Thursday, January 19, 2006
Operation: Motorcyle, part 3
After another day of 'cycle browsing, the Suzuki SV650 has emerged at the top of the running for my first bike. It's such a deal, in fact, that I'm wondering what the catch is. Going to go check it out more thoroughly this weekend, I think. Plus there's a motorcycle show at the Javitz center that my dad and I might go to. If only the weather were nicer I'd be inches away from owning a bike any day now. Alas.
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20 comments:
why don't you get an old used one that you can fix up? Chicks dig that sheeyit.
Because that would require effort, commitment, and time.
Actually, we have been looking at older, "pre-owned" motorcycles and some fixer uppers. But I'd generally rather not spend my time working on a bike. My friend Zach, in high school, had a fixer upper, which I would sometimes help him with. It was alright but not really for me. And much as chicks might dig greasy hands, I wonder how many of them outgrew the blue collar romance of sitting around all weekend watching their man fix an engine once they graduated high school. We'll see what happens though. It's not out of the question.
I hear that - about not wanting to wait around while Mr Blue Collar fixes the bike. But you'd get major props for being able to fix/repair something on the side of the road.
Have you looked at Harley's?
What color are you going to get? I like the yellow.
http://www.sportbikez.net/picture/12422
Can I get a ride on your bike?
I've been wanting a motorcycle for quite a few years now, but never seem to go and get one. In the city, it is dangerous (but not as dangerous as the crowded suburbs where no one is looking at the road), but very fast, efficient transportation. Parking is easy, too.
It's true, being able to fix something on the side of the road is mega manly points. There's nothing lamer than a guy calling AAA to fix a freakin' flat. So I plan to learn a basic minimum of maintenance: fluids, chain, and whatever else is owner accessible. (As a side note, did you know Eagle Scouts learn all about automobile maintenance? Those guys really are prepared for anything.)
Found a deal on a used Kawasaki Z1000, which is bigger and more crotch rockety than is my preferred style, but the price is right and the engine is big enough to grow into (whereas the common wisdom on motorcycles says I'll want to sell the 650 pretty much as soon as I learn to actually ride it). The bike is a semi-nasty orange color, though. And if I buy it I'll be putting a baby-on-board thingy on the back, and a sticker that says my other car is a flying saucer.
Anyone who doesn't mind risking his or her life is welcome to a ride. You'll have to sign a waiver though. You'll also have to wait in line; the list of girls who want on is impressively long. (Like my johnson.)
crumbolst: just fyi: I've seen some used Hondas in excellent condition for under $4000. Not pocket change, but you can finance that for like $80 a month over 60 months (which is tempting but also a frightening amount of commitment). Most of the Hondas don't have fuel injection, so you need to adjust the carburetors and all that stuff yourself from time to time, which you'll look cool doing out in front of your condo. Most of them are big-ass heavy cruiser types, too, so you can fit your woman on the back.
That's bullshit about a 650 being "not enough" bike for non-beginners. An SV650 would kick the crap out of yesteryear's literbikes, and a good rider would have no trouble keeping up with a squid on a Z1000 (which is a very good bike, btw).
If you wanna ask me anything about motorcycle training, ownership, maintenance, etc. just shoot me an email. I've owned 7 bikes over the past 14 years, and have many thousands of miles under my belt, with a good layer of beer belly to keep those miles warm.
And yes I ride an SV650.
freecat!
I hear a good beer gut is the most important part of 'bike ownership, so I'll trust your wisdom. I'm getting bombarded with 'bike info right now and it's hard to tell up from down, but I'll likely send you an email after I learn more. And you've renewed my interest in the SV650. Thanks!
freecat! Holy shite. A blast from the past.
Gnomonous (from my MAF days)
Holy crap, now I have another blog to read!
Gnomonous, grundel, mustapha, etc. -- those were the days.
Since we're all still here, I'll ask a question: Is it true that the Z1000 is not a good bike to learn on? Someone told me they only have good control at high RPM, so learning on them is hard/dangerous.
What strange information you're getting. Who are you talking to, motorcycle salesmen? Opie and Anthony?
The Z1000 probably is a bad bike to learn on, because it is ridiculously powerful. Look at the 0-60 time, fer chrissakes. 3 seconds??? Yes anything that can smoke a Dodge Viper is probably not the best thing for a beginner. You can see time and space bending and flexing around you when you open the throttle on something like that.
