hi form Poland

[orzeszek303]

hello everybody. Recently i`ve bought my first bike, which is gz250 04., and i must say that this bike is revelational. Firstly, I wanted bigger bike, somethin around 500 but after first ride on gz I would never thought that so small bike can be so dynamic. It just a great bike for begginers, and after reading this forum I think that not only for them :). Sorry for mistakes in text if there are any - I`m just not very good in english.

[alantf]

I`m just not very good in english.

Welcome, and :-

Much better than my (non existant) Polish!

[burkbuilds]

Great to have you on the Forum. The GZ is a really good bike, you should get a lot of miles without a lot of expense or headaches!

[Water Warrior 2]

Another member from far away. Welcome and very glad you found us. The GZ is a great bike for almost anything you are looking for in the 2 wheeled category as a first bike.. Not the most powerful, not the fastest and not the most up to date technology wise but it is reliable, economical and fun. My other half(Lynda)rode her GZ half way across Canada and back last summer with zero problems. She did find the limits of the bike and has since upgraded but the GZ performed like a champion and did not complain once. Ride your bike, hone your riding skills and you will be surprised how well the GZ serves you.

[orzeszek303]

About the second half - when my girlfriend saw this bike for the first time she asked me to teach her how to ride it :) and I addmit - that bike can give a lot of fun :) recently I have instaled windshield and now I`m making construction for a rear seat back. When I finish I will paste some foto.

[Tranquility]

Welcome, orzeszek303! Water Warrior is right, the GZ250 does have some limitations (which I haven't noticed yet because I'm such a new rider), and I expect in time I will upgrade to a larger bike. However I am so emotionally invested in my bike, I cannot imagine trading her in or letting her go for anything. My husband and I are both newbies with our own bikes and there is nothing better than hitting the road together. I hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the same feeling!!

[Water Warrior 2]

Welcome, orzeszek303! Water Warrior is right, the GZ250 does have some limitations (which I haven't noticed yet because I'm such a new rider), and I expect in time I will upgrade to a larger bike. However I am so emotionally invested in my bike, I cannot imagine trading her in or letting her go for anything. My husband and I are both newbies with our own bikes and there is nothing better than hitting the road together. I hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the same feeling!!


Tranquility, what does hubby ride ? You've been holding back on info.......................or I missed that in an earlier post.

[BusyWeb]

However I am so emotionally invested in my bike, I cannot imagine trading her in or letting her go for anything.

Hi, there.
Sorry that I didn't replied your pm last time.
I thought that you're joking... ha ha ha.. and I'm not like the situation that you asked about it.
Anyway, you have missed about it when you read my riding-report where I said that "I heard some rattle sound"... ha ha ha
Love to see how your brother writes, if possible ....

Anyway, I had same feeling about the GZ when I first got it.
However, it will change when time goes by.... ha ha ha
GZ is really a good (excellent) training bike for beginners like us,
and you will appreciate GZ when you have other bigger bike; how the GZ was good...

[Tranquility]

Water Warrior: Holding back?! Noooooo. I just like to maintain a certain level of ... mystery. ;-) No, no, seriously: Hubby rides a Honda Shadow 750. We bought the GZ together to share but realized almost immediately that it wasn't going to work (...my turn to ride ... no, MY turn ... NO, MY TURN!!!" :-) ) so he jumped right to a larger bike. He bought it used and already equipped w/windshield and saddlebags, and the dealer threw in ... shoot, what do you call them..? Uhm, instead of foot pegs, they're ... like, platforms (crap, what're they called???!!!) with a heal/toe shifter. He loves it. When he's ready to upgrade, I may adopt it from him. We'll see.

BusyWeb, No problem! Glad I didn't offend you. Yeah, I love the GZ and I know I will love anything larger I may ride in the future ... I am still carrying around in my head the post that Easy Rider made about getting used to being able to manhandle the GZ and having to be very careful when trying to do the same with a larger bike. It just won't work. (Thanks again Easy for sharing that, it'll save me alot of hassle in the future, I know it will!)

[Easy Rider]

(Thanks again Easy for sharing that, it'll save me alot of hassle in the future, I know it will!)

Old age and cunning will overcome youth and exuberance every time! :shocked:

(Although "kids" don't like to hear that.) :roll:

[bonehead]

Foot boards.

[Tranquility]

Old age and cunning will overcome youth and exuberance every time! :shocked:

(Although "kids" don't like to hear that.) :roll:

If you're calling me a "kid", THANKS! If not, don't correct me :-)

I spent the weekend in the company of my hubby's kids, their friends and their friend's parents (high school graduation weekend). I still feel more like a kid than a grownup... but am old enough to realize that the kids don't feel the same way. ~sigh~

That's okay ... to the young and exuberant, I'm an old lady on a bike. To the wise and cunning, I'm still a chick. :-)

[Tranquility]

Foot boards! OMG. My memory sux! What was I just saying about feeling young? Ugh

[Water Warrior 2]

We bought the GZ together to share but realized almost immediately that it wasn't going to work.

