide due to wide handlebars, making them actually useful for seeing behind you. That's about all I can say about them that's good in comparison to the Vulcan. The VLX has only a 4 speed transmission, and first gear is, by necessity rather tall, requiring a lot of clutch slippage to get going. I didn't find the VLX to be very comfortable on longer rides. It could use a better seat. I once did a valve clearance check/adjustment on a VLX, and it was awful. Being a V-twin there are 2 valve covers, and they are both a nightmare to get off as I recall. I didn't particularly care for the way the airbox mounted, as it didn't seal well unless I used some kind of goop. Shouldn't be necessary. The gas tank on the VLX is less than 3 gallons. On the highway you get only a little over a hundred miles before you hit reserve (at least that was my experience). Fuel economy was not good on the highway for me.

The Vulcan 500 is a parallel twin, six speed transmission. Much quicker off the line, much more comfortable (wonderful stock saddle), and far easier to work on if that's a consideration. I think the fuel economy is some better, especially on the highway. Top speed is faster, I think, although I never had the VLX's up near top end, so I'm not sure. The handlebars are narrower on the Vulcan, making the mirrors less useful.

My neighbor had the Honda 750 Shadow for years. I never rode his, but I did take one for a test ride once. Smooth engine, good saddle, good mirrors. I think it has the best features of the various bikes you mentioned if you don't mind it being a little more expensive, and the fuel economy won't be quite as good. It will have a lot of aftermarket accessories available as well, which the Vulcan and the VLX don't as much. You can get a very nice windshield with lowers in a variety of heights for the Shadow 750, for example. You can also get a Mustang saddle for the 750 for about $400.00 or so (last I checked anyway). That Mustang saddle is almost as comfy as the stock saddle on the Vulcan 500.....

Hope this is helpful.