It's probably much easier to control at low rpm than high rpm, because at high rpm you're likely to only have one wheel in contact with the pavement, and it's not the wheel most of us prefer to steer with. The rpm thing doesn't make any sense. What makes a bike easy to learn on is small size, low weight, and less power to get in trouble with. What makes a bike livable is comfort, good power, and as little weight as possible once the first two criteria are fulfilled (Try backing an 800 pound bike out of an uphill parking space).
More than anything, more power magnifies mistakes.
I've been getting my info from teh Intraweb -- how can it possibly be unreliable?
The fast acceleration was my first concern, but I'm told (perhaps wrongly, ahem) even a beginner can "just say no to accelerating like a maniac" as long as he's not a total idiot. But I don't know how hair-trigger the throttle is on one of these bikes.
I'm gonna try to find an SV650 to look at this weekend. So far, none of the dealers I've been to have one built, which is annoying, but it's quad/snowmopbile season, so that's the way it goes.
Yes, anyone can just say no to insane accelleration. That's generally true.
But on the other hand, the first time I rode a 1000cc sportbike I did no fewer than two unintentional wheelies, both bigger than any I've done deliberately.
Also, it's not just accelleration. It's very easy to get used to the speed, and find yourself way, way, way too hot going into a corner. Or maybe looking down at your speedometer to see you've been going 120 in a 45, then looking up and seeing a red light 60 feet in front of you. The beauty of many modern bikes is that they are smooth, solid, and comfortable at ridiculously high speeds. The problem is that the rest of the world isn't moving so fast.
In many other ways, a Z1000 is easy to ride. You certainly won't have to shift gears as much, or concentrate on rpms while cornering, etc.
As for SVs, I'm a little surprised that there aren't any '05s left on showroom floors or occasional used ones in dealers. But that might explain why I get offers for mine every time I take mine to the shop. Amateur racers must still be buying up all the used ones. You can get all kinds of info on svrider.com
There actually aren't a lot of places to buy motorcycles around here, probably 'cause in a good year you only get a few months of riding. There's like one dealership per brand within about an hours drive of me. And you don't see a lot of used motorcycles at the used car lots. Thus, not a lot of places to see an SV650.
Based on the specs, the SV650 is my first choice. But the used Z1000 is only about $300 more (maybe less, since there was talk of throwing in a helmet and gloves), only has 1200 miles on it, and has had a number of cool (seeming) upgrades done to it (all this crazy carbon fiber stuff that, for all I know is useless, but it looks pretty sweet, and I think it has a new exhaust of some sort). So I keep weighing the pros of getting a pretty sweet bike at an excellent price, against my need to learn to ride it without killing myself.
When are you looking to buy? The weather won't be consistently decent until the second half of April. As someone who's sold a few bikes I can say that a lot of people don't bother to list bikes for sale until Spring. If you can be patient, I guarrantee a good used SV650 (several, probably) will turn up in the tri-state area. I can keep an eye out for you.
I'm looking to buy sooner rather than later. There's a possibility I'll be moving to Cali around June, and I'd like to be a confident/competent rider by the time I get there.
Hmm.
I'm tempted to say mine is for sale, because I want a Triumph Scrambler. Of course, a Scrambler would be more expensive, slower, and less reliable than the SV. There's a tiny practical part of my brain that screams at me when I consider moves like that. Though I could always ride my other bike for a while...
So what does the guy want for the Z1000? $6300? Has it ever been wrecked? Raced? Stunted?
Blue book on an '04 is $6300, $5700-ish for an '03. Is it really such a deal, or just the going rate? Actually, the KBB value is dealer retail, it's likely that individual sale prices would be a tiny bit lower.
I wonder how much a dealer would love to make a sale in the dead of winter. That's probably only worth a few hundred bucks at most anyway.
It's an '05, and they're asking $6400, and I think throw in gloves and a helmet. (I just looked and the Suzuki site says the SV650 is $5,900, which is less than I remembered. Hmmm....)
The story behind it is that some guy having a midlife crisis came in after divorcing his wife and insisted on having it. He tricked it out a bit, put 1200 miles on it, then decided it wasn't for him. As far as I know it's never been wrecked, raced, or other, but I didn't ask specifically.
My dad is looking at Triumphs, btw. They're really nice bikes from what we've seen. Outside my price range, unfortunately.
You're gonna hate me for suggesting more options, but you really should also check out the Vulcan 500
http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/vulcan-500-ltd.php
Similar to the Rebel 250 in a lot of ways, but with adequate power for a grown man doing freeway/expressway riding.
Just a thought.
I actually just saw one of those in a showroom this morning. They look good. And cheaper is always better.
I'm going do post an update, so we can continue comments above.
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