I saw a British review of a new 883-powered machine when I was shopping and considering trading my scooter for a bike. I think the advantage to reading a review from across the pond is that one doesn't get the Harley bias one gets over here to the same degree. In that review (can't find the link now), the test riders did not like the vibration of that power train, and they also commented about how it was even worse on one of the 1200s that they had previously tested. It was to the point, they said, that one couldn't see anything discernible out of the mirrors once underway. They were also not impressed with the power out of the curves, power in general, and the handling overall. The strong points were the attention to detail and quality with respect to fit and finish, the paint quality, the classic Harley sound and raw nature, the ergonomics of the controls and ease of riding, competitive price, resale value, and the comfortable ride as compared to the same range from some of the competitors.
I couldn't find anything about any of the 1200 models on these other aspects from an unbiased viewpoint, and I would never consider anything bigger where I assume Harley would do better versus the competition. So I guess what I'm stating is, that at least from the point of view of some unbiased reviewers, the 883 would not have the power you would want or expect either, but I'm not sure how much faster and quicker the 1200 is compared to some Asian and European comparables. One of the problems with reviews is gauging these reviews. Are they comparing acceleration to a sport bike? Or other cruisers in the same displacement /weight range? Not sure. The 883 bikes are listed @ 54 peak foot lbs of torque @ 3,750 RPM, and the 1200s are listed @ 71 peak foot lbs of torque @ 3500 RPM. I'm not sure how that much torque at that low of an RPM range with bikes that tip the scales @ around 560 lbs. could translate into really poor performance unless they have just a really inefficient means of transferring that toque to the wheel via the belt, or the reviewers are using sport-bike performance as a measurement standard and are more concerned with off-the-line performance.
I'm not really crazy about any of the Harley's seating configurations, nor their mpg (although not that much different than most other brands in that range, save Honda), nor am I into some of their old technologies that they use as a matter of consumer preference. I too though respect and like the fit and finish and general appearance of many of their bikes, the huge community of support available, especially with respect to their bigger, higher-price bikes, even though the bigger bikes are not for me.
I didn't test ride any, because I really didn't get too serious about considering any of them, and the local dealer didn't have any of the smaller-displacement Harleys in their show room where I could take a closer look.