[JtownJJA]

Welcome to BBM. I enjoyed that video on the Aprilia. I had seen articles about it but hadn’t given it much thought. After seeing the review, I would consider it, although I would hate to see the price tag. The riding position and shape of the bike reminds me of the Kawasaki ER-6n.

[JtownJJA]

I’ve had my Suzuki GS500F for 2 months now, and I’ve added almost 1,000 miles on it. I wish it could be more, but I’ve been away from home 2 weeks of that time, and I’ve got a family of 4 to transport most places, which requires taking the cage. I haven’t been on any group rides yet, but I’m trying to organize one for this fall with two of my friends.
Although each ride feels more confident and comfortable, I’m still very much a beginner. I’ve ridden to work in Columbus a few times, and I’ve had several short trips into Johnstown, but no major long trips yet.

[JtownJJA]

Congratulations! It looks Awesome! I’m not sure if you passed a rabbit car or rabbit animal, but it reminds me of a few weeks ago when I was riding down our country road and I just happened to see this little mouse come running across the road heading straight for my tires. I didn’t feel anything hit, but as he was running, I was thinking “Nooooooo!”. Keep an eye out for kamakaze wildlife and enjoy the FZ6R!

[JtownJJA]

I’m looking forward to seeing pictures. I looked at the FZ6R and liked it a lot, but decided against it because of the higher price, and since it is so new, there are not any used ones out there. Also, being a complete beginner with no experience at all, I decided to stick with a 500 or less.
The first ride is really exciting! Enjoy, and ride safe.

[JtownJJA]

Have fun at the BRC. It is really exciting. Out of 8 people in my class, all of us passed, so odds are, you will, too. Looking forward to the Ninja pictures. (My grandmother lived in Knoxville, until my grandfather snatched her away and brought her up to Ohio many years ago.)

[JtownJJA]

You’re ahead of me. It tooke me quite a while to figure out how to get my bike on the center stand. Thanks to gstwin.com, I was finally able to accomplish that, and now it is quite easy. I’ve also got through 1 chain clean and lube. I guess the oil change would be my next big thing.

[JtownJJA]

Progressive AND the GS500F both get my vote. Oh wait, that’s what and who I have.

I was a good customer of Progressive for several years with my auto policies before I just recently added the motorcycle policy. They gave me a great rate with several discounts. No one else came close. And I think the GS500F fits the description of what you are looking for. For a sporty type bike, it is relatively inexpensive to insure.

[JtownJJA]

Welcome to the forum. By what I’ve read of your comments so far, I think you’ll be a great addition to the group! (Sorry to see they’ve cubed your bike, though.)

[JtownJJA]

Isn’t the two-finger wave supposed to go along with the two-wheels, as in “Hey, we have something in common. We ride a two-wheeled vehicle instead of the 4-wheelers everyone else around us is driving”. At least that’s what I read when I was trying to figure this all out. Of course there’s “The Californian” wave, as shown in the BBM article “Motorcycle Hand Signals”. It’s pretty cool, but not for beginners.

[JtownJJA]

I was out there on Buell’s website last night and I just happen to see all this as well. Very weird way of announcing that they are going to stop producing the Blast model. They don’t come out and say it, they just say that the new 2010 model comes in a crunched up cube. I was very surprised by it all, especially in how it was conveyed. Good way to say it Eon, “seems like they are trashing themselves.”
While the Blast did get my attention a few times when I was shopping for my first bike, I will say that I don’t think I ever seriously considered it. I am starting to look at some of their other models, though, as a second bike, but that will be a long way off.

[JtownJJA]

I agree. Before I got into Suzuki’s 500, I was into the Ninja 500R myself. This was definitely my favorite color option!!

[JtownJJA]

I’ve sat on the ER-6n as well and liked how it felt. Perfect height and the sitting position just feels comfortable. I was concerned, too, about the wind, and the fact that it is so new there aren’t many used ones out there. In addition to the Ninja 500, there’s always the Suzuki GS500F. (There I go selling people on my choice again.

[JtownJJA]

I was just reading all the comments above last night about riding in the rain, and then I woke up this morning ready to ride to work. We’ve had rain, or threats of rain all week, and I was anxious to get out on the GS500F since we finally had a sunny day ahead, not to mention it was Friday. Unfortunately, we had a thick, heavy fog this morning. I got less than a mile down the road and my visor was fogging up real quick, on the inside and outside. I tried opening all the vents, but that didn’t help. Then I opened up the visor, hoping that would take care of it, then my glasses started fogging up. The fog was so thick, it was like a light rain hitting the outside of my glasses. What a disappointment. I ended up turning around and going back home to drive the cage in to work. If only it were about an hour or so later. If only I had been prepared. If only that fog had waited to come along on Saturday. Any additional tips for foggy mornings? Despite the sunny outlook for the day, I noticed there were not as many bikes on the road as I would have thought there would be. The fog must have ruined a lot of other peoples mornings as well.

[JtownJJA]

That was great. My kids and I like to dance around to “Cotton Eyed Joe”.

[JtownJJA]

My GS500F has worked out great for me. I had NO riding experience at all on motorcycles except for the MSF BRC. I had some bicycle experience, and I also drive a 5-speed manual transmission car, so the shifting gears part came easy to me. I had considered a Ninja 250, but thought a 500 would do better for me on the freeway on the way to work in Columbus. My first ride really didn’t seem all that different from the Honda Nighthawk that I had in the beginners course, except I finally didn’t have any problems finding neutral. I also live on a country road that is straight and flat, so I had a great place to do some practicing before I hit the city traffic. Of course, you have to choose what is right for you. Until you buy, sitting on them at the store is lots of fun.

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