[nau_lax21]

sounds like you made the right choice, and 250s really hold their resale value so you shouldnt be out too much when youre on the r6 full time

[nau_lax21]

I’m thinking that it just might have been steam coming off the radiator. If you’re sure that the smell is coming from your bike it might be something that a mechanic needs to look at

[nau_lax21]

I financed mine through the bank

[nau_lax21]

thats one clean looking nighthawk

[nau_lax21]

my bike doesn’t have a steering wheel, guess i cheaped out a little. i do lock my handlebars every time i get off the bike though

[nau_lax21]

i was originally looking for an 08 250r and couldnt find one anywhere <$5000. they all ended up being 5500ish, i ended up getting a new (07) gs500f instead. now the msrp is $500 higher than last year, if you can grab one for under 5k id take it in a heartbeat

[nau_lax21]

i think you definitely need to be in great shape to ride. if you really want to be adequately safe on a bike… you need to be able to win a foot race with housain bolt and then kick kimbo slices ass.

nah, some general body strength for sure helps. upper body and core strength will help you with control of the bike and leg strength can for sure help if youre about to drop the bike.

you described yourself as “overweight,” i think if youre not in shape it would be better to be overweight then twigly skinny with no body strength.

and look at those cruiser guys, theres a good number of them who dont seem to care too much about fitness (no offense)

if i were you i wouldnt worry too much about it, just work on developing good skills. a smart rider is much better than a physically fit rider

[nau_lax21]

Maybe I take too relaxed an approach about visibility, but during the daytime, im on a dark bike with black gear. i do flash the brake lights when someones coming up behind me at an intersection. i do ride pretty defensively in general, and i feel most of the time i can bail myself out of trouble should it come my way.

one big thing about visibility, i wear one of these at night:

http://www.thehelmetcenter.com/Icon-Mil-Spec-Mesh-Vest-FB-Yellow-p-18497.html

it does wonders for visibility, just looks goofy as hell when youre not on the bike

[nau_lax21]

if that is the case, are problems like this normal… especially with so few miles on the bike??

[nau_lax21]

yea sorry if i misstated that. i bought it brand new. it now has 532mi on it. and no i havent changed anything… its all stock and nothings been adjusted

[nau_lax21]

i really doubt 38mpg on the ninja 500. i wont argue that fuel injection definitely gets better gas mileage than the same bike would with a carburetor, but my gs500f has a carburetor and it is for sure getting over 50mpg.

[nau_lax21]

if the helmet cant handle a fedex trip in a cardboard box, im not sure i trust it protecting my head!

[nau_lax21]

Ive got two red flags that let me know im riding and i shouldnt be.

1. i see a car right behind me and i have no idea how long its been there or how fast it got to me
2. ive got the mental ipod running at full blast, and i can almost hear every note and word in a song, thats the big warning for me… that my head is out of riding, time to focus and get to where ever i need to be going

[nau_lax21]

right now my only way to get around is the gs500f. im in college and never really need to carry anything i cant fit in a backpack. throw in gas savings and $100/year parking and $600/year parking for a car and it really doesnt make sense for me to have a car right now

[nau_lax21]

I would say AT LEAST a year of manual transmission car experience before you hop on a bike.

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