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The “Five to Survive” Rule & Why You Should Use It
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bigguybbrParticipant
Those sure are some skinny tires…
bigguybbrParticipantAlso a good idea is to always have a kickstand plate. Anything to distribute the weight of your bike so the kickstand doesn’t sink in to the asphalt or loose dirt. It’s a real problem when it’s hot outside or wet when not on pavement. Saw more than a few bikes at Laconia sink in and a few that fell right over.
bigguybbrParticipantNo riding here on the east coast.
The snow bank in front of my house is still about 3 1/2 feet tall. My driveway still has about 2″ of ice over the entirety. I can’t even get the 350z out of the garage that is currently blocking my bike in, so riding is a total no go here.
Hope it warms up soon…
On a side note, I had no idea how expensive the Piaggio MP3 500cc was. Man, the versys must seem like a bargain after that!
bigguybbrParticipantWas the scoot an auto? If so, that’ll be a new distraction. Enjoy being able to down shift to dial up more power, and also being able to engine brake, along with mis-shifting, false neutrals, and the occasional stall…
On the plus side, larger tires and more suspension travel will help to soak up the bumps and give better traction.
bigguybbrParticipantSweet new whip man, I’m jealous! Keep the shiny side up!
After this season mine is paid for and I can start the hunt for whats next
bigguybbrParticipantIt is and it isn’t like a super sport in it’s riding ergonomics. It actually has handle bars, rather than clip ons just like the ninja 250, and gives more of an upright riding position. (Pics are courtesy of cycle-ergos.com, a great site to see your particular dimensions on a ton of different bikes)
Some of this conjecture is a bit premature. Before you get out and ride, almost all bikes seem monstrously large and heavy as you have no real world frame of reference to judge them by other than perhaps a bicycle or a dirt bike if you have had the experience. After you take the msf, you can start to gauge if some of the bikes feel small to you. I know personally I had to change bikes from a honda nighthawk to a yamaha tw200 because the distance from the foot peg to the gear shift was too close, and I couldn’t shift properly (I’m 6’5″ 245lbs, with a size 13 boot, there are definitely some bikes that are too small for me to ride safely). So before everyone is quick to judge every bike sales person as being just out there to make the bigger commission, give them a bit of a break. If you think about it, won’t they make more of a commission selling you an ill fitting bike, and then taking it back as a trade in towards another bike shortly after you get sick of it? Perhaps they are just trying to save you from paying tax, title, and registration twice, when you could be putting that money towards better use.
The displacement debate I’m not really going to get into. In short, displacement is in no way a gauge of power, torque, or the delivery characteristics of either. Case in point, the fz6r vs my fiancées old bike, the suzuki boulevard s40. The S40 – 652cc, 31hp, 33ft/lb of torque while the fz6r 78hp (at the crank, more like 60 at the rear wheel), 44ft/lb of torque, and if you go for an r6 600cc, 100hp, 44ft/lb of torque. Her new bike, a 2009 sporster 1200cc makes for about 70hp and 74ft/lb of torque. As you can see, there is no linear correlation between displacement, and output.
Also $1500-$2000 depending on your area is going to be a bit of a challenge trying to find a ninja 250 right at the start of the riding season. There is a big demand for the ninja 250 then, and people are getting almost new prices for them even used then.
With the comments about 250 being more than enough, as all the fun is in the twisties, there is some truth to that. The only draw back is sooner or later, you are going to have to take a highway to get someplace, like work, or even the dealership to get your bike worked on. While I firmly believe that a 250cc bike can be a great learning tool, I’m not convinced it is a practical bike for everyone.
On gear, check out http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
They have some awesome helmet info, as they have impact test results to help you gauge which helmets give the most protection. I know the scorpion exo-400 lids get good reviews, and you can find them pretty cheep right now.Sorry if this is all a bit of a rant, but bike season is around the corner and I’m itching to talk shop
bigguybbrParticipantYou’re a couple inches shorter than me, but about the same general size. If you are long in the legs, I can see why they might try and push you to a larger bike for comforts sake. Regardless of the modifications that you might make, the geometry of the 250 ninja is always going to make it a bit small for someone of our stature. It’ll be rideable, but it is going to be an annoyance. Something like a dual sport or motard will have better ergonomics for you in the 250cc class/
Anyways, the FZ6R (fully faired bike) is a little more beginner friendly than the FZ6 (naked bike, which yami actually discontinued, naked bikes just don’t do well here in the USA, we’ll hope the fz8 does better)
I started a couple years ago and bought a brand spankin’ new FZ6R right as it came out, actually about 2-3 weeks before my MSF course. I had my learners permit, and lived only 1/4 mile from the practice course, so I was able to get some practice in before the MSF even started. At low RPMs the FZ6R is a real kitten, and is very predictable in it’s handling. Now while it’s performance is easy to manage, and the ergonomics are great seeing as you can adjust both the seat height and handle bar distance to fine tune your ride, it is considerably heavier than a 250, as well as a little pricier. At a 467lbs (wet weight) it’s the same general weight as some 800cc sport touring middle weights, as well as many small cruisers (but much lighter than a harley sportster, it’s like they are made out of lead and concrete!). This will make it more difficult at first to get you confidence up at tight low speed turns, especially for smaller riders, who might be afraid of the weight. This weight however makes for a much more stable bike on the highway, making commuting more comfortable as passing cars and trucks won’t blow you around as much, an incredibly unsettling feeling on a smaller bike when starting out. Weight aside, the bike is still incredibly nimble, and incredibly fun to ride. As you grow and discover more of the throttle, the bike will grow with you and will move quickly when asked. All in all I couldn’t ask for a better bike to start with. This is year 3, and the end of payments on it for me, and I still totally enjoy it, and am looking to find it a partner rather than a replacement.
