Forum Replies Created
The “Five to Survive” Rule & Why You Should Use It
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samgoodyParticipant
In places like Canada, the US, and Europe, I would imagine that it would sell pretty quickly. The reasons, as stated by so many on this forum and elsewhere, are mainly because there are lots of beginners looking for a cheap used bike to start on, and plenty of seasoned commuters looking for an economical mount.
I live in Saudi Arabia, and I’ve been scanning the used ads for months. Until now I haven’t seen any used 250cc or 500cc bikes. All I can find are 600cc+ inline-4 supersport bikes and big bore 800cc+ v-twin cruisers. Only recently has the Kawasaki dealership here begun to offer the new Ninja 250R, and it’s not selling in any great numbers. The Suzuki dealership here dropped the GS500F from their lineup, also probably because it wasn’t selling well. Even a bike like the 650cc Versys doesn’t sell well here because it doesn’t conform to what the majority of buyers buy. As a result, the resale value of “beginner” bikes here is poor.
It takes a long time to move a bike here primarily because by law the buyer needs to have a motorcycle endorsement on their license in order to be able to make the purchase. You can’t buy a bike before you have a license because there is no such thing as a “learner’s permit”. The result is that the market for your used motorcycle here is limited, and that market tends not to want the smaller sized machines.
I’ll admit that I’m a bit jealous of you Westerners because things are easier for you in terms purchasing, selling, and getting lessons on how to ride.
Matt, it looks like you enjoyed riding the ZZR-250. May your new SV650 give you many thousands of km’s of safe and fun riding.
samgoodyParticipantFor me, the best looking cruiser type bike was the Harley Nightster, and I’ve got to say that this looks even better than the Nightster. I like the fact that the chrome has been kept to a minimum. In combination with the black paint it has a very menacing “badass” look, and works very well with those skulls you’ve got on it. I also noticed the skull on the front healamp. Is that etched into the lens?
samgoodyParticipantThe F800 bikes are still quite expensive, especially if you have an unscrupulous dealership where you live. The dealer where I live imports them with most of the electronic goodies already installed – ABS brakes, trip computer, etc. They even go to the trouble of including heated handgrips, which are of little practical use in a country like Saudi Arabia. All for a neat price of nearly US $14,150 according to the latest exchange rates (and it’s probably gone up in the last four months since I’ve been to that dealership). I’m quite sure the K bike will be retailing for quite a bit more than the 14 grand that Sangria7 suggested.
samgoodyParticipantI must have missed that part of the specs. I thought the only street legal bike that had any kind of traction control was the Ducati 1098 and 1198 superbikes. The Bimmer does have the other electronic goodies, though.
It’s a nice bike, I can tell you that much. I sat on one at the BMW stealership here, and it feels every bit of its 211kg (465lb) dry weight. The seating position is comfortable, but you’re leaning forward a bit and your knees are a bit higher up than most naked bikes. It’s not a supersport bum-up-in-the-air posture, but just a bit on the aggressive side of upright. Fit and finish is top notch. This is one bike I would like to ride (in the semi-distant future).
The bike has been superseded by the K1300 R for the 2009, which makes even more power and torque (173bhp and 103ftlb. for the 1300 vs. 167bhp and 94ftlb. for the 1200). These aren’t beginner friendly numbers.
A pic of the K1300R:
samgoodyParticipantWhat’s the best way to deal with aggressive drivers coming at you from behind? I live in a country where the speed limit is a rather generous 120kph (75mph) on the freeways. Traffic tends to go at an average speed of 85mph, and it’s not uncommon to see speeds in the fast lane between 95 and 110mph. (On occasion, I’ve even been overtaken by tour buses and 18-wheeler trucks going 10 to 20mph over the speed limit). Add to that the fact that cage drivers here are mostly on the aggressive side; they tend to follow really close and don’t allow for safe distances between vehicles. (Elwood, is there any way we can include the whole of Saudi Arabia in the “traffic sucks” listings you mentioned? I’m sure it would come out on top!).
