Handling may not be all important in this class of motorcycle but Performance never takes a back seat no matter what the category. Performance generally equates to power and speed in the user's loose perception. A measured test result sheet with its impressive numbers displayed right down to two or three decimal places can be quite a convincing ally in a validation session of the relative Performance feats of one's bike. We provide that for sure but we would like to stress that in this particular class of bike, a lot more than just test track environment data forms the defining profile of a winner. The start-and-stop everyday running, which includes the mundane chores of commuting to work, dropping off the kids to school and such, all tell their own story of how well the bike copes and importantly how much it costs while it does all this.

An important measure of a bike's utility is its ability to pass slower-moving traffic without the need for repeated gear swapping and a huge handful of throttle. The Boxer though felt marginally superior in this respect, more through its better throttle response and its willingness to interpret the rider's direction change commands more readily than the other two. That said, the Joy's slightly slower reaction times and the Crux-R's tendency to overreact on occasion are merely observations that result from a hypersensitive evaluation, and in no way hamper or diminish their value as seen from the user's point of view. Short distance commutes on the highway remain comfortable on all three, essentially because the low levels of Performance cannot bully the chassis into misbehaviour and neither are the vibrations high enough to cause serious discomfort. While the Boxer and the Crux-R both yield more to the everyday riding experience than the Joy, the better braking and the feather-light controls of the Boxer endear it more than the other two.