Hello from Staten Island, NY

[ecr959]

Hello everybody. Another middle-aged guy here who got bit by the motorcycle bug. I sold my car 2 days ago 'cause I couldn't afford the insurance payments. I got my permit, I paid for the safety course, I get it in 10 days. And I already almost have a 2009 GZ250. I saw it in a used car lot. It only has 412 miles on it, and the guy only wants $2500. (UPDATE) paid it. I'll ride it home the day after the course. Aug 11.

I'm excited, this will be my daily commuter (to work and back) until I get a bigger one. But this bike can fill my transport needs , and maybe I will just keep it indefinitely.

I welcome your good advice and friendship.
Eddie

http://s2.postimage.org/2gar0sxb8/09_suzuki_gz250.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/2gar0sxb8/)

[blaine]

Welcome to the family.Ride safe. :) :2tup:

[Rionna]

Hi Eddie, welcome to the forum & congrats on your new bike. Have fun & ride safe!

[geezer]

RUN DONT SPEND THAT MUCH!! get on craigslist and get you a perfect example for hundreds less

[Rookie Rider]

Welcome nieghbor, im from Queens.

[alantf]

I believe a new one is less than $3000. Suzuki knocked $1000 off the price, not long ago. :2tup:

[ecr959]

Thank you, everybody. Hey Rookie Rider, maybe we can meet someday. I paid a down payment on the bike today, It will be mine completely in about 3 days. I am going to use it daily, so Rookie Rider, if you have any tips about riding over the bridges or rush hour do's and don'ts , I'm listening.

[Rookie Rider]

Im a newbie too, so i cant give you advice except for take it slow and keep coming on this forum. You will learn alot, and dont be afraid to ask the same question a hundred times like i do. lol

[Water Warrior 2]

Thank you, everybody. Hey Rookie Rider, maybe we can meet someday. I paid a down payment on the bike today, It will be mine completely in about 3 days. I am going to use it daily, so Rookie Rider, if you have any tips about riding over the bridges or rush hour do's and don'ts , I'm listening.
Wind gusts can be a little unnerving. Frost on bridges later in the year. Any steel decked bridges on your travels ?

[mavrix]

Welcome to the forum!

[bonehead]

Thank you, everybody. Hey Rookie Rider, maybe we can meet someday. I paid a down payment on the bike today, It will be mine completely in about 3 days. I am going to use it daily, so Rookie Rider, if you have any tips about riding over the bridges or rush hour do's and don'ts , I'm listening.
Let's see... Rush hour New York traffic, + bridges, + snow and ice, I think I'd have a vehicle for primary trans. and the bike to play with. Good luck :cool:

[ecr959]

Hi Water Warrior, I don't know if the Brooklyn bridge or the Williamsburg bridge has steel sections. I'll find out and get back to you. If they do, what should I do ? Still drive slow in a straight line ?

Hi Bonehead , No, I can't have both, only the bike. Well, I'm not crazy, if its too cold, or if I know its frozen ice on the bridges, I'll try to get to work using the subway and bus.

[Rookie Rider]

Take subway and bus in the winter.

[Water Warrior 2]

Steel decked bridges are quite frightening the first few times. The GZ will dance around under you. And no it doesn't want to spit you off, just feels that way. The ticket is to let the bike do it's dance act and for you to stay loose. It won't fall over. Accellerating slightly will help. I doubt you will have the chance to go slower in rush hour traffic without getting pushed. Going uphill is easier but going downhill loads more weight on the front end and the dance is more evident.
I'm not questioning your decision to ride but riding to work and back will leave you stressed out from trying to stay alive. I did try it on different roads years ago and didn't like the competition with cages for a piece of road. I would suggest riding for fun and pleasure first and let your skills develop before venturing out into rush hour where everyone has to be somewhere as soon as possible.

[Way]

Hi there and welcome!

Do get thee to a motorcycle safety course. The city is no place to learn the basics especially if you have steel bridges to contend with. Definitely get used to using rear brakes only on steel, the front brake will be too responsive.

