Elaboration
Okay, to elaborate on what I was referring to in the last post.
The short and sweet version is that, barring disaster, this weekend I will be taking home this.
For those of you who like details, read onward.
I have wanted a motorcycle for a long, long time, but it started to become an acute desire sometime in the 1998-1999 period. During this time I was in South America as many of you may know, and a surprising number of people down there rely on two wheels for transportation over cars. It was that exposure that really piqued my interest. I read up on the subject, did some research, to the point where I pretty much knew what I was going to buy. Sometime in 2000, after I was home, I made my first attempt to buy one. Being young and naive and fresh into adulthood I figured I'd walk right in to a dealership and tell them what I wanted. Of course the salesman was happy to oblige, till he came back with the sad news - I didn't have enough credit to finance.
Figured I would just save up and buy one, but at the time the need for transportation was pretty weighty and as it goes, it's easier to get financing on a car. So I did. All the same I wasn't spending all my money so I was saving up on the side. It probably didn't help that a couple of guys where I worked drove some pretty sweet bikes (one guy drove around a GSX-R 750, the other guy I believe had a YZF R1). So yeah, the desire was there. I was going to go about it a little more thoughtfully though. I went and took a rider safety course and had a blast with that, and knew I still wanted to get one. Started perusing the want ads and went to check out my first used bike. I don't recall exactly the make/model but I believe it was a ~1996 Kawasaki ZX6-R that was in my price range. When I went to look I took my first test ride on a larger engine bike (the ones in the training course were 250s) and was slightly intimidated but had a blast. However I was just a little short on the funds, and the guy said he'd strike a deal and hold on to it till my next paycheck. His wife didn't realize he made the deal though .. and sold it to someone else in the meantime. D'oh!
I did go and look at a couple of others but wasn't terribly impressed with the condition of the bikes, particularly for what they were asking and didn't end up buying. About this time my dad convinced me to buy a house, which I did! Of course that killed any savings I had, and set me back to square one. By the time I might have saved up enough to consider shopping again, however, I was on my way to California. The next couple of years would see me bounce around the country and never really have much of a chance to stabilize my funds and save up for something like that. Of course I could keep my hopes up .. but no nothing panned out. I did flirt with the idea again when in Florida, where there are bikes a plenty and weather is lovely. However I opted for a car at the time, and again, never really saved up enough.
It's only been this last year or so that I have managed to settle down enough to stabilize my finances and get in a comfortable enough position to consider it. I started poking around and looking at possibilities the last month or two. Then I stumbled across this. 2001 Kawasaki ZX7-R with about 19K on the clock, which is reasonable. In terms of physical/cosmetic condition it's nearly pristine, has some scratches on one side but they are minor. Mechanically most of it is sound - has a new carburettor in it, new chain, tires are new. The engine produces a vibration that is not quite normal, however, and that's the reason why the guy is selling it for a song and a dance. I was a little hesitant at first about the possibility of buying a bike that would likely require looking at .. but the price is a steal. Even with NO motor the bike would be worth more than what he's asking. Hard to pass up on an offer like that.
Went down to take a look at it, pulled it out of the garage and looked it over to confirm it really was in nice shape. Started it up, I expected to hear some kind of frightening sounds or see it spewing smoke for the price he was asking, but aside from the slight vibration there wasn't a lot to complain about. Then he told me to take her out for a spin around the block. A little nervous again, as before .. this is the biggest bike I've ridden at 750cc, and it'd been a few years, but I got off to nearly a flawless start. No sputtering, no stalling, no problems. A little shaky around the first turn or two, took it a little wide but no big deal. I've read reviews that say this bike is solid and stable, and it really is, felt like it was turning itself! All the training from the classes I took came right back, too. Like riding a bicycle - you never really forget.
Sportbike enthusiasts might complain that she's heavy and a little lacking in the horespower department, but hey. No complaints from me. It's a big bike, but I'm a slightly bigger than average guy so that works out. The extra weight makes it feel so stable and easy in the corners. It's not so much kick to it that it feels squirelly or makes me worry about losing it, but it's definitely a powerful machine. A nice tug on the throttle and I could feel the weight shift and the front end try and pull up. Such a fucking rush! Other riders who are big on cruisers or choppers or the like will wag their fingers at me and say it's a silly thing, uncomfortable and unrefined. Truth be told it isn't the most comfortable ride, but these things aren't built for comfort. And I wasn't complaining. Hell, I was sold :)
So yes, barring disaster I'll be picking it up Friday or Saturday to take it back here. I'll likely do some light riding around the neighborhood for a while to make sure she's still running over the winter, but hold off on any serious riding until I've had a chance to "look under the hood" so to speak. I'd like to get some tools of my own and tinker around in there, see if I have any luck learning to work on it. Failing that by then I can just pay to have it serviced, and by the time prime riding season rolls around this spring, she should be running smooth and ready to go. I'm so stoked :)
Long wait .. but hopefully will be worth it in the end.
