First love all over again, and feeling "in the club"

[baxman]

OK Im hooked like a school boy getting his first kiss.
I have been riding my gz off and on for a while on side streets for a couple months but I took her to the main road(60 mph) on my birthday this week. I had almost all of the gear I wanted but as a noob and to all other noobs... GET A WINDSHIELD! I road my darling at 60 with no shield and it was fun and a little scary. I put the shield on and what a difference! It may not do much for experienced riders, but for a timid rider it sure added a lot of confidence for me.

The family bought me the windshield, a fitted cover, and some saddlebags for my ride as my presents. My 13 year old daughter says she wants my gz when I get out of my pre-mid-life crisis and upgrade to a bigger bike( can you say Fatboy?). She calls the bike upgrade "stage 1 of my midlife crisis". :cool:


Seriously I was as nervous as I could be but everytime i passed my previous top speed I felt good. I must admit that when I was across a redlght from a very old fellow riding a goldwing and he raised his hand with a fist in a brotherly hello I felt like I belonged. This is a new experience for me, and yes I guess most would say that I am on a "girly bike" considering my size (6'1 220) but this thing is just a hoot. I dont see ever selling it, but I do see a bigger bike in my future. And to all folks who see a big looking hillbillie on a fully decked out "girly bike", wave or nod. It really does make my day.
baxman

[Moedad]

Welcome to the club indeed, baxman!

[alanmcorcoran]

Nice to hear from new riders before they get all jaded. Not to worry, the GZ looks bigger than it is.

[Water Warrior 2]

Welcome Baxman. It just gets better and better with time.

[adrianinflorida]

The family bought me the windshield, a fitted cover, and some saddlebags for my ride as my presents. My 13 year old daughter says she wants my gz when I get out of my pre-mid-life crisis and upgrade to a bigger bike( can you say Fatboy?). She calls the bike upgrade "stage 1 of my midlife crisis". :cool:


Welcome from another member of the "Mid-Life Crisis Club". At least that's what my wife calls it, although she says she'd rather support this one than one that involves a Corvette Z06 and 23 year old girlfriend. :D

[alanmcorcoran]

I'd say go for all three but the insurance on the Corvette and the maintenance on the 23 year old will kill you.

[adrianinflorida]

I'd say go for all three but the insurance on the Corvette and the maintenance on the 23 year old will kill you.
Not to mention what the wife would do to me, either. :D

[roncg41677]

Welcome! I'm totally with you on the waves. My dad used to drive us around in his Jeep CJ-7 Golden Eagle, and all of the Jeep drivers used to wave at each other. I don't know if they still do that, but I always remember thinking how cool that was, and wondering why others didn't do that (The Ford Tempo Fist Pump?).

Thought I'd share the following, as it may help in the future:

Top Ten Reasons Why Harley Riders Don't Wave Back
10. Afraid it will invalidate warranty.
9. Leather and studs make it too heavy to raise arm.
8. Refuse to wave to anyone whose bike is already paid for.
7. Afraid to let go of handlebars because they might vibrate off.
6. Rushing wind would blow scabs off the new tattoos.
5. Angry because just took out second mortgage to pay luxury tax on new Harley.
4. Just discovered the fine print in owner's manual and realized H-D is partially owned by Honda.
3. Can't tell if other riders are waving or just reaching to cover their ears like everyone else.
2. Remembers the last time a Harley rider waved back, he impaled his hand on spiked helmet.
1. They're too tired from spending hours polishing all that chrome to lift their arms.

Top Ten Reasons Why Gold Wing Riders Riders Don't Wave Back
10. Wasn't sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
9. Afraid might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.
8. Has arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it difficult to raise arm.
7. Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.
6. The espresso machine just finished.
5. Was actually asleep when other rider waved.
4. Was in a three-way conference call with stockbroker and accessories dealer.
3. Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.
2. Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height, programmable CD player, seat temperature, and satellite navigation system.
1. Couldn't find the "auto wave back" button on dashboard.