bigguybbrParticipantWHACHU SAY BOUT MY FZ6R!?!?!?
Ha ha j/k It does have some oddities like fake ram air scoops, but otherwise over 10k miles the bike has been pretty bullet-proof. Haven’t had to do anything but basic maintenance and a throttle body sync. It’s a nice beginner friendly bike especially for someone big like myself (6’5″+) because of the ergonomic ajustments and because it has really linear, predictable power delivery, and enough torque that it’ll resist stalling out unless you really dump the clutch. It’s been plenty comfortable for the rides to laconia and americade, plenty of fun in the twisties, and it’ll move when you want it to.
Anywhoo AMEN! to the new Ninja 1000. I love everything about that except the underside where the exhaust looks like something from an old yard sale. Why couldn’t they have sprayed it black like they did on the FZ6R? Oh well, maybe after I finish paying for the yami (and pay of the credit cards)…
bigguybbrParticipantSee if you can find the owners manual online. Every manual includes the maximum weight the bike can hold safely (rider + gear + passenger + gear + luggage). I know my bike (FZ6R) lists max weight as 414lbs.
bigguybbrParticipantOuch!
$975 for a 2 day tour in New England. You can do 2 separate days at California super bike school with your own bike for that… (which I would much rather do ) Additionally, at CSB they have a 2 to 1 students to instructor ratio. Something i’m definitely thinking about in my 3rd year of riding…
bigguybbrParticipantYeah, it’s my guess is just the winter blues keeping people away for a while. I know here in CT, they are only announcing the MSF dates this month. Once riders get signed up there will be a whole slew of newbies on here asking questions.
bigguybbrParticipantI went the cheep route. If i’m not using my saddle bags and top bag, I just use a skateboarding backpack.
The nice part about these is they always have a front trap that goes across the front of your body and help take some of the weight off your shoulders (which wears you down on a long ride)
Also i use the straps that would notmally be used to hold a skateboard to instead hold a little $5 bungie net. That way I can bungy the whole back to the passenger seat on my boke and not have to wear the back pack at all.
Works awesome, and best of all it was cheap. I think the bag was $25 at walmart and the bungy was $3-5 at big lots.
March 4, 2010 at 12:30 am in reply to: Will my weight loss make a noticeable difference in handling? #24728bigguybbrParticipantHa ha I totally forgot how much it sucked when your gut is in the way of tying your shoes! It’s funny though for those who do weight watchers, they actually have activity points (like exercise points that you can use towards extra food for the day) for riding a motorcycle. Gave me a good excuse to take the looooooong way home from work on the bike
March 2, 2010 at 10:56 pm in reply to: Will my weight loss make a noticeable difference in handling? #24749bigguybbrParticipantIt seemed to make a big difference to me. I dropped 60lbs and my bike (’09 FZ6R) is definitely quicker off the line. There is also a bit of a difference in how quickly I pop back up out of a heavy lean.
I really noticed on my girlfriend’s bike (a little Suzuki s40 or savage ls650, same thing) that it was a little quicker and more highway worthy without hauling an extra tub of blubber around, as it seemed to gain a few extra mph. Then again I still look a little silly at 6’5″ on that with my knees up above the tank.
I’m sure it will make a difference in my fuel efficiency and I look forward to that on some of my long trips I have planned for the summer.
So how did you lose the weight? My gf kicked my butt into joining weight watchers with her and it really did work well for us.
February 24, 2010 at 12:59 pm in reply to: My New Fieldsheer Contour Saddlebags and Roll Bag (And how to attach them) #24649bigguybbrParticipantYou also have that nice givi top case as well…
I like hard luggage, but its pricey and you have all those racks on the bike that I would wanna tear off. Maybe someday when I have a dedicated touring bike…
(queue bike fantasy sequence)
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