[SantaCruzRider]

My bike came with a radio mounted in the left fairing (occupied 1 of 2 glove boxes). I pull it and the amp that lived under the seat and tossed them.
I left the dash speakers. If I ever go on a cross-country trip, maybe I’ll hook them to an Ipod and amp. For now, I’m good with the soulful tones of Kawasaki.
But in the car, radio is always on.

[SantaCruzRider]

Great choice. You’ll be glad you took your time finding the right bike.
Congrats

[SantaCruzRider]

Long-term reports I’ve seen put it in the 38 mpg range. I had a buddy with a Magna, and he had to stop every 140 miles or so to refuel (and I think that was using reserve).

Are you sure your speedo isn’t off (typical of lots of bikes)?

Low 50s would put you into the 883 Sportster range, the supposed mpg champ in terms of middle-wt cruisers.

What’s your secret to the awesomely high mileage? Cough it up so I can implement it on my bike too!

[SantaCruzRider]

Can’t argue with what you like or don’t like about shifting — though I mirror the sentiments that you pretty quickly learn how to handle it.
Your choice of bike can also reduce the amount of shifting you HAVE to do. Some have much broader power bands than others and can handle a broader range of speeds in a single gear (though nearly all require you to get out of first to reach even city traffic speeds).
You mention starting with a 50cc scooter. That’s probably smart. After a few months you’ll have a better sense of whether you can to add the complexity of shifting. And unless gas prices hit $4 again this summer, you may find some lightly used scooters for sale by all the would-be riders who panicked and bought one last year.

[SantaCruzRider]

Wet clutch can start getting sticky when the oil is worn. First fix might be just to change the oil and see if it helps. Beyond that, it could be everything from clutch spring getting too tight to warped friction plates (usually only happens with someone who is riding the clutch stunting) –doesn’t sound like you.

[SantaCruzRider]

Does a blind-date bike ride with a woman who turned out to have a jealous not-quite-ex biker husband and two kids at home count?
Actually, the ride was cool. But the aftermath was not for the faint of heart!!! )

[SantaCruzRider]

I got my leather jacket, overpants and gloves onlne (newenough.com and motorcycle-superstore). They were all on closeout and less than half retail. Some of the sites give pretty detailed sizing advice, such as whether certain jackets run small in the waist or if you like a certain fit, go up a size. I found this very helpful, but I have a fairly average build — some folks may be harder to fit or constantly between sizes.

For helmets, I think you have to wear it around for a while. And if I’m going to use a local shop for sizing, I’ll do my best to give them my $$ — so I bought local.

[SantaCruzRider]

It’s a Kawi Concours 1000, classified as a sport-tourer.
I’ve ridden the Magna before and like it a lot. I came very close to buying one when they first came out in ’94 and then again more recently on the used market. Great looking bike with more than enough power.
Just teasing about the horizon job. The bike’s capable, but I’m too lazy. I tend to ride in the lower RPMs most of the time and rarely get too far north of 80 (which is usually keeping up with traffic).

[SantaCruzRider]

Personally, I love the look of some ’80s bike. Not that I have the spare time or resources needed to ride/maintain one, but I like the muscular, spare, no-frills but lots-of-options look of the ’80s bikes.
My bike is a mid-90s, but the design is little changed from it’s introduction in the 1986.

I suspect that Elwood and Clay’s issues with the ’80s-look is because the only glimpse they get is a brief shot at the tail as this 80s bike pulls a horizon-job on them — LOL.

[SantaCruzRider]

From the info provided, those prices seem a bit high. You also need to be more specific about the bike that was “dropped”. There’s stoplight and garage drop (usually results in bent/broken turn signals, gashes on mirrors and fairings etc…) and then there is dropped at speed where all kinds of nasty but not always easily detectable stuff happens. The former can be good for dropping price without hurting rideability, the later should be avoided at all cost by anyone lacking serious mechanical and/or bike inspection skills.
Tell us where you are and maybe someone can share some local info.
BTW: I bought my current bike used and the search took about 4 months (my wife claims it was 8 months, but the first half was ‘research’).

[SantaCruzRider]

This is why I try not to hang with the scooter crowd. They seem nice enough at first, but they are obviously a little twisted.

[SantaCruzRider]

Oil and grime build up on the roadway during dry periods (in Cali, that’s typically May-November). Then the first big rain saturates the road, lifts out all that oil and washes it away. While that’s happening, the roads are at their slickest.

According to Hough’s “Proficient Motorcycling,” it takes about a half hour of heavy downpour to wash away the accumulated oil.

Personally, I skip riding on the first rain day following a dry spell. I don’t have proof, but it seems like drivers lose all sense on those first days and there are more crashes.

[SantaCruzRider]

25 years is getting pretty old for a bike. Regardless of miles, just about every rubber bushing and gasket can start to crack, leak and otherwise cause problems. It’s not completely unmanageable if you can find parts and like to tinker — just something to think about.

That said, I ride a 15-yr-old bike (w 43K miles) and have been lucky to have had no issues. But the bike went virtually unchanged until 2004, so parts shouldn’t be a problem when the need arises. Not sure if that’s true with the 550.

Can’t really weigh in on whether this bike is right for you — but 65hp is alot for this size bike. At the time, that was big-bike hp packed into a 550 package.

You’re not alone on feeling unstable at low speed, stops and tight turns. All bikes become stable at speed and it requires effort to alter that stability (such as forcing a turn at speed). The opposite become true as you come to a stop.

[SantaCruzRider]

I agree with Dagger that the FZ6R isn’t a great starter bike, and the YZF600R even less so.

[SantaCruzRider]

If you haven’t already checked Cycle Gear, there are stores in Redwood City and San Jose. Good selection of helmets and you can spend a all afternoon trying them on. I bought my helmet there and was happy with the price.
I have no affiliation, but just got a flier that they are having a sale Feb. 5 from 7-9 p.m. Might be worth a stop.

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