Xlent: I'd be interested in hearing what you decided, and if you buy the bike, please post a pic or two here. From your description of the bike, I can't see any down side. Just curious, is the Evo motor a HD (stock or any add-ons) or other brand (S&S, maybe)? I'm wondering if that motor is an upgrade over a stock HD Evo. I've sometimes played around with the idea of buying a tired HD FXR and re-building it as my version of the FXR HD should have offered, with some mechanical upgrades and my own paint job.
As far as comparing this with a new Sportster, accordiing to the HD website, a 2004 XL1200R weighs 557, versus the stated 560 for my FXR2, so the weight is nearly equal. The differences would be in wheel base and ride height, and I don't have ready figures for those for an FXR. I'd also like to hear your comparison impression between the two bikes.
Anyway, good luck and let us hear from you about what you decide.
And give my regards to Baton Rouge--one of my best friends from high school lives there.