I came across this review of light-middle weight cruisers. It's a little dated, year old, but I found it interesting. It pits a Sportster against three Jap cruisers. I thought I'd post the link here if anyone is interested:
http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2006-lightmiddleweight-cruiser-comparison-3972.html
http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2006-lightmiddleweight-cruiser-comparison-3972.html