[SantaCruzRider]

If you’re wishing your 535 is an 800, I wouldn’t think you’ll be satisfied with a 500. The 535 was a pretty powerful bike, so I’m skeptical of the idea that a new cruise with substantially the same size engine is going to be appreciably different.

I’d look at the S50, M50, Vulcan 900, as well as the Sporties.

[SantaCruzRider]

If you feel WOW from the SV6560, then that sounds like the right bike. You sound like you understand that you’re hopscotching over the 250 class-power, but in my experience, this is entirely manageable for many riders. It’s an awesome bike — which lead to what I think is it’s worst trait, it retains it’s value and is a relatively expensive used bike.

One note on the GS500 — that’s a really nice bike and used ones can often be picked up pretty cheap. Not sure about the gas smell, but it may have been an earlier spill. You definately are closer to engine smells on a bike, which is something many of us like.

[SantaCruzRider]

Yes, fairings are very expensive and surprisingly fragile. If you have a substantial drop with a sport bike, it’s not uncommon for the cost to repair the fairing back to original condition to top the value of the bike. This is what spawned the whole street-fighter/naked bike look — guys who got into “minor” wrecks that essentially totalled their bikes for insurance but still had a bike with a solid frame, engine, etc…

So the upside: Fairings won’t automatically self-destruct if you drop the bike at traffic light. Every drop is different, but often you’ll end up breaking a fairing mount or two or maybe getting a crack. You can fix alot of fairing (including Ninjas) with some ABS cement from the hardware store or melt a few of your kids Legos in acetone and you’re good to go). I’ve also seen fairings pulled back together with plastic ties. The bottomline is that these fixes all sit alot better on a bike you bought used.

As for vegan gear: I personally think that some of the synthetic gear is fantastic (but, I do chose to wear leather for my jacket because my local climate allows).

As Kell says, you’ll have to work a bit harder to ensure your helmet doesn’t have ANY leather. I know that even my cordura overpants have a couple leather patches in high wear areas.

As for buying used: In my limited experience, most bikes built in the last 10 or so years are sold for one of four reasons:
1. Rider dropping it a time or two and realizes this is not the romantic “cool” thing he/she envisioned.
2. The ride is moving on to something bigger or faster or just more appropriate
3. The bike was once loved and ridden, but priorities have change (new baby!) and now it’s sitting unsured
4. Buyer underestimate the cost of ownership (insurance, storage, etc…) and the wife (typically) wants it gone.

I’ve been lucky with used bikes. Recommend you find someone with a little bike knowledge, have them ride it, maybe think about taking to the local dealer for a check. It’s admittedly a risk, but you can save substantial $$.

Best of luck!

[SantaCruzRider]

Chris might have deserved a pass if he’d posted once, but the second posting really invites a bit of abuse

One small marketing tip: You’d look like this was more real and professional if the lead picture on your web site had you in some riding gear. Not necessarily full leathers, but the board shorts and T-shirt thing makes it look like this is just a very casual venture (which I’m assuming it’s not).

For additonal marketing suggestions, please log into my online site: http://www.yourmarketingexpert… (kidding).

Seriously, best of luck with the venture (and the suggestion about the picture as also genuine).

[SantaCruzRider]

IMO: there are several major factors that affect the rate.
1) Your age, gender and riding experience (not much you can do here)
2) Your bike — typically, the smaller the engine, the lower the rate
3) How much coverage do you need? You’re not getting a quote for comp, so it looks like the bike is paid for. Could you reduce the cost of Collision by either lowering the coverage or increasing the deductible? Note that this increases your risk/exposure, so it’s not necessarily the answer.
4) Then, as Kel said, get quotes from several companies. Geico worked for my requirements, but I don’t think there is one company that is the lowest in all circumstances.

[SantaCruzRider]

I’m thinking about making it my homepage!! HAHAHA

[SantaCruzRider]

I got all my gear at steep discount, because I like good gear and I’m super cheap.

Teknic leather jacket — $100 (marked down from $299) at New Enough
X-Speed helmet — $110 at Cycle Gear (seen same helmet for half that elsewhere — grrrrr)
PowerTrip leather gloves — $20 (marked down from $50) at New Enough
Fox Padded Overpants — $20 (marked down from $100) at MCSuperstore (nice thick cordura, but no knee pads)
Zip-up steel toe leather work boots — $25 (you got it — on sale) Big 5

All in, that’s about $275. The only place I feel like I compromised on safety is the pants, so I may resolve that this summer.

