Newbie in Atlanta, GA

[rexolio]

Hi Everyone,

I'm very excited to find an online community for people who ride a GZ250. Oddly enough, I feel much better about buying the bike from seeing so many people here who have them, too.

I'm 34 years old and I've never had a motorcycle before. I first started thinking about getting one with gas prices going through the roof. I researched online and it seemed like the GZ250 was the best choice for a beginner, and one of the better bikes for gas mileage (I read of people getting around 80 mpg... I'm currently getting 67 mpg, but not complaining.) I bought a used 2006 Suzuki GZ250 at WOW Motorcycles (http://www.wowmotorcycles.com) in Marietta, GA.

I've had my bike for a couple of months and I'm shocked how much I LOVE it. I can't wait to start it up in the morning to head into work. In fact, I drink a lot less coffee in the mornings! I get to work wide awake and feeling refreshed. At 4 PM I literally run out the door for my ride home. It's a feeling that is hard to explain to those who don't ride. I'm finding more and more reasons to ride it other than just going to work - to the grocery store, over to visit friends, to church... you name it. And my son loves it too.

Today my wife and I are researching safety equipment for my son to ride with me (sissy bars, kids' helmets, safety harnesses, etc.) He starts Pre-K in 1 week, and I'll be dropping him off in the morning because it's only a half mile away from our house. He's so stoked - he's going to be the coolest kid in the class! :rawk:

Excuse me in advance if I ask stupid questions... I have a lot to learn!

[Sarris]

Welcome brother. You've made an excellent choice in motorcycle and forum. No question is stupid, just do a search of the site and you'll find that most questions have already been beaten to death here, but post if you can't find an answer.

I would suggest that you download the Service and Parts Manuals on the site first. They contain a plethora of valuable information.

I'm 6'-1" and about 295 lbs and I get 72 mpg consistantly (with ethanol it's about 66 mpg), but you shouldn't expect mileage that high until after a thorough break-in (about 6000 miles).

Ride safe and again, welcome.

:chop:

[music man]

I am no expert motorcycle rider, only been riding a little over a year myself, but I would not recommend riding a kid on your bike considering your limited seat time, you did say you bought it in june 08, which means by my calculations you have been riding for a month or so. You should not even be thinking about having any passenger on your bike at this stage in your riding experience much less a Pre-Schooler????

So I beg you please to reconsider such actions, for you and your childs sake. I am sure before long you will be getting posts on this subject from people with a lot more riding experience than me telling you the same thing.


Later

P.S. if for some reason I haven't talked you out of this, Please be careful I don't want you or especially your child to get hurt or worse.

[rexolio]

Thanks for the info, Sarris. Going to get the parts manual shortly!

music_man - thanks for the caution. Obviously I love my kid and would not, in any way, want to put him in harm's way. Yes, I've only been riding for 2 months - I'm under no illusions that I'm a pro. As I said, the pre-school is barely a half mile from my house on a very, VERY safe road w/ hardly any traffic at that time in the morning. My wife, who is much more leary about me having a bike, isn't phased by it because she knows the road.

[rexolio]

music_man - wanted to make sure you knew I appreciate your warning. My reply may have sounded like a took offense to it; I did not. But I do want to let any one else who thinks I'm crazy to know - I'm a VERY responsible Dad who loves his kids VERY much. I'm not going to throw my kid on the back of a bike and go crusing across the state. ;) If it just doesn't seem right for some reason, I won't do it. But the trip is literally around the corner, and I've ridden him in our neighborhood plenty of times. Otherwise, I wouldn't dream of it.

[music man]

no no I wasn't implying that you didn't care about your childs safety or anything like that, maybe i came on too strong with that post, and i also wasn't implying that you thought you were a pro. Its just that I think that every motorcycle rider when they first start riding have to fight the whole (get too confident too quick) syndrome, I know I did anyways. I just wanted to make sure that you understood the dangers of what you were thinking about doing thats all.

