[gitchy42]

I know the answer to what happened to WD 1-39, they didn’t work, when they got to 40 they found a formula that displaced water (WD=water displacer; 40=40th formula)

[gitchy42]

What about riding this guy to work, in the snow??

[gitchy42]

I would love to be able to ride my bike for business. Unfortunately the CEO’s cousin died in a motorcycle wreck, was hit INTENTIONALLY by someone in a big SUV. I think that it should make him have SUV’s, not motorcycles, but there you have it. No bike for business trips

[gitchy42]

I stuck mine in the back of my Ranger, and drove it home, then took it to work the next day and stuck it in the warehouse till the weekend. Got a ride to work on Saturday, drove it around the parking lot, up and down the back road, and through the parking lots of some neighboring businesses (industrial area, so a lot of HUGE parking lots to keep it interesting). When I got comfortable on the bike (the 650 is a lot different than the tw200 I was riding in class), I took it home. On one of the back roads home I was up to 70, grinning from ear-to ear before I new it. Had a bit of an oh-sh*t moment when I looked at the speed-o.

We have a whole rain-free week coming up, so when I get my bike back together (hopefully this afternoon) I’m going to be ready to have some fun

[gitchy42]

I have been thinking about replacing my truck with a custom 3-wheeler, like the Vortex or the RQ Riley Xr3. After the initial ‘start up’ cost, I could save a TON of money on fuel, probably on insurance and licensing too. It would technically be registered as a motorcycle I think, but maybe a ‘prototype’, not sure.

Madjak is right that the best way to save money (and depending on what your drive, only way) is to replace your vehicle with the bike. How ever, the way that I justify it is that it saves me on my month-to-month expenses (mostly fuel), which allows me to pay everything off faster

Jeff also has a good point, that for about the same amount of money you can get a sub-compact that gets about the same MPG. Not near as fun to drive, however.

[gitchy42]

I went to the car show in Portland yesterday, they had some bikes there. Nothing too new, nothing I haven’t seen before wandering around the dealership. Some really cool carts there tho.

[gitchy42]

I test rode a little 125 sport bike during my hunt, I wish this little thing would have been out, looks like a blast to ride!

Unfortunately I agree that they probably won’t sell well. There is only 1 Aprilia dealership here….and people don’t go there for 125’s, the smallest they go there for is the Monster 696. If they were to sell them in some of the scooter stores however…..

[gitchy42]

Good point about the power being peaky, I didn’t think of that.

[gitchy42]

Older bike, but looks nice. Pretty low miles for the age. As long as it is in decent condition (and good working order), I think that would work.

This is one of the bikes that someone had mentioned being a beginner friendly bike, but more for a ‘novice’ rider. I don’t remember where I read that, but I do remember reading it, lol. I did just read a review that compares it to the GS500, and said that it is a nicer bike, but that was for the 92 models of both. Maybe someone else knows more?

[gitchy42]

As far as maintenance cost goes, both should be fairly inexpensive. However, something to remember is that Buell went out-of-business, last year I think. I don’t know if Harley is making OEM replacement parts, or not. I’m sure that there are some aftermarket replacements for the more popular parts. This probably shouldn’t be an immediate concern, just something to think about.

As for the Ninja, kawi is still around and it has consistently been one of the most popular motorcycles for 20 years. So parts will not be a problem for either style, and ‘junkyard’ parts for the old style. For fit, the 2008 and newer Ninjas may be too small for you, as they are more ‘sporty’ than the pre-2008 model, the older model might fit better. However, with different body builds, you might find that they both fit well, or neither do.

Thats my thought on the matter…have fun!

[gitchy42]

Congrats man!! Keep us posted on how it goes.

[gitchy42]

Riding is a great way to live a little…and if you do it right live it up a lot!

[gitchy42]

Hate to sound like a broken record here, but I agree with MadJak and eon, take the basic course, and buy used.

Something to remember when you are looking for Ninja 250s, in 2008 they updated the model to a more “sporty” ride, with a little more “umpf” in the middle of the RPM range. Pre-2008 models are more forgiving, have a more neutral riding and are likely to be cheaper. Also, you may want to consider a smaller dual-sport.

For riding gear you may also want to look at Cycle Gear http://www.cyclegear.com/ They have decent prices and selection, although it seems that their best deals are always on their store brand.

[gitchy42]

Have you considered the S model instead of the SF model? It is aimed more towards dirt than street, might do a little better on the ‘iffy’ surface that a lot of country roads have.

Yamaha has a couple good models too, the XT250 and TW200 especially.

I’m going to second Suggles suggestion of taking a class. Don’t know if you have yet, but it is a good start, and they may have a few different models of motorcycles that you can take a look at to see if there is something else you might like.

[gitchy42]

Hate to suggest it, but if $$$ matters, you might be able to find a Hyosung 650 for less than the Zuke. The GT650 uses an engine that is very similar to that of the SV650. 2010 and newer models are injected, the 650R looks like a gixxer, they GT 650 is a naked bike, and they have a new model for 2011 the 650S, which looks a lot like the SV650-S.

I have found a comparison article between an ’05 GT650R and an ’03 SV650-S here: http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/hyosung-gt650-vs-suzuki-sv650-14284.html The ’05 model wasn’t injected, but all of their new models are.

Hyosung has been around for 30(ish) years and they have been making scooters and motorcycles for years, but have just recently entered the ‘world’ market. They are making big improvements to most of their models every year. Don’t know how the market share is up there is Canada, or availability, but here in Oregon, every time I check they’ve picked up another dealership.

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