I also agree with Matt that good gear will often outlast your bike. If it wasn’t for the fact that the leather Harley jacket I bought in 1994 seemed to shrink a bit every year, I’d still be wearing it.

[SantaCruzRider]

My bike didn’t have tool kit (PO probably lost it ), so I built my own.
Basically, I kept track of all the tools it took to strip off the fairings (those go in), sized most of the bolts visible (those go in), made sure I had: 2 screwdriivers and one adjustable wrench for the odd case — and there you go. For fun, I added a small roll of electrical tape, about 10″ of duct tape and a few nylon ties. Another key item — small flashlight. (It will save you some night when something simple goes wrong and you’re trying to diagnose in the flash of headlights passing by — ARRRGGGGHHHH!).
I think I should also add a small tire plug kit, but haven’t yet.
BTW: This all fits in a 2″x4″x5″ case and weighs abotu 3lbs. For bigger repairs, I carry the big guns — a cell phone.

[SantaCruzRider]

Personally, I was a bit shocked how easy it was to get an MC license. Here’s my take on it:
STEP 1: Go to the DMV, take a lame written test, get 80% right and you’ve got a rider’s permit, aka license to crash on a motorcycle.
STEP 2: Practice during daylight hours, no passenger and not on the freeway. When you’re ready, go back to the DMV and take your riding test. If you pass, you’ve got a full license, aka license to crash on a motorcycle at night.
OPTIONAL STEP 3: If you don’t pass, it’s not red tape, it’s because you aren’t even close to being safe to turn lose on the streets. So pay your dues, take a safety class and you’re back to completing step 2.
The whole DMV process cost about $30 and took less time than some people spend nightly on this forum. Making it any easier would just drive up the MC accident stats and all our insurance rates.

[SantaCruzRider]

Oil changes, air filters, checking plug and such are easy and only require some basic tools. I like being able to do the basic stuff myself. It’s also allowed me time to inspect the rest of the engine for anything that looks amiss. This winter I ended up finding that one of the motor mounts had worked loose (bolt had no nut and was just jiggling around). It was a quick fix. I’m not sure a repair shop would have noticed unless they’d been paid to inspect the rest of the bike.

[SantaCruzRider]

It’s great that you’ve got a good dealer in your area. I’ve seen good and bad. But keep in mind that even the most well intentioned dealer is still there to sell you a bike — it may be the best one on his lot for you, but it’s still most likely focused on what he has in stock or can get his hands on.
One bit of advice: Don’t be rushed. Sit on lots of bikes — including a couple that may not be in your immediate sights (dual sports, a cruisers or two, maybe even something with 600ccs). Sitting on one will give you some perspective on how the 250 really fits.
Also, I’ve had great experience with used bike and would not be afraid of them. A bike that’s just a few years old can be just as reliable as a new one and there’s no issue getting parts/service for something that’s been built in the last 10+ years (I ride a ’94). As long as it hasn’t been crashed — and that’s usually pretty apparent — a used bike can be a real bargain and you can often sell a year or two later for close to what you paid.

[SantaCruzRider]

Have fun and keep practicing. Stalls happen, so don’t sweat it.
And while it’s always good to know what’s going on around you, don’t focus too much on the rear view. Those guys see you and will most likely take care of themselves. As best you can, keep your attention forward — that’s where most of the bad stuff comes from.

[SantaCruzRider]

So, no endorsement, no insurance, no place to park, no place to practice — but you’ve go the new bike in storage ready to go.

You’ve got the biking bug real bad. LOL

[SantaCruzRider]

If you’re planning to eventually ride with your passenger, neither of the Ninjas has the load capacity you need. The capacities vary a bit by year, but I think they are about 375lbs for the Ninja 250 and 419lbs for the 500 — that’s well below your combined weight of 450 lbs (which I assume does not include all your riding gear).
In light of that, I think you have two choices:
1. Go for the 500 and tell your girlfriend she can’t ride with you until she loses 31+ pounds, or
2. Start with either the 250 or 500, ride solo for a year or so to build skill and confidence, then start looking for a middle-weight sport tourer designed for your combined weights.

[SantaCruzRider]

I love that show — it’s always interesting to see urban myths put to scientific testing. And that’s great to know that red isn’t an issue with bulls. It will help ease my mind should I ever end up riding through unfenced-buffalo-farm country.

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