The Conservative Cave
Interests => Around the House & In the Garage => Topic started by: Tantal on July 03, 2008, 06:15:04 PM
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Alright fellas, I've always wanted a bike, but the idea was vetoed by the parental units as a kid. Once I got out of college and could actually afford one, I got married. The idea of a 2-wheeled conveyance with a motor was then promptly vetoed by Mrs. Tantal.......she has since come around and I am in the bike market.
I've got my eye on a nice 2003 Kawasaki Z1000. Low miles and a good deal. My question is, am I going to die on it? I'm a new rider; however, I'm older and have the discipline to keep my right hand out of it. Thoughts or suggestions?
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Ride defensively dude..... With all the cell phone usage, the drivers today are not paying attention at all.
p.s. not a bike guy. :-)
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Tantal,
I don't care how much you have ridden before. If you have not ridden for some time GET THEE TO A MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE! I ain't kiddin'. Run a search for your local course and go take it. It will be the best $125 - $150 you will spend.
Take is slow and easy, ride conservatively and have a good time! :cheersmate:
KC
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Go for it!
PS: We in the medical field refer to motorcycle riders as "organ donors" :-)
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Go for it!
PS: We in the medical field refer to motorcycle riders as "organ donors" :-)
You are mean. :evillaugh:
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Tantal,
I don't care how much you have ridden before. If you have not ridden for some time GET THEE TO A MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE! I ain't kiddin'. Run a search for your local course and go take it. It will be the best $125 - $150 you will spend.
Take is slow and easy, ride conservatively and have a good time! :cheersmate:
KC
That's a No Brainer! I plan on taking it ASAP, but with gas prices the way they are, they're all booked up for at least 2 months. My question is: is the Z1000 going to end up riding me instead of the other way around. It's basically a naked (and upright) ZX-9 that's been de-tuned to about 123 HP. I just don't want the front end coming up on me. I've had different advice from different people; however, some were salesmen and I suspect an ulterior motive. Some guys are saying "you can't handle that much bike", while others are saying "as long as you're cautious and keep your hand out of the throttle until you're more experienced, you'll be fine." Anyone have any experience with these bikes?
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Learning to ride a motorbike , on a Z1000 ; would be like learning to fly in a SR-71.
Remember it's a heavy bike with ooooodles of power, so if you're gonna start at the top (and not learn on a smaller less powerful machine) , take it real easy until you get used to it, and make sure you get some good leathers as they are great for retaining skin when skating down the asphalt at 60 mile an hour on your ass.
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No experience with those bikes, but my Dad and brothers rode bikes all over through Colorado, South Dakota, etc. They took my kids on some of the trips. There were never any accidents, not even close.
I'd worry a lot more about city driving, though...
I would advise buying all the leather gear and painting on a couple tattoos in strategic places, but you won't look intimidating on a Kawasaki anyway, so just drive defensively as Schade said. :-)
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Learning to ride a motorbike , on a Z1000 ; would be like learning to fly in a SR-71.
Remember it's a heavy bike with ooooodles of power, so if you're gonna start at the top (and not learn on a smaller less powerful machine) , take it real easy until you get used to it, and make sure you get some good leathers as they are great for retaining skin when skating down the asphalt at 60 mile an hour on your ass.
Most excellent advice. A Z1000 is a lot of bike for a novice regardless of the age of the rider.
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You're going to drop it.
That bike weighs a little less than 500 pounds. If you have little to no experience with a motorcycle, you WILL drop the damn thing. I dropped my Honda Shadow a couple times and put a big ding into the gas tank. Picking it back up isn't easy.
Also, I was riding on some wet pavement and the douchebag in front of me slammed on his brakes. I tried to slow down gently, but my bike slid out from under me and I ended up on the curb, sitting in the bushes. Of course, the illiterate landscapers didn't speak English and just stared at me like a couple of south-of-the-border retards and didn't offer to f***ing help.
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(http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff68/kayaktn/small_cb750c5.jpg)
1. Not a six-cylinder
2. Not a fuel-injected engine from a Kawasaki Ninja
3. Not 1000cc's
:-) (I kid)
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Sounds like fun!!
I've got a 1992 Honda 750 Nighthawk with 18K miles and it still runs like a dream. My house is only about 5 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and that size bike is perfect for a few hours of fun of rambling around in the mountains.
