Great comparo. Having just bought a new bike recently, I pulled out much hair and lost much sleep trying to decide what to buy to upgrade from my aging Hawk GT. I combined the looks and handling of the Speed 4, the upright ergos of the 599 and the price of the 1200R... and bought a Speed Triple. What the hell? It's smaller and lighter than the Sportster, so it must be a "middleweight" too.