Coming from the sport world I love my SM for what it is. It is quick at certain ranges but suffers in QM times. It is NOT a sportbike and speed was not a factor when making the purchase. If it was I would not have bought it. As far as bikes go in stock form they are of the slowest (qm times) bikes I tested. Small gains are easy due to heavy restrictions but to make it a fast bike would cost money.
Not sure why everyone wants to lug along at low rpms. These are not HD twins and seem happier zipping down the parkway above 3500k and personally I like to keep it at 4k plus. I have no issues running for hours at 4500k.
Like you one of my shopping requirements was weight. Not many cruisers fit my list of around 500 pounds.
That aside this is certainly one of my favorite bikes ever! Super reliable so far, easy to ride and always a blast. Grin factor is huge. Plus they are one of the prettiest cruisers I ever laid eyes on. Best overall handling of any cruisers I tested also.