.
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Blood type?
Do you smoke?
Do you drink alcohol?
Have you ever used IV drugs?
Have you ever had sex with a prostitute?
Have you ever had a blood transfusion?
Have you ever lived in Great Britain?
:uhsure:
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Tantal,
You can handle it. Stay out of the throttle for a loooooong time. Take it easy and learn the bike in a parking lot or on some good deserted back roads. Use your head and you'll do just fine.
I ride about 15,000 miles per year and things happen but if you are overly cautious and truly try to expect the unexpected you'll be just fine. It is preferable to learn on a smaller bike but if you do that don't down size too much. I wouldn't go under 800cc because trying to resell it to upgrade is very difficult.
Have fun! Let me know when you are ready to ride and we'll make a trip.
KC
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A word of caution: animals (live and dead ones) are slick. :-)
I was riding home one day and a skunk was crossing the middle of the road. I ran over its tail and slid around like I hit an oil patch. That little booger was slippery!
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Get your self trained and get on down here. We'll go ride the hill country. This is one of my favorite spots right here.
(http://www.palmerrealestate.com/spa/910595622110_0_bg.jpg)
Let's Go!
KC
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Start smaller, work your way up. 1000cc's will bite you.
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1000 is a big bike, but I rode a 600 to school when I was 16...could pick it up by myself, too. I don't think a grown man would have a big problem with a 1000. You'll do fine, Tantal. (Believe me...if I could drive one, you'll do fine.) :-)
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Back in the day when I raced cars , I'd say to myself, now, I'm going to dirive a little off the edge and work my way up to the limit. Everyone tells me this, first drive a little slower than you know you can safely, then pick up the speed lap by lap.
Yes. I'd listen, but by the time the lap was half over, I'd be flat out as my skill level permitted. In a bike like that, I'd be flat out PDQ, and as a beginner, I'd be over my head too soon. WHAT A RUSH!!!!!! :cheersmate:, It is just the way men are made.
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Thanks for the advice everyone...........although I couldn't tell if morningAngel was giving me a medical questionnaire or screening me as a possible horizontal mambo partner. :-)
I thought about starting smaller, but it really comes down to money. I don't want to have to buy something small, then keep buying progressively bigger bikes as my skill level increases. I have a friend who's first bike was a ZX-7 Ninja. He had the dealership deliver it to his apartment since he didn'y even know how to ride it home. Every day he would push the bike from his apartment to the closed-down K-Mart next door. He taught himself to ride in the parking lot of the K-Mart. He eventually worked up the courage to take it around the block on the street. Then maybe to the store...to get a haircut....to the bank. Now he's downsized to a GSX-R600, but races it at the track a few times a year. I'm not in that big of a hurry, so I'll probably start off just like he did. If it takes me six months in parking lots and in my quiet subdivision to become competent on major roads, then so be it.
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Thanks for the advice everyone...........although I couldn't tell if morningAngel was giving me a medical questionnaire or screening me as a possible horizontal mambo partner. :-)
I thought about starting smaller, but it really comes down to money. I don't want to have to buy something small, then keep buying progressively bigger bikes as my skill level increases. I have a friend who's first bike was a ZX-7 Ninja. He had the dealership deliver it to his apartment since he didn'y even know how to ride it home. Every day he would push the bike from his apartment to the closed-down K-Mart next door. He taught himself to ride in the parking lot of the K-Mart. He eventually worked up the courage to take it around the block on the street. Then maybe to the store...to get a haircut....to the bank. Now he's downsized to a GSX-R600, but races it at the track a few times a year. I'm not in that big of a hurry, so I'll probably start off just like he did. If it takes me six months in parking lots and in my quiet subdivision to become competent on major roads, then so be it.
I'll slide in some advice. Buy a POS that you won't mind getting scratched up. If you lay it down (and you will) it's better to be out a few hundred dollars than a few thousand. Brands don't matter.
My first bike was a 1981 Honda CB650. I bought it off of a guy for $300. There was more wrong with that POS than not. But, it got my knees in the breeze. I rode that thing until fixing it was costing me more than the bike was worth.
I was bikeless for a few years until I happened across my current ride, 1994 Harley Police special. I bought it in '02 for $8999 and it had 32k miles on it. It took me a while to get used to it (A ton more lower end torque than the Honda had). I laid her down a few times but she is running strong now.
