HELLO from new lady rider Nashville, TN

[TNCounselor4u]

Proud owner (two weeks ago) of a red 2001 Suzuki GZ 250. A Craigslist special by another lady rider who also bought it from the original lady rider. Drum roll on the deal...2450 original miles, windshield, excellent condition...$900.00 cash! :2tup: I completed MSF Basic Rider Class 12-6-11 and had TN "M" endorsement on my drivers license on 12-7-11.

I'm 49 and had never ridden a bike before though always wanted to let my "inner rebel" out to play (I'm a psychotherapist by day) :rawk: . I rode this weekend in my neighborhood and felt like a free bird (I know you are thinking guitar riff in Lynard Skynyrd song)
http://s7.postimage.org/9fio988uf/Nita_s_Ride_2001_Suzuki_GZ_250.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/9fio988uf/)

http://s10.postimage.org/uywuu1gyt/DSC02890_2.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/uywuu1gyt/)

[blaine]

Welcome to the family.Ride safe & enjoy.

http://s7.postimage.org/frya2fsuf/th_Congratulations_CAVJQWS0.gif (http://postimage.org/)

[JWR]

Welcome and enjoy.

:rawk:

[ecr959]

$900 cash, Wonderful deal. You will have FUN, with this bike and learning stuff on this forum. The great thing about this forum is that everybody has the exact same bike that you have, so if you ever have a question about tires, tuneups, brakes, shopping for saddlebags or helmets, you will get the best advice from friendly people.

[Jvacustoms]

Welcome to the Forum, Riding gear saves lives, consider it an insurance policy on your skin and bones... ride safe, enjoy

[alantf]

Hi there, With some of the money you've saved on the bike price, treat yourself to an engine guard. Dunno why they're called that because their job is to protect your legs when the bike goes down. They're the only thing that'll stop your leg getting squashed/burnt. Notice that I've put WHEN, not IF, the bike goes down. I'm not trying to alarm you, but I don't think there's anyone in the history of motorcycling who hasn't gone down at sometime in their riding career. One other point - if you do decide to buy an engine guard (and I wouldn't ride without one, and I've been riding for over 45 years) don't buy the Suzuki one. It's nothing more than an ornament! The Americans on this site will be able to point you in the right direction, as America has different brands to us. :2tup:

[mole2]

Welcome to the forum from South Carolina. Congrats on the new bike. Ride safe.


:)

[greatmaul]

Great pics! Welcome! I'm sure since you just had the BRC that you know about gloves, armored jacket, boots, helmet etc. It's pricey stuff, but really worth it, especially since you got such a great deal on such a great bike!

Also, since it's very low miles but 10 years on, you should check the dates on the sides of the tires. Mine was a 2000 with 6900 miles and the tires were original. Good tread or not, tires shouldn't go for much more than 6 years. The rubber gets old and dried up and cracked. My bike rides so much different now that I put brand new rubber on it.

There are date codes stamped into every tire. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11 It starts with DOT and there are a bunch of numbers at the end. If it's newer than 2000, then the last 3 numbers will be the important ones. They are "week, week, year" as in "246" would be 24th week in 2006. Mine said "1799" at the end which meant 17th week of 1999, and had very fine cracks along the sidewall, which is dry rot I found out, and a very bad sign.

Anyway, just tryin to help! Ride safe and best wishes