Yup, sounds like kids and their toys. Bikes tend to get very personal and no one wants to share. Two bikes can be a lot more fun in most cases. Oh, the foot things are called Floorboards.

I can see the future and you will want to upgrade. A GZ will always be in a position of playing catch up with a bigger bike. Just a fact of life in the bike world as we know it. But for now ride your beginner bike and let it teach you to really ride. Learn to anticipate that next hill and take a run at it. Learn to guage traffic flow and where to be with a given amount of power to work with. An underpowered bike is a grand training tool. You will give up in frustration or learn to look ahead and use what you have most effectively. Lynda rode her GZ 5000 kilometers on a trip to visit her brother. Quite a learning experience and confidence builder to say the least. She now has an "M-50" Suzuki and rides it very well with confidence and experience under her belt. Future plans are to someday ride across Canada coast to coast.

[Tranquility]

Yes, my GZ turned into "my" GZ the moment hubby signed the Honda papers. :-) And I made no bones about how good it felt to be able to call her "mine". Thanks Water Warrior for your advice (anticipating the next hill, gauging traffic, etc.) Indeed every time I ride, I feel more in tune with the road. I used to get terrible butterflies in my stomach before every ride, and riding in traffic (as opposed to country back-roads) was not pleasant in the slightest. Now, zero tummy flutters and I zip through town with no problem. Lots of caution, but no fright.

[Water Warrior 2]

Lots of caution but no fright sounds great. Hate to sound like the Safety Patrol but armored gear, bright colors and the headlight on Hi-beam will help in the long run too. A headlight modulator is an even more attention getting device for cagers. Most cagers are not programmed to see anything smaller than a car. You have to get their attention. When coming up to an intersection I will weave from side to side in my lane to alert oncoming traffic, it works too. Will quit now before I write a book that has been written before. The book is "Proficient Motorcycling" and worth it's weight in gold.

[Tranquility]

Headlight modulator? I'll have to Google that!
Armored gear: check! Leather jacket has armored back, shoulders & elbows.
I own "under" armor but confess that I almost never wear it under my jeans.
Full-face Arai, gloves, 11" leather boots.
Bright colors: need to catch up with that. Right now I'm in jeans and dark leather. Justification is I only ride during the day, but that's really just an excuse.
By the way, your Lynda is my hero! 5,000 kilometers, holy cow! That's like me riding all the way across the states to California. I just can't imagine! Oof!! She didn't do it on a stock seat, did she??

[Water Warrior 2]

Headlight modulator? I'll have to Google that!
Armored gear: check! Leather jacket has armored back, shoulders & elbows.
I own "under" armor but confess that I almost never wear it under my jeans.
Full-face Arai, gloves, 11" leather boots.
Bright colors: need to catch up with that. Right now I'm in jeans and dark leather. Justification is I only ride during the day, but that's really just an excuse.
By the way, your Lynda is my hero! 5,000 kilometers, holy cow! That's like me riding all the way across the states to California. I just can't imagine! Oof!! She didn't do it on a stock seat, did she??


Oh she did too. The stock seat was a perfect fit for her. Not even a sheep skin to soften the seat. Although I am sure the trunk/backrest in place of the pillion seat added to the comfort factor. That was a fun project that worked out perfectly on the GZ.
Headlight modulator. Check out " sales@comagination.com " . They have a sweet plug and play unit that the M-50 now sports. The GZ had a cheaper unit from elsewhere that proved unreliable after a year of service. The Vstrom has Kisan Technology mods for the twin headlights and they are solid items too.
Also, if you ever worry about some one missing the GZ brake light there is a great fix for that. You can get Hyperlight moduating LED brake lights that really get noticed. If you are interested I will find the site where I purchased them. Not all suppliers carry them and this model was the most effective for the money in my opinion. They are small but pack a visual punch on the "M".

[Tranquility]

Thanks for the info, Water Warrior! I saw a bike the other day with a breaklight modulator and thought it was a great idea! Now I see it's far from a new or unique, the web is crawling with units for sale!

Trunk/backrest on Lynda's bike: do you have a pic maybe? I'm liking the sound of that!

[Water Warrior 2]

IIRC, there are pics and descriptions of the backrest/trunk posted by Happy Hobo and myself. Sometime in the first half of 2007. I will try a search but can't promise anything. I am a real looser when in search mode.

[Water Warrior 2]

Go performance and mods dated Mar 22nd, 2007. Happyhobo posted a pic of the trunk.

[Tranquility]

Okay, I tried figuring this out but am clueless: what the heck "does" IIRC stand for?

[alantf]

Okay, I tried figuring this out but am clueless: what the heck "does" IIRC stand for?

If I remember correctly it means If I remember correctly :) :roll:

[Tranquility]

Ha!! Excellent! Thanks alantf!