Good to hear you are going to take a beginning riders course. You will never regret it. One thing I always assume when I am riding is that I am invisible. Never take for granted that the other guy sees you. More than likely he doesn't .
Lastly, always remember these words: It's not a matter of IF you will lay your bike down. It's a matter of WHEN.
And now a shameless pic of my bike:
(http://b6.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00425/68/18/425038186_l.jpg)
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I rode for quite a few years starting with dirt bikes, moving up to a Honda 750 ('72) then a Yamaha Seca 900.
1. You WILL "see how fast this thing goes"
2. Get a good helmet, one thats the latest Snell rating. No skull caps, full face.
3. Get good leathers, don't skimp.
4. As soon as you can dump the stock tires, get Metzlers. Get used to the idea that the bike will "drift" in a sharp turn.
5. Levis can actually save your skin.
6. Get to know some guys/gals that do weekend rides. Best learning tool there is.
7. People in cars DO NOT SEE YOU. Realize this you'll avoid lots of "close calls".
8. Please don't split traffic unless it's legal and you've been riding awhile, you are not in Japan.
9. Last but not least, if you dump the bike, let it go.
Now go out and have fun!
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My first bike was a 1981 Honda CB650. I bought it off of a guy for $300. There was more wrong with that POS than not. But, it got my knees in the breeze. I rode that thing until fixing it was costing me more than the bike was worth.
Hey!! :-)
I just bought one of those.
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My first bike was a 1981 Honda CB650. I bought it off of a guy for $300. There was more wrong with that POS than not. But, it got my knees in the breeze. I rode that thing until fixing it was costing me more than the bike was worth.
Hey!! :-)
I just bought one of those.
Really? Does it have a huge dent on the left side of the tank and refuse to start again after short rides?
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Tantal, I rode a bike for several years while I was USN and stationed in San Diego. I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was small, a KZ550. Top speed was around 85 mph. I DID test drive a Kawasaki Eliminator ( a 900 CC Z1 engine). That thing scared the hell out of me when I test drove it. I had a vehicle doing around 50 mph on the freeway, downshifted a couple of gears and cracked open the throttle. By the time I got back into my lane, I was doing 110 mph (the speed limit was 55 back then). The required motorcycle safety course mandated in order for me to get a base sticker really helped. Learning to anticipate other driver's intentions is another thing that saved my butt. In the years that I did ride, I never laid down my bike, LUCKILY. I DID have a few "close calls". Riding a motorcycle did make me a better automobile driver. Always wear a helmet and leather, no matter how hot it gets. I'm tempted to acquire another motorcycle now that I'm back in Texas.
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I stopped by the dealership to pick up some parts today, and something on one of the new Yamaha's caught my eye. On their big cruiser, they put the cluster gauge on the gas tank and this one had a huge wraparound speedo that looked like something from a '59 Cadillac.
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Blood type? Red.....with a little Jim Beam mixed in.
Do you smoke? Only after sex............so, no.
Do you drink alcohol? Only if I can't get it intravenously.
Have you ever used IV drugs? Depends on your definition of "have".
Have you ever had sex with a prostitute? Depends on your definition of "a"
Have you ever had a blood transfusion? Once, after an unfortunate jousting accident involving a case of beer, a 1974 Chevrolet Cheyenne, and a rake.
Have you ever lived in Great Britain? I refuse to answer on 5th Amendment grounds.
:uhsure:
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Alright guys. I decided to pass on the Kawi Z1000. I settled for a 2006 Yamaha FZ6. It only has 5700 miles. I'm sure it's still plenty quick......it'll be a while before I find out for sure.
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Alright guys. I decided to pass on the Kawi Z1000. I settled for a 2006 Yamaha FZ6. It only has 5700 miles. I'm sure it's still plenty quick......it'll be a while before I find out for sure.
Congrats on the new scooter! Enjoy.
KC
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/rocky0529/DSCF0186.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/rocky0529/DSCF0184.jpg)
Not bad. Not my style, but I hope you enjoy it. :)
Have fun.
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Nice bike!
http://www.amadirectlink.com/riding/reviews/2006/FZ6/FZ6.asp
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Congrats! Please be careful and enjoy..... :-)
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Shiny side up! ALWAYS :evillaugh: