My OL has had 3 1200 piglets in the time that I've had my 800 (790) America. Now, she has a Lowrider and I still have the America. Both will do a tonne up quite handily. Both manage crooked roads well enough, but the America just feels better doing it, enough to give you the confidence needed to outrun the Sportster.
At idle, the Sportster engine movement is beyond the capacity if the rubber mounts and it shakes a lot. While riding, you can feel the aircleaner moving around by your leg, and that takes a lot of getting used to. If you do decide on an HD, get a big twin with the counterbalanced 'B' engine, those are nearly as smooth as the Triumph twins.
Sportsters have a smaller tank and a bigger appetite than the America and Speedmaster, so your range will be noticeably less.
I find the comfort on the America to be much better. This is as close as you will ever get to a 'one size fits all' bike.
As they are from the factory, the Triumph twins deliver a flat torque curve from above idle to redline. With exhaust and intake changes, the curve angles upward in a straight line from around 3200 RPM. There are no nasty surprises when opening the throttle at any speed.
If you look through the post archives here, you will find that the major complaint of new Triumph owners is that they find themselves looking for a 6th gear. This is not actually a fault with the bike, it just stems from the facts that these engines like to rev and they pull harder in top gear than seems right for the engine size.
