I had to stop and think about this for a while. I don't have the experience some of you have-- either in repair expertise or in frustration with the manufacturing quality of the Enfields.
That said, ever since I tried to restore my dad's CB750, I've enjoyed tinkering with engines, and I like tinkering with my CGT. When something falls off I shrug and bolt it back on. I totally fucked up the exhaust while trying to paint it, so I just sanded it all down, bolted it back on, and went on with my life. The grunge of it has grown on me. When my rear brake line mysteriously started leaking, I cut it and mounted the reservoir on the rear of the frame, out of the way, until I figure out how I want to mount it behind the ankle plate. When both horns finally broke off I priced OEM fixes, balked, and I've been considering where to re-mount them ever since. Zip ties are looking appealing.
All thanks you all.
Compare that to my Bonnie T100. Great bike. Turns on. Cruises at 75-80mph no problem. Gets a fair share of head turns. But whines and makes hair dryer noises. And it doesn't fall apart. It just keeps moving-- faster, but in a way that's somehow less thrilling and less appealing than 60mph on the CGT. But she can take two riders up to the mountains all day long. The CGT can do that.. just a bit more slowly.
I just moved back into the city, and a lot of my trips are 10 minutes or so, so I love having mouthy, kick start, thumping, agile fun bike to cut around corners and dodge morons.
I'm swapping bikes out this weekend, and considering selling one along with my car. I'm having a hard time deciding between keeping the CGT with a 2-up seat, or keeping Bonnie.
And I'm torn because, damn it, the CGT does it for me. And this community does it for me. But I can hear the "practical" part of me telling me to keep the Bonnie... sigh.