Thoroughly agree with Rocket Racer. Many people buy things like Thruxton Venoms, Goldies, RGS etc then find them pigs to ride under normal circumstances. There's a road test of a Golden Flash in one of the old Motor Cycle magazines which effectively says the same thing, and suggests that the "seasoned enthusiast" (read most of us I expect) will actually get much the same performance as would be obtained from the sportier models, and with far less drama. Twin carbs, lumpy cams and close ratio gearboxes are all a pain at low and mid-range revs.
It is very much about image and far less about usability and common sense.