Top Ten Reasons Why Sportbikers Riders Riders Don't Wave Back
10. They have not been riding long enough to know they're supposed to.
9. They're going too fast to have time enough to register the movement and respond.
8. You weren't wearing bright enough gear.
7. If they stick their arm out going that fast they'll rip it out of the socket.
6. They're too occupied with trying to get rid of their chicken strips.
5. They look way too cool with both hands on the bars or they don't want to
unbalance themselves while standing on the tank.
4. Their skin tight-kevlar-ballistic-nylon-carbon fiber-kangaroo-leather suits prevent any position other than fetal.
3. Raising an arm allows bugs into the armholes of their tank tops.
2. It's too hard to do one-handed stoppies.
1. They were too busy slipping their flip-flop back on.

Top Ten Reasons Why BMW Riders Riders Don't Wave Back
10. New Aerostich suit too stiff to raise arm.
9. Removing a hand from the bars is considered "bad form."
8. Your bike isn't weird enough looking to justify acknowledgment.
7. Too sore from an 800-mile day on a stock "comfort" seat.
6. Too busy programming the GPS, monitoring radar, listening to ipod, XM, and talking on the cell phone.
5. He's an Iron Butt rider and you're not!
4. Wires from Gerbings is too short.
3. You're not riding the "right kind" of BMW.
2. You haven't been properly introduced.
1. Afraid it will be misinterpreted as a friendly gesture.

:biggrin:

[alanmcorcoran]

Funny, but s/b posted under humor. Especially like Gold Wing ones cause I think I could get into having espresso on my morning ride.

[primal]

alan, did you really just abbreviate "supposed to be" as s/b? I've never seen that one before. ;)

[roncg41677]

"should be", at least I'm PS it SB. :neener:

[alanmcorcoran]

Yeah, "should be." DAMMIT! Now you made me write the whole thing out!

Actually I thought it was common. Didn't even think about it when I did it.

[roncg41677]

Yeah, "should be." DAMMIT! Now you made me write the whole thing out!
Just think of all that time you wasted :biggrin: .

[Chris]

I really thought it was funny. All my biker friends ride Harleys and they laugh at my GZ. I don't care. I have the bike I am susposed to have and am very comfortable on it. They hate it when I talk about 75mpg. One friend asked me not to talk gas mileage any more and, besides, he dosen't want to ride with a 250! So I put together rides with friends without him.

My wife works with a lady whose husband morgaged their house a couple of months ago to buy a Harley. The lady told my wife when he did it and she told me. Bad idea, I said. Now, two months later he lost his job, they are over their heads in debt, and the future looks bad.

Only pay cash for your toys.

Chris, Atlanta

[patrick_777]

All my biker friends ride Harleys and they laugh at my GZ....he dosen't want to ride with a 250!

Get new friends.

[VTXorcist]

That wave list is the funnies thing I've read in a long while!

And I can't wait to ride with my wife on her GZ250 (we just bought a used one; waiting for her MSF course next month). I love the way the bike looks, personally. In fact, I'm looking forward to doing a little cruising on it myself!

Most Harley riders are OK in my book, but they're definitely a little snobby even if they don't mean to be. I still remember when a couple of my Harley friends first saw my Honda. The response, "Hey man, there's no reason to be ashamed of riding a Honda!" I was thinking "No s***, pal!"

[bonehead]

It does'nt matter what you're on, but just that you are riding!!

[VTXorcist]

I'm with ya 100% on that.

By the way, took the "new" (to us, anyway) '99 GZ250 out for its maiden cruise today. Man that little scoot is fun! Took a little while to get used to the low gears, but once I got that under control, I was zipping along. I was surprised how easy it is to coax it over 60mph. It's nice not to get a tricep workout when I countersteer around corners, too.

I can't wait till my wife does her MSF course next month and gets her endorsement. She's gonna love this thing.

EDIT: I did get some serious butt numbs after about 30 or 40 miles, though. The seat could use some work. I'm tempted to try finding a cheap stock seat someone doesn't need so I can try shaving it and re-upholstering like the one user did on the mod forum here. I'd probably add some sort of gelpad under the vinyl, too.

[Dupo]

Windshields are cool but if you are 'new' to riding and get one because the wind was too much on your first ride or two on the highway, you haven't given yourself a chance to get used to the feeling of it. If its something you really like, awesome! But riding a bike gives you many new feelings and experiences that you havent felt before and like anything, you have to get used to it. After that, its a 'breeze' (sorry, i had to).

As for whoever mentioned the seat problem, you can surely shave it down and reshape it. Electric turkey slicer and sandpaper is all you'll need. A dremel with a sanding barrel on it will cut the step needed to fit the gel.