The short and sweet version is that, barring disaster, this weekend I will be taking home this.
For those of you who like details, read onward.
I have wanted a motorcycle for a long, long time, but it started to become an acute desire sometime in the 1998-1999 period. During this time I was in South America as many of you may know, and a surprising number of people down there rely on two wheels for transportation over cars. It was that exposure that really piqued my interest. I read up on the subject, did some research, to the point where I pretty much knew what I was going to buy. Sometime in 2000, after I was home, I made my first attempt to buy one. Being young and naive and fresh into adulthood I figured I'd walk right in to a dealership and tell them what I wanted. Of course the salesman was happy to oblige, till he came back with the sad news - I didn't have enough credit to finance.
Figured I would just save up and buy one, but at the time the need for transportation was pretty weighty and as it goes, it's easier to get financing on a car. So I did. All the same I wasn't spending all my money so I was saving up on the side. It probably didn't help that a couple of guys where I worked drove some pretty sweet bikes (one guy drove around a GSX-R 750, the other guy I believe had a YZF R1). So yeah, the desire was there. I was going to go about it a little more thoughtfully though. I went and took a rider safety course and had a blast with that, and knew I still wanted to get one. Started perusing the want ads and went to check out my first used bike. I don't recall exactly the make/model but I believe it was a ~1996 Kawasaki ZX6-R that was in my price range. When I went to look I took my first test ride on a larger engine bike (the ones in the training course were 250s) and was slightly intimidated but had a blast. However I was just a little short on the funds, and the guy said he'd strike a deal and hold on to it till my next paycheck. His wife didn't realize he made the deal though .. and sold it to someone else in the meantime. D'oh!
I did go and look at a couple of others but wasn't terribly impressed with the condition of the bikes, particularly for what they were asking and didn't end up buying. About this time my dad convinced me to buy a house, which I did! Of course that killed any savings I had, and set me back to square one. By the time I might have saved up enough to consider shopping again, however, I was on my way to California. The next couple of years would see me bounce around the country and never really have much of a chance to stabilize my funds and save up for something like that. Of course I could keep my hopes up .. but no nothing panned out. I did flirt with the idea again when in Florida, where there are bikes a plenty and weather is lovely. However I opted for a car at the time, and again, never really saved up enough.
It's only been this last year or so that I have managed to settle down enough to stabilize my finances and get in a comfortable enough position to consider it. I started poking around and looking at possibilities the last month or two. Then I stumbled across this. 2001 Kawasaki ZX7-R with about 19K on the clock, which is reasonable. In terms of physical/cosmetic condition it's nearly pristine, has some scratches on one side but they are minor. Mechanically most of it is sound - has a new carburettor in it, new chain, tires are new. The engine produces a vibration that is not quite normal, however, and that's the reason why the guy is selling it for a song and a dance. I was a little hesitant at first about the possibility of buying a bike that would likely require looking at .. but the price is a steal. Even with NO motor the bike would be worth more than what he's asking. Hard to pass up on an offer like that.
Went down to take a look at it, pulled it out of the garage and looked it over to confirm it really was in nice shape. Started it up, I expected to hear some kind of frightening sounds or see it spewing smoke for the price he was asking, but aside from the slight vibration there wasn't a lot to complain about. Then he told me to take her out for a spin around the block. A little nervous again, as before .. this is the biggest bike I've ridden at 750cc, and it'd been a few years, but I got off to nearly a flawless start. No sputtering, no stalling, no problems. A little shaky around the first turn or two, took it a little wide but no big deal. I've read reviews that say this bike is solid and stable, and it really is, felt like it was turning itself! All the training from the classes I took came right back, too. Like riding a bicycle - you never really forget.
Sportbike enthusiasts might complain that she's heavy and a little lacking in the horespower department, but hey. No complaints from me. It's a big bike, but I'm a slightly bigger than average guy so that works out. The extra weight makes it feel so stable and easy in the corners. It's not so much kick to it that it feels squirelly or makes me worry about losing it, but it's definitely a powerful machine. A nice tug on the throttle and I could feel the weight shift and the front end try and pull up. Such a fucking rush! Other riders who are big on cruisers or choppers or the like will wag their fingers at me and say it's a silly thing, uncomfortable and unrefined. Truth be told it isn't the most comfortable ride, but these things aren't built for comfort. And I wasn't complaining. Hell, I was sold :)
So yes, barring disaster I'll be picking it up Friday or Saturday to take it back here. I'll likely do some light riding around the neighborhood for a while to make sure she's still running over the winter, but hold off on any serious riding until I've had a chance to "look under the hood" so to speak. I'd like to get some tools of my own and tinker around in there, see if I have any luck learning to work on it. Failing that by then I can just pay to have it serviced, and by the time prime riding season rolls around this spring, she should be running smooth and ready to go. I'm so stoked :)
Long wait .. but hopefully will be worth it in the end.