[Water Warrior 2]

You can probably use both brakes but don't temp Fate with hard breaking. Also be careful of a wet steel bridge, it is as good as riding on ice.

[ecr959]

Good advice from all .

Hello Way. The MSS course will be my next step, next tuesday , actually. Already paid for it. I am not riding the bike yet, not until I take the course, then I'll ride it home from the seller. And you are right, I won't jump into the daily commute until I'm comfortable with stop-and-go traffic. But it will be soon.

[Way]

Hi Eddie,

That's great! As a fellow new rider, I highly recommend you get used to the bike at low speeds on regular pavement and especially the front brake. If yours is anything like mine, it's much more sensitive than the rear and it will be much safer to learn how it reacts before you ever get to steel. Been a while since I've driven on a steel bridge but if I remember right sometimes there's a flat spot where the sections join. That is where you really need to be careful. That safety course will be worth its weight in gold I'm sure.

[alanmcorcoran]

I won't even drive a car in Manhattan. Too nerve wracking and I never spend enough time there to get the hang of all the traffic currents. Plus it's a bitch to park. If I knew where I was going and the terrain/traffic flow etc, I might attempt it, but the cabdrivers there are super aggressive and one mistake could cost you big time.

[ecr959]

Hello Alan

I drove my car for 10 months here until just last week when I sold it. Yeah, it is nerve wracking, and yeah, if I didn't know the way very well, (like queens, its crazy driving there) then I'll just check the address on google maps and go by subway. I'm moving away from Staten Island very soon, probably to Williamsburg or Flatbush. Hopefully my job will be close.

Hey, I paid off the bike, waiting for the plates and reg. I'm taking a 1 hr private lesson tomorrow, and the same guy will be my teacher at the MSS course , next week. So in about 7 days, I'll be riding the bike. Its a 2009 GZ250. Only has 412 miles on it. Still in the "breaking in " schedule.

[mole2]

Welcome to the forum from South Carolina. Ride safe.


:)

[Rookie Rider]

I drive a truck in the city, i friggin love it. Can anybody say, aggressive ?

[Rookie Rider]

So today is Tuesday, did you take the MSF course ecr ?

[ecr959]

Yeah, Rookie. It was better than I expected. Both instructors were very nice. We did about 3 hrs of indoor class, we talked , reviewed the first 30 or 40 test questions, watched a few videos about saftey, controlling the bike, traffic situations, then.. after lunch, we spent most of the afternoon doing excercises on the bike. Suzuki GZ250s. in a large vacant lot next to the classrooms.
First we learned getting on and off, properly, then we learned the correct sequence of turning it on, turning it off. Then we spent time learning the "friction-zone" and shifting to 1st, then neutral, then "power-walking" the bike around the lot. Later we did weaving around cones, we shifted into 2nd for short distances, we practiced turning corners in gear.

It was fun to learn new things and a little exhausting because today was a very hot, humid and some drizzle. Cloudy but hot, then around 3:30 pm it started to rain hard. We went indoors and studied more of the exam questions. Tomorrow we will take the test (about 120 questions, I think) and we do some complex excercises.

I am studying the booklet right now. I wanna get a good grade.

[Rookie Rider]

The last 2 driving courses are the big ones. Youll also do quick stops and put it in first before you put your feet down and stuff like that. Swerving, and going over simulated bumps too. Dude buy the book called Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, youre gonna love this book bro. Good Luck ..... DO IT !!

[ecr959]

Rookie,

I think I heard you mention that book before. I'm gonna goto Amazon dot com in a few minutes and see, if its not too expensive, I'll buy it. I'll tell you if I like it.

UPDATE - I just bought it. $9.98 the description convinced me. " This fresh update of the world's best introduction to safe street-riding techniques now marries color imagery and contemporary road scenes with expanded content and more real road hazard strategies written in clear, concise,easy-to follow instruction that has made the book #1."

Should get it friday or monday.

