My wife is not a forum kind of girl. I can tell you that she had a VTX1300 before and was never happy with the performance in all aspects. Our main riding group is a spirited group with mostly sport touring riders and one other CTX. The CTX's hold their own on the twisties. We have been on several three day excursions and she is very comfortable riding all day. My wife is 5'2" and wears boots that enable her to reach the ground.
Last I checked, Honda factory is offering a $3000 Honda bucks to buy accessories. Make sure you read up on accessories and their conditions before you go to the dealer.