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I am probably the last one that should comment because I am addicted to vinegar. One thing is that there are so many kinds of vinegar that are "softer". Reiterating the above article, experiment with different vinegars, there are so many kinds, also I notice if you sweeten the dressing the vinegar really becomes absent from the flavor profile.

oh man, i could totally do without the oil altogether...just give me a gallon of balsamic and i'm one happy salad eater!

Or, use lemon juice instead of vinegar! (or lime, or orange lemon, etc) I love a roasted red pepper vinegarette made with lemon juice.

I like to puree a little bit of really ripe avocado with lemon juice and a hint of fresh onion... creamy and delicious!

I always add a small pinch of sugar, about a half a teaspoon or less, to my dressings. It cuts the sourness of the vinegar without making it overly sweet.

Try Mirin and Roasted Sesame Oil with a touch of ginger for asian flavour, wine with basil and a good cold pressed olive oil for Italian.

Also, never use white vinegar. I only use that for cleaning! --Apple cider vinegar is the healthy plain

-umeboshi is salty and sweet

-balsamic is like good wine- it can get very expensive (I've seen 5 oz bottles for over $100) and some people even use it on ice cream! A good affordable balsamic ($10-20 ish a bottle) and you wont care if its vinegar.

- Red and White wine vinegars are cheaper than wine! Find a brand you like.

-Sweet Rice wine vinegar is what gives sushi rice that yummy taste! Its pretty neutral but sweet, so you don't need honey or sugar.

A really good combo is dijon mustard, lemon juice (a lot), and tarragon. Whisk that up w/olive oil and a little salt and pepper and put it on everything. (I also like this with white wine vinegar in addition to or instead of the lemon juice, but it's completely optional.)

You can use nonfat or lowfat buttermilk (or buttermilk powder, which keeps well in the freezer) to make a more mild dressing, or try herb sauces (ex., puree olive oil and cilantro or flat-leaf parsley with garlic and salt) or roasted veggies pureed with a bit of oil.

If you're not sure you like vinaigrettes, I would recommend trying a few gourmet versions before you drop 20 dollars on a bottle of balsamic only to discover you don't like that either.

So, go to your local gourmet takeout place when they're not too busy, buy yourself a salad and try their vinaigrette dressings. You may be able to grab a bunch at once if you're lucky, or you may have to ask nicely to sample a few of them - I'm sure they won't mind. If you like one, ask them what's in it, and buy that type of vinegar to try with your homemade dressings.

My tried and true salad dressing is a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and a small amount (one or two teaspoons) of dijon mustard.

I've discovered apples as a great dressing! Chop up two cored apples & squeeze the juice of one orange in there. Blend it, towards the end throw in some cinnimon. It's pretty much home made apple sauce, but it makes for a great topping for your salad and it's about as healthy as you can get!

fish sauce, sriracha/sambal/fresh chillies, lime or lemon juice, pinch of sugar and some water.
Or leave the citrus out and it tastes just as good. I will also eat just fish sauce on rice so this may not be for everyone. To mellow the fish sauce out, you could also cook this to reduce it and blend all the flavours.

Of course, if you're cooking something to go on top of the salad, you could always make a pan sauce dressing:
deglaze pan with some liquid (water, wine, broth all work).
Stir in some mustard and some oil. This method needs very little oil and sometimes I leave the mustard out to change the flavour.

Nothing wasted. I'll even save the dressing to use the next day.

Zey beat me to providing the recipe for my favorite salad dressing. I used to go to a neighborhood restaurant because I craved their salad (dressing) until finally I asked what was in it and they told me ... lemon juice, olive oil, salt, tiny drop of dijon. That's it. Sometimes, when I'm feeling fancy, I add shallot.

I'm a big fan of fruit juice and tomato juice additions to vinaigrettes to make them not only less acidic but lower fat.

Lemon zest Lemon juice extra virgin olive oil salt pepper. Un-screw-uppable.

I love lime, olive oil, garlic, a smidge sugar and cilantro. Put it all in the food processor and bam. Another fav is mirin, sesame oil, sesame seeds, lime, honey and rice vinegar. The sugar/honey takes some of the bite out of the vinegar.

Oh forgot the soy sauce in the last recipe.

I often use pomegranate molasses instead of vinegar. but if you do, please notice it does not go well with onions, tomatoes or oil. Very good on a nutty salad; rocket, walnuts, figues, mushrooms, goat cheese, black pepper...

My favourite staple dressing that I never fail to get compliments for is a ginger/balsamic/apricot dressing. Again no oil, tomatoes or onions.
I always have a glass of sliced up ginger in balsamic vinegar in my fridge. To make the dressing I pour some into a new glass, add two small spoons of either apricot jam or marmalade, shake and pour on a salad made of rocket, roasted unsalted cashews, red peppers, dried apricots and maybe some chicken if the salad is the main meal.

Boyajian makes a bunch of specialty vinegars that are delicious (and not as sharp as other vinegars) - my Whole Foods used to carry them but now I order online. My favorite is the maple vinegar. I use one part maple vinegar to two parts extra virgin olive oil with a splash of dark maple syrup. Add black pepper and maybe a little dried basil.