I can deal with a person ahead of me trying to cut me off by slowing down and staying out of their blind spots. The question is how can I deal with an aggressive driver going so fast and coming up behind me?
samgoodyParticipantPerhaps the following link may be helpful in explaining more about how wheelies are done (and how to get down from one). Just read the section on “basic sit-down” wheelies; the rest of the article will only be of interest if you have any aspirations of becoming a professional stunt rider.
http://www.superstreetbike.com/stunt_howto/030_0312_how_wheelie_trick_street_bike/index.html
samgoodyParticipantThe styling of the Kung-Fu 250 is a direct rip-off of the BMW F650CS motorcycle, which also had grab handles on the tank. (click here for a pic of the Bimmer). Don’t know why they would want to rip off that design since it’s one of the ugliest bikes known to man in my opinion.
samgoodyParticipantHow mechanically inclined do I need to become? Can I get by with just regularly shceduled oil/filter changes, or must I go any deeper than that? Perhaps I will need to ship the bike back the dealer for the first maintenance after the break-in period, and then get by with just oil and filter changes?
Thanks for pointing out the issue with the service record of the bike, I almost forgot about it. You’re right, it’s better for a first motorcycle to be low maintenance.
Edit: I forgot to mention that I will most likely be buying new. In this country, finding a used bike that is suitable for a beginning rider is an almost impossible task. To further add to my dilemma, bikes like the GS500 and Ninja 250 will be difficult to sell on when I’m ready to upgrade because there is virtually no demand for these sorts of bikes. (Sigh). I tossed about the idea of a Sportster because of the above factors, but the weight of the bike and the concerns about reliability have me thinking twice.
samgoodyParticipantSpeaking of skills they don’t cover, I’d like to add to that list the following two skills:
1. The “Kiyonari fishtail” – how to drift the back end in extremely wet conditions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZk1M7g24
2. The “Valentino Rossi salute” – how to flip people off while putting a knee down in a corner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LqxSPacPRM
November 9, 2008 at 6:02 pm in reply to: favourite bikes (OMG someone lock away my credit cards !!!!) #14717samgoodyParticipantKTM Superduke R
and MV Agusta Brutale
samgoodyParticipantI don’t know much about oil or maintenance in general. Perhaps I need to read more about that stuff. LOL, when I get my car serviced I don’t even think about the weight or whether it’s 10w40 or anything else, I just have the oild and filter changed! My guess is that car oils here are geared more towards extreme heat, so perhaps they are relatively heavy oils? I guess I’ll have to consult the dealership/service manual when I get a bike and see what weight of oil is acceptable.
samgoodyParticipantI’d be really grateful if someone could invnet water-cooled clothing for this kind of heat.
samgoodyParticipantThanks for the advice CityHunter. Shaft drive sounds like it could be nice. I was also considering belt drive. In this country, though, shaft drive means it will have to be a BMW. Belt drive means it has to be a Harley. I’m pretty sure Honda don’t bring the model you mentioned here because all I could see in the showrrom the last time I went there was the CBR repli-racers, the behemoth Goldwing, and some offroad bikes. Not much of a selection, I’m afraid to say. Thanks for the heads-up regarding the service manual, though.
samgoodyParticipantThanks for the info Matt. Unfortunately, everything motorcycle related is three-hours away. That said, I am planning to buy the gear and take a course first, and then make a decision on purchasing a bike. At the moment I am still in the research stage and I’m taking my time to learn as much as I can about motorcycles and riding.
I live in Saudi Arabia in a town called Yanbu. It’s an industrial town on the Red Sea coast. The city where I need to go to get all the above is called Jeddah, and it is the largest trading port in the country. Being that I live here I guess the odds are stacked higher against me than they would be in most Western countries. No MSF courses, unfortunately. I’m not really sure what the degree of professionalism there is in the training here, but it’s probably better than getting instruction from friends.
Since I live so far away from all the bike shops, I have to consider ease of maintenance when shopping for a bike. Having said that, it’s not my only criteria for selecting a motorcycle. I do consider it an important point, though, because it is part of the safety of the rider – in addition to the proper gear and safe riding habits, of course.
As far as water cooling vs. air cooling, I’m not sure that water cooling is a bad idea, especially considering the extreme heat that we have here. During the hottest period of the year (we don’t have a “summer” in the traditional sense) it can get up into the mid 40Cs (we’ve had 50C days on occasion). I’m guessing that I would have to watch the engine temperature with air cooled bikes more than I would with water cooled ones, or am I wrong?
samgoodyParticipantThank you for the encouragement. Seems like spring will be an exciting time for you. Good luck!
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