victory makes a good bike, as does indian. (both are polaris.) both have much smoother, torquier engines. both the victory cross country and the vision are great, but you might not like crazy hugo gernsbaack stylin' of the vision. for a more standard "classic" cruiser look, the indian chieftain is nice.
for metrics, i prefer the suzuki boulevard M90 (or C90, which is more traditional touring kit). it's torquey, bulletproof, and has classic cruiser looks. around here, if it's not an h-d, it's probably one of the 90ci boulevards. (i like the blacked out b.o.s.s. models.) if you REALLY want sick power, the m109 is absurd as hell and has the fattest back tire i think i've seen on any bike, even a v-rod. the yamaha star stratoliner s and roadliner s (1900cc, i think?) are popular and again, like most metrics, reliable and indestructable.
the big honda -- the vtx1800 -- is really boring. i rode a vtx1300 and i almost fell asleep. give me a harley any day over THAT. the valkyrie is awesome as an alternate cruiser, but there's no touring kit for it -- that's the niche for the goldwing f6b. (goldwings are AMAZING as long haulers and much easier to throw around than a big h-d, and they're significantly quicker to boot. on the other hand, they're goldwings.)
never tried or seen the big kawi vulcan nomad (1700? cc). i like kawi a ton -- they're called the "h-d of japan" because they focus less on electronics and more on raw experience and an almost agricultural feel to their engines -- so it might be good? would be interested in checking the nomad out myself at some point.
hm, triumph has the thunderbird (which i love, the parallel twin is just different enough for me to be interested) and the terrifying 2300cc rocket iii, which murders lesser men. (seriously, it will haul with throttle at stop while you eke the clutch out, there's THAT MUCH TORQUE fighting to get out.) the little triumphs like the speedmaster/america compete with the sportster, so they're a no-go for you.
i guess of all of them, i'd go with a C90 in full touring kit or the yammy stratoliner s. both will come in right under 20K when all is said and done, and both will spank any larger displacement non-cvo h-d 108ci bike. if the victory bikes looked less crazy retro-future, i'd consider them. (still considering a victory gunner, but not as a touring bike.)