I have an 8 year old son that I would love to ride with me, and he would probably love it too, but I just want to make sure that I am as experienced as I can be before I take on such a challenge as that.

[rexolio]

No, that's a very good point, music_man. I can see how easy it is to get too confident much too soon. Seems like every time I start thinking I've got the bases covered, something happens to remind me to stay on guard, remain cautious and remain watchful of others, too.

I'm going to dress the kid out with helmet, padded jacket, etc. It will take more time getting the stuff on him and then off of him again then it will to drive him from point A to point B.

But I will keep your caution in mind and I will use my better judgement. Thanks for caring enough to reply. :2tup:

[cconleyjr]

on the subject of riding with a child my girlfriend bugged the piss outta me till i would take her 5 yr old son for a ride so i did took him about a mile and a half and he fell fast asleep just like he does everytime you put him in a car had a hell off a time getting pulled over and called somebody to come get him so if your kid falls asleep in the car he probably will on the bike just a heads up i won't take hers any further than around the block

[rexolio]

on the subject of riding with a child my girlfriend bugged the piss outta me till i would take her 5 yr old son for a ride so i did took him about a mile and a half and he fell fast asleep just like he does everytime you put him in a car had a hell off a time getting pulled over and called somebody to come get him so if your kid falls asleep in the car he probably will on the bike just a heads up i won't take hers any further than around the block

LOL, sounds like narcolepsy to me! I hear ya, though - thanks!

[davtnn]

I never made the connection between Brahms and a GZ.....

[cconleyjr]

i think its just the movement it never fails if ya want the kid to sleep put him on something that moves comes in handy

[countrydad]

Congrats & welcome! Your son will definitely be the envy of his class(you might invest in a big stick for fending of little girls :lol: ) Enjoy riding with and without him. A lot of guys don't like passengers, but I enjoy it every now and again. It will probably be an intense bonding experience with your son!

[jonathan180iq]

That sounds like a lot of fun. Slow quiet streets shouldn't be a problem.

As a father, I'm sure he already knows how careful he should be with his son.

Take care,
Jonathan

[music man]

Somehow I get the impression on this post that the majority of people that read what I said got the Impression that I was saying he was somehow a bad father or didn't know how to take care of his son. I don't know that for sure just kinda got that impression.

I just wanted to clarify that I in no way meant anything like that its just that you see everyday people that ride a motorcycle around the block and think that they can ride any bike any speed with anyone on it, I just wanted to make sure he wasn't in that too confident too soon mode.

Also I have met plenty of people who were parents that weren't smart enough or definitely not responsible enough to bring themselves in out of the rain, much less be responsible for the welfare of their children, and considering I did not know him yet, I was just making sure that I tried to make the dangers of a newbie motorcycle rider with a small child on the back of motorcycle clear, Just in case he was one of the above mentioned people. Which after talking back and forth to him and reading his other posts, he obviously is not.

like no more than an hour ago I ran into exactly that kind of person, a guy went by my house twice in about thirty minutes, with nothing but a t-shirt and shorts on(No Helmet)with a little boy on the back, Maybe four years old at most, with the same outfit(shorts t-shirt, No helmet) going like 35- or 40 the first time they went by, then when I saw them come back by later he was cutting up on it flooring it as he came around the curve by my house. Even though I have no way of knowing if that was the childs father, the point is the same, Not all adults know how careful or how closely they should keep an eye on their child. Which is why I said what I said to him to begin with, after I read it I realized maybe I came on a little thick with it, but I did have the best of intentions when I said it.

I just did not want you guys to get the wrong idea about why I said what I said.

Later

[rexolio]

Guys - thanks for the support. I love my boy tremendously. I'll be safe and if it feels otherwise, I won't do it.

music_man - your intentions were good; I understand what you were saying and I appreciate it. No offense taken.

And thanks to everyone - I'm getting so much great information from this forum. The fact that people actually frequent it and reply makes it even better!

