Took the boxeye out for a little 170 mile bimble around Derbyshire and Staffordshire. I observed 4 things,
1) It was foccing cold, even when the fog had cleared.
2) The state of the roads after our extremely wet winter is shocking.
3) Farmers love leaving shit all over the decent bends.
4) I need a larger capacity bike for my daily runner. The boxeye feels far too frantic and revvy and does not promote a relaxing ride. I gave up on sportsbikes a few years back as they were only good at 2 things 1) Looking Awesome and 2) Going Fast. I then bought a Gen 1 Fazer and thought it was the answer. I still think that but I began to clean and polish, clean and polish and then clean and polish it some more whilst adding a few subtle modifications. I've cleaned it to the point of not wanting to use it other than in perfect conditions which invariably we seldom get. I therefore bought the boxeye as I wanted something to actually use that wasn't going to cost me the earth to buy and maintain and also it would allow me to keep the Gen 1 in mint condition. It fits that bill perfectly and I use it as often as work commitments allow. However, despite it being more comfortable (for me) than a sportsbike I find its engine has a very sporty nature. Most rides have therefore become very similar to those I used to have on my sportsbikes. Frantic, buzzy and draining.
Decisions, decisions