[Gary856]

With a 33.1 in listed seat height, I’m surprised to read that you guys w/ 36″ inseam would have to tip-toe on this bike; don’t see how that can be. Usually when you sit down on a bike, the rider’s weight squashes down the suspension and the seat cushion by 1-2 inches or so. For example, DRZ-SM has a listed seat height of 35″ and I can flat-foot it with my 32″ inseam, but the DRZ’s long-travel suspension is more cushy than normal street bikes.

I like the sport-adventrue look of the Versys, but recently I read it hasn’t sold well in the US. Seems like it’s tough for a new comer to complete against the veteran V-strom and the bigger selling sport bikes and cruisers. Plus the huge down market we’re in for overall bike sales doesn’t help.

[Gary856]

Getting blind-sided like that is everybody’s worst nightmare. I can see that after a huge natural diaster like the earthquake you had, many people didn’t have their presence of mind, and in that state of confusion being in traffic would be much more dangerous than usual.

You have a great attitude about the whole accident. Take care and get well.

[Gary856]

Those trials bikes have no seat so how do you not stand up? Just curious, do those slow races end up a contest on who can do track stand longer?

[Gary856]

Agree w/ JackT. Everything I’ve read put these two bikes neck-to-neck overall. The instruments on the Ninja 500 does look sharper to me, too. In my case I went for the older, naked GS500, since the right bike w/ the right price came along at the right time. I love the GS, but I think if I had the Ninja I would have been equally happy. I do wish that I could ride a Ninja 500 some day so I would have a first-person comparison between the two.

If I strictly go by the specs, I’d say the Ninja has a slight advantage w/ liquid cooling, longer valve inspection/adjustment internvals, and a little more power (probably only noticeable if you’re racing side by side). But then, all the Ninja 500 I saw on Craigslist seemed to be a few hundred bucks more than a comparable GS500, so that evened things out too.

[Gary856]

Check out the “motorcycle reviews” section of this site on GS500 review and comments.

[Gary856]

GS500, Ninja 500, SV650, Ninja 650R, FZ6.

[Gary856]

No, no, no, I’m 45 w/ a wife and a 9-year old daughter; far from being single. Somehow I got away with riding on Saturdays, but often I have to start late so I would ride late into the night, as late as mid-night. I wish I could do some of those multi-day adventure riding but I simply can’t get away with THAT.

I’m an idot when it comes to working on the bikes. Other than oil changes, I pay the pros to work on my bikes.

[Gary856]

I’ll check out the video when I get home.

I love nothing better than finding and riding on new roads – more difficult the better. When that minor low-side occured I was having a great time, but also not fully focused because in my head I was planning my route for the next 2-3 hours. In fact I could feel that I was due for a crash – I was getting a llittle over confident and the warning signs were there. I’ve gone thru this cycle a number of time when mountain biking. A crash is always a powerful reminder to turn it down a notch.

[Gary856]

We’ve had a great discussion on this topic on barf. Check it out if you’re interested.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328256

[Gary856]

Thanks for the great feedback, Allen. Although your trouble at the track was at a much higher speed and skills level than mine, I do find similarities in the mental aspect, given our different levels of comfort zone.

When cornering near the limit, aside from the physical skills and techniques, it’s obvious that a lot of it depends on mental focus and confidence level. It’s like walking on a narrow plank. We have no problem walking it at ground level, but raise it up 10 ft it’s a different story, and 20 feet up it’s a different world. When I’m focused, relaxed, and committed to a corner, I tend to be fine. When I loose the focus, tense up and give up, bad things happen.

[Gary856]

On Saturdays I typically ride from 5-8 hours in the local hills, depending, until I’m dead tired. Too tired to ride on Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon I sometimes get itchy to ride again.

[Gary856]

Or make a reflective skeleton pattern

[Gary856]

[Gary856]

a) When I first started riding I tended to stare at the spot where it transitioned from straight to turn to finish my braking there. However, by going in a little fast and not looking thru the turn earlier, my speed in the turn ended up being slower than it needed to be. That was ok – when learning, slower speed and more reaction time are your friends. In the early days, I didn’t have the feel of how fast a corner could be taken, so the slower speed allowed me to get accustomed to the feel.

b) Then, I found if I finished my braking a little earlier, like 15 ft before the straight-to-turn transition, I had a more manageable entry speed, and could shift my focus to turning earlier. That helped a lot on the braking to turning transition. This is the “slow in, fast out” principle.

c) After I got used to the turning, I could brake later to transition into the turn naturally. Now, several seconds before I reach the transition point, I’m already looking deep into the turn, getting ready for the turn both mentally and physicaly, which allows me to transition into the turn smoothly.

The key is to start at a lower speed, give yourself the time to react, look thru the turn and focus on being smooth and relaxed. The speed will come naturally after you’ve developed the “feel”.

[Gary856]

When I wrote that only “hobbyist” would seek advanced training, I had “riding” as a hobby in mind; these people would customize the bikes for functionality. Those who heavily customize their bikes for the “looks” are more “equipment” hobbyist. And then you have those who just see bikes as a cheaper type of transportation; a co-work of mine is like that – he commutes year around for years, enjoys riding, but to him bikes are just transportation.

[Author]

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