Shadow to a fatboy you will fell a very solid ride... Not smooth like a shadow is the first thing...don't expect a smooth as silk motor....it's pretty smooth because it's a balanced motor compared to a Road king, dyna or electra glide....My wife had a Volusia 800 and it was very light feeling compared to a Heritage softail....

I had a 1988 VT1100 Shadow and now I have a Heritage. Imagine going from a Toyota Matrix to a Cadillac Escalade only the gas mileage didn't change.

IMO all motorcycles vibrate to a certain extent. The amount of vibration is important, but the "quality" of the vibration is more so. A Harley has a pleasant pulsation that lets you feel that you are on a V-Twin. My Shadow had a harsh high frequency buzz that made my hands feel tingling pins. People think all Hondas are smooth but the OP knows a Shadow is no Gold Wing.

Honda "engineered" vibration into the Shadow as part of it's attempt to copy Harley. They failed miserably.

I sold my 750 ACE in February and just got my 2011 Road King on Tuesday. I rode the Honda for nearly 7 years.

Considering the substantial weight and size increase I'm finding the RK is in many ways easier to ride.

I can say with 100% certainty that I have no regrets with my decision.

Prior to the RK I test rode a Yamaha V-Star 1300 and hated it. The throtttle was jumpy and the bike just felt all wrong for me.

Went from a 03 ACE to a ultra classic, still have the ace buy its for sale. We rented a Softail and a EG Classic before we got the ultra, go for a weekend trip and you will get a good feel for it. As for me, I had no problem with the transition, 5'6" 200lbs

I went from an 800cc Suzuki to a Low Rider. You will notice the extra weight -- in a really good way. Wind will be far less your enemy. On my Suzuki, I dreaded the freeway and would get blown out of line when wind gusts got to 30mph or so. Not with the H-D.

The H-D handles turns better at all speeds. I can do the MSF figure 8 on the Low Rider.

Your sexual allure increases exponentially when you ride a Harley-Davidson.

I went from a 650 vstar to HD, I went to a demo day and it was great. Because you already ride a cruiser you'll be used to the seating position etc.
I got on the Switchback (not the first HD I'd ridden, I've borrowed mates bikes for quick runs) anyway...got on the switchback and it felt the same as my old bike, only more comfy and more power. Don't be scared about the more power part, it's powerful but it's easily manageable.

Trust me, you'll be fine, you'll love it, you'll wanna leave that day with a new bike lol

You will have no problem. Plus, you will also become more attractive to the ladies. Chicks really dig Harleys lol.

Remember when you were a mere teenage boy dreaming about getting that first girl(assuming you're a guy)? Put down the Jergens and grab a fistful of rubbers because it's prom night!

I had a Kawasaki KZ440 and my brother and I decided we wanted to test ride a Harley. I had my heart set on the Deluxe, until I sat on it and I was a little big for it, then sat on a Heritage and thought OMG this is the bike I want. The dealership offered my brother and I a test ride on a Heritage and a Road King and we went out and road and halfway through the test ride we switched.

OMG the difference between the RK and the Heritage was night and day. Needless to say I now own a Road King. I didn't want a fairing so the RK is what I went with.

Point being, make sure you try the Road King too. I never thought I would want one until I rode it. Wow rides like a dream. I'm going to keep my current one for a few more years, then I'm upgraded to a EGC. I want the new suspension and 6th gear.