[Rookie Rider]

Congrats on the book, you will love it. And nice price buddy.

[mavrix]

Rookie,

I think I heard you mention that book before. I'm gonna goto Amazon dot com in a few minutes and see, if its not too expensive, I'll buy it. I'll tell you if I like it.

UPDATE - I just bought it. $9.98 the description convinced me. " This fresh update of the world's best introduction to safe street-riding techniques now marries color imagery and contemporary road scenes with expanded content and more real road hazard strategies written in clear, concise,easy-to follow instruction that has made the book #1."

Should get it friday or monday.

Me too. I ordered the book a couple days ago from Amazon and it should be here any day now. :2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

You guys do my heart good. A big :2tup:

[ecr959]

Hi everybody.

Well, I took the Rider course, picked up my license, got my Suzuki GZ250 home in one piece, and for the past week I've been prowling the neighborhood, practicing slow turns and quick stops.

I'm having a ball, and I'm a complete beginner at 56. Great fun.

[jonathan180iq]

Let the bike sit in the sun for an hour or so, take some WD-40 and a rag and remove that silly warning sticker on your tank. It's easier to do it now. If you wait a year or whatever, they tend to get baked on.

[Water Warrior 2]

Congratulations. You are now officially licensed to stay young.

[ecr959]

Congratulations. You are now officially licensed to stay young.


Thank you. Thats exactly what it feels like. I want to enjoy this, I wanted to ride when in my 20's and 30's and always shied away. I'm glad I finally did it, better late than never, .... as they say.

[mavrix]

Congratulations ecr959!

[blaine]

Hi everybody.

Well, I took the Rider course, picked up my license, got my Suzuki GZ250 home in one piece, and for the past week I've been prowling the neighborhood, practicing slow turns and quick stops.

I'm having a ball, and I'm a complete beginner at 56. Great fun.


http://s2.postimage.org/2zcmj1tr8/th_Congratulations_CAE99_KHU.gif (http://www.postimage.org/)


http://s2.postimage.org/2zd32fap0/jumpingyes.gif (http://www.postimage.org/)

[Water Warrior 2]

Lynda was a 56+ grandmother when she started riding her GZ. Also a complete newbie to riding. The GZ was great preparation for an upgrade 3 seasons later. Now at 56+++ she is preparing for a ride half way across Canada in Sept on her M-50. And I am not going with her. She made this trip before with the GZ and me along for company but this time it is a test of metal sort of thing. She has a proper feel and attitude with the bike which she works on improving/maintaining with every ride.

[ecr959]

The M50 is a beautiful bike. I saw a few pics, but don't know much else about it. Its a 750 ? You said Lynda did that trip once already with the GZ ? She must be a "Iron Woman" thats a long hard trip for such a small bike.

[mole2]

Congratulations. You are now officially licensed to stay young.


Thank you. Thats exactly what it feels like. I want to enjoy this, I wanted to ride when in my 20's and 30's and always shied away. I'm glad I finally did it, better late than never, .... as they say.

It was part of my bucket list. :biggrin:


:)

[Water Warrior 2]

The M50 is a beautiful bike. I saw a few pics, but don't know much else about it. Its a 750 ? You said Lynda did that trip once already with the GZ ? She must be a "Iron Woman" thats a long hard trip for such a small bike.
The M is an 805 cc or 50 cubic inches. The bike did need a couple mods to fit a 5' 3" rider but everything worked out very well. Lynda did enjoy her first long ride East and back but the GZ required too much planning ahead to navigate through headwinds, slight upgrades and loss of speed and power. Very tiring as the day progresses. The M allows one to just twist the throttle and motor on regardless of hills, winds or traffic if one is so inclined.
The GZ did perform like a champ on the long ride with nary a thought of breakdown or reliablity issues. It does make a great little touring bike if you aren't in a hurry and stay off major highways with faster traffic.

[Rookie Rider]

ecr did you move yet ??

[Water Warrior 2]

ecr did you move yet ??
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