[madjak30]

But in the event that the Ninja doesn’t fit, maybe look at dual sport or supermoto bikes…if you are riding in the city mostly, the 250cc bikes will be a blast…light, manouverable, very fuel efficient…but if you are hitting the hiway, look more at the 400-650cc (single cyl) dual sports/supermoto…I’m only suggesting these because of your height, and they tend to have seat heights of 33-35″…

Good luck and spend a lot of time sitting on the bikes at the dealers…sit on every bike more than once and for as long as you can (most saddles are comfortable for 10mins…but you will be on you bike for 30mins or more most times).

Later.

[madjak30]

but keeping a secret like that from your girlfriend…well you’re on your own with that one…

Just one tip…buy a used bike first (preferably with a scratch or two). You don’t want to be the first one to scratch up the bike, you’ll be pissed at yourself…save the pretty shiny one for a second or third bike…and remember you are not buying your only bike…you are buying your first bike…sensible first…then shiny and new later, after experience…

Later.

[madjak30]

1000 miles…yup, that’s about when I dropped my bike on a gravel road…I was getting pretty confident and thought I had figured out riding…and I think at around 3000 miles, I dropped it in my driveway…taking it off the center stand and I was standing on the uphill side of the bike…it tipped toward down hill and I couldn’t stop it (broke the signal lens that day…dammit)…I’m starting to realize that there is no end to the learning curve…it just isn’t as steep as you go along, but as soon as you think “I’ve got this…”, oops, something happens to snap you back to reality…

Just keep at it, the slow stuff is the hard part for everyone…anyone can ride a bike down the road at speed…the damn things pretty much do it themselves (except the awareness, avoidance…blah blah blah), it’s the balance at slow speeds and how “grabby” the brakes are when you are barely moving that takes practice and skill…and that is the stuff that people take for granted…

Later.

[madjak30]

My wife took our camera to work and left it in her desk for the weekend…so no ride pics…boo…

It rained on Sunday and started snowing Monday evening…now we have 5cm (2″) and counting…the temps are getting worse…damn…winter is here…

I took a pic of my bike looking out at the snow…not happenin….lol

It was cold when I took the pic…-15C (5F)…and I didn’t put on a coat to take the pics…sorry for the blurry one…

Later.

[madjak30]

5cm (2″) of snow this morning…

Then I took some pics when I got home from work…

Our daytime high was -9C (16F), and was dropping by the time I got home…yay, winter is here…bleh…

Global warming my ass!!

Later.

[madjak30]

Gusting wind, blowing snow, temps dropping like a rock…bleh…we are expecting 10cm (4″) of snow tonight…I’ll have to take a pic in the morning, should be pretty…sucks for riding though…time for tire replacement and start working on the Firebird again…sore bum is better than bloody knuckles, except you can have beer when scraping your knuckles…lol

Atleast I got a last ride in on Saturday…Nov 13th in Alberta, Canada…not too bad…

Later.

[madjak30]

Now that is ultimate balance and control…makes me want to get a dirt bike and play around on the trails to improve my riding…I know it’s not the same thing, but I don’t think I have that kind of balance. That was very cool, and I think he is a better rider on one wheel than I am no two…

Later.

[madjak30]

I think commuting is done for the season, but I will still try to get a ride in this weekend…it was -14C (7F) this morning, and it doesn’t sound like it will be getting any warmer anytime soon. The daytime highs are around 5C (41F), so mid-day rides are still an option…they are calling for snow all weekend though…

I have Thursday and Friday off this week, so I will be trying to get a ride in on Friday (Thursday is a busy day for me)…once the season is surely done, it is time for new rubber…I got over 9000kms (5625 miles) in this year…not too bad considering the unusually wet and cool weather that we had over the summer (it’s usually near drought in the summers here…prairies).

Later.