[RichInFla]

I say "congrats" to those newbie riders who understand the implication of their carrying passengers with their limited skills (Okay, maybe I'm talking about MY limited skills, but you get the point, it's a good thing to think about putting others on the back of your bike and not just say "hey, got my license, let's go for a ride !!). My wife has already said she's not getting on the back of my bike for at least a year !! (Does it really take a year ??)

In either case, welcome from a even newer newbie. I would love to take my bike to work, but for the past 2 weeks, it's always rained starting anywhere from 3PM to 5PM, and today was no exception. At least I know that I need to be okay on dry roads before I even think about wet roads. Of course, my HD riding neighbor says "aw, just get out there and do it" !! That and I don't really have "armor" yet (see post in "Safety First", LOL).

Anyway, welcome. Once again, this site is great and so are the members. I've learned a whole lot in a short period of time.

Rich

[rexolio]

Thanks, Rich. And welcome!

I got my first taste of riding in the rain today coming home from work. Man, even with a rain jacket on, I got soaked from neck to toe. I say "rain jacket", it was more like a wind breaker. Guess I need to stop by the bike shop tomorrow and get some rain gear! Rain drops at 45 mph really hurts! ;)

[Easy Rider]

Guess I need to stop by the bike shop tomorrow and get some rain gear! Rain drops at 45 mph really hurts! ;)

A "wind"shield works as a rain shield too......when you are moving, that is! :tup:

[rexolio]

A "wind"shield works as a rain shield too......when you are moving, that is! :tup:

Good point! Does it change how the bike handles (wind, drag, etc.)?

[Easy Rider]

A "wind"shield works as a rain shield too......when you are moving, that is! :tup:

Good point! Does it change how the bike handles (wind, drag, etc.)?

Yes. If done correctly, it actually makes a slight improvement in the wind drag ......side winds too.
Even if done wrong it greatly improves rider comfort.

[rexolio]

Good to know, Easy Rider. Thanks!

[johnsandlin]

Good to see another Atlanta rider. I also got my bike at WOW last November. It's a 2000 GZ that came with all the goodies like a windshield, sissybar/bagage rack and Suzuki saddle bags (which replaced with larger Saddleman bags). I love my GZ and ride almost daily on it. The windshield makes a big difference when riding in the rain and if you have to ride the freeways for any time. Purchased a Frogg Tog rain suit from WOW several weeks ago. Worked really good on my last ride in the rain over to Athens (my daughters at UGA). Since your just up the road in Woodstock, we'll have to grab lunch one day and compare notes. :)

[rexolio]

Good to see another Atlanta rider. I also got my bike at WOW last November. It's a 2000 GZ that came with all the goodies like a windshield, sissybar/bagage rack and Suzuki saddle bags (which replaced with larger Saddleman bags). I love my GZ and ride almost daily on it. The windshield makes a big difference when riding in the rain and if you have to ride the freeways for any time. Purchased a Frogg Tog rain suit from WOW several weeks ago. Worked really good on my last ride in the rain over to Athens (my daughters at UGA). Since your just up the road in Woodstock, we'll have to grab lunch one day and compare notes. :)

Hi John - lunch would be cool. I work in Marietta off of Windy Hill & I75.

Man, you lucked out with all the bells & whistles! I'm going to have to piece it all together slowly - pickup up some saddlebags today and some frogg toggs (and looks like I'll def need it on the way home!!!)

[johnsandlin]

Sounds like a plan...maybe in a few weeks once things settle down a little. I teach computers part time at St. Joseph Catholic Middle School behind Kennestone hospital. Classes are starting up again next week.

You can take a look at my windshield...it's a Memphis Shades Slim version. I like it, especially when riding in the rain and on the freeway. I picked up some Saddleman bags at WOW for around $140. They work great and hold a fair amount of stuff. Good part is they also have straps with locks to make it less inviting.

Ride safe...Atlanta is bad for drivers that are focused on cell phone conversations and not the road.