I looked at alot of different bike before settleing on the fz6.. my dad had a sportster 1200 and I rode it a few times.. i would probably need to ride it more now (since now I have a few years of motorcycleing experience) to give you a better assesment, but for me the only difference was the riding style. the brakes worked fine and the engine was a blast, not that i went more than 40mph and about 2-3 miles. I just like the fz6 better because it is lighter and way more fun in the curves. i have looked at other bikes and really the street triple is probably my next bike.. and that wont be for a few more years anyways...