[madjak30]

I am currently riding a sport standard (GS500E), but I have tried a cruiser and liked it (Boulevard M50), dual sport bikes and enjoyed them (DR200S & Super Sherpa)…I haven’t tried an out right supersport, the riding position is a little tight for me but it would probably be a blast for 20-30mins…but I have also tried a bigger sport standard and liked it a lot (Bandit 1250S)…I think they all put a grin on your face for different reasons…only my budget is holding me back…lol

It’s really hard to choose when you can only afford one and you like them all…lol

I would say if you aren’t sure what you prefer, go with a standard type bike…they will be more versatile and be able to do a little of both worlds…

Good luck and happy shopping!!

Later.

[madjak30]

Take the bike for a 10-15min ride before you start…it will clean easier with a warm chain, and the lube will “soak in” better. Rab’s suggestion is a text book technique and is the proper way to perform a chain cleaning and lube…most guys I talk to use the WD-40 and spray lube technique…

I lube my chain every 1000kms (600miles) and at the end of the season I perform the clean and lube as per Rab…if you ride in rain or dirty/dusty conditions it is a good idea to perform the cleaning and the lube more frequently for obvious reasons…

Later.

[madjak30]

I’ll take the “global warming” thing now…it’s rare that we don’t have snow after Halloween, but I’ll take it. It was 10C (50F) last night for the trick-or-treaters, so quite nice for the kids and the parents who had to walk them around…this morning it had only cooled off to 1C (34F), so I rode into work…I got a couple of strange looks when I pulled up, but I don’t care…I’m ridin’…

It’s supposed to be nice like this all week, so atleast one more week of riding up here in the “Great White North”…

Later.

[madjak30]

We seem to be getting a lot more bikes imported over the last couple of years than you guys in the States…

Honda

CBR125R …

CBR250R…

CBF600SA…

Kawasaki Ninja 400R…

I don’t know if you are getting this one…it is basically a naked GSX-R750…

GSR750…

Later.

[madjak30]

Suzuki Savage LS650…30Hp ~ 30Lb/ft TQ

Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD…46Hp ~ 35Lb/ft TQ

I think the op was going by the cc’s as a measure of power…the other difference, the single (Savage) will run out of power when the revs go up, where the twin (Vulcan) will gain power with rpm.

Plus, IMHO, the Vulcan is a nicer looking bike…I think someone on here started out on a Vulcan 500 and is now on a Vulcan 900…Munch maybe?…not sure…I would think the twin would be a smoother engine than the single as well…just a guess though…owlie rides a S40 (Savage)…

I think any of them would be a good choice, but if you will be doing any hiway riding the Rebel might be a little small for the task…but if you are in the city 95%, the Rebel might be a better choice…they are a blast up to around 80kph (50mph) and quite “zippy”, after that they don’t have much left…but the fuel economy can’t be beat on the Rebel…

Later.

[madjak30]

Nice second bike…has the motor from the previous gen R6 supersport with a heavier crank and different cams to move the torque and Hp lower in the rpm range…good find…they are a standard riding style bike with a half faring for wind protection, nice upright position and decent leg room. You will still need to sit on it to get a feel for whether or not it will work for you. Is he willing to let you take it for a test ride?

I’m a firm believer in used market bikes…let someone else pay the depreciation…looks like it is in great shape (not really that old…)

Good luck!!

Later.

[madjak30]

the Ninja 650R is the ER-6f in Europe, “f” for faring…”n” for naked…the SV650 is taller than those bikes, but not as tall as the Versys…as long as you don’t get the SV650S, the riding postion is upright. The “S” has clip-ons and is more sporty like a gixxer (not as bad, but getting there)

If you are looking used, I would check the ZR7S…they are taller bikes with a half faring, similar to the Versys, but with a 750cc inline four. They are not a high powered bike, but have decent power and comfort. You could also look into the Bandit 650S, again a little older, but they had the same adjustable seat as the current Bandit 1250S…so they should accomodate your longer legs…you could also check the V-Strom DL650, they have the taller saddle and more comfortable seating position…but I think it is more than the Versys…??…but they have been on the market for a few years now, so you should be able to get a deal on a used one.

I don’t know if this was helpful or not, but…

Later.

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