Basic design on all the three bikes is typical of the majority of the motorcycles in the country. A single overhead camshaft activates two valves on the single-cylinder air- cooled engines and are coupled to a four-speed transmission system. The deviation comes in the shift patterns, the Joy has to be shifted up for high gear and the Boxer is exactly opposite and goes down for high gear. The Crux follows the classic pattern of one down and the rest up.

All the three bikes here differ in cubic capacity as well but the differences are not significantenough to permit a substantial advantage based merely on capacity alone. The smallest at 97.2cc is the Hero Honda Joy, the Bajaj Boxer moving a bit closer to the 100c mark at 99.35cc. The Yamaha Crux-R steps over and tips the scale at 105.6cc. It is interesting to note how each of them arrive at their respective capacities. Yamaha Motor in an obvious pursuance of good rideability through an assurance of ample low end torque has chosen an undersquare, relatively long-stroke configuration for the Crux-R engine. The dimensions are 49mm bore and a 56mm stroke. Power is quoted at 7.6bhp@7500rpm and peak torque of .8kgm comes in at 6000rpm. The 99.35cc Boxer arrives at its displacement through near-square engine dimensions of a 50mm bore and a 50.6mm stroke. The Boxer revs higher than both the Joy and the Crux-R to deliver its 7.02bhp peak power at 8500rpm. The 0.68kgm torque though is obtained at 6000rpm.

The Joy's bore and stroke dimensions of 50mm x 49.5mm give it the distinction of being the only one with an oversquare configuration. Peak power is comparable at 7.3bhp @ 8000rpm and the power is spread generously from 5000rpm, which is where the peak torque of 0.79kgm is developed. With such a closeness in the way that the engines have been configured and the similarities in power and torque production, it's no surprise that the gearing on all three remains near-identical. Overall gearing in top gear on all three bikes is separated by a mere six per cent, the Boxer highest at 10.09:1 and the Joy lowest with 10.69:1 and the Crux-R in between the two at 10.347:1 . The top speed that any vehicle will achieve depends on a variety of factors but here the end result is what matters and the Joy, the Boxer and the Crux-R posted results that show a close consistency between their capacities and capabilities. The Crux-R understandably was the fastest at 83kph, followed by the Boxer at 81kph and then the Joy at an even 80kph. It will be obvious that a 3kph spread between the fastest and the slowest is nothing more than an academic listing and not a conclusive superiority feature. When it comes to standing-start acceleration tests, the accent shifts from sheer capacity to a different platform, which emphasises the importance of peak engine revolutions and the transmission harmony as specified by the relationship of the internal gear ratios to each other.

The bikes were tested from 0 to 70kph and the results vividly reflect the validity of the earlier statement. The Joy with its weight penalty (114kg against the Boxer's 109 and the Crux-R's 105.5kg) and lower overall gearing cannot match strides with the opposition. The Crux-R too cannot exploit its capacity advantage against the Boxer's combination of higher rev range and closer spaced gearing, especially the two higher ratios, and although the two are almost inseparable at 60kph, the Crux-R allows the Boxer to edge ahead to the 70kph mark. The time difference, though a mere .35sec between the Boxer and the Crux-R, is almost three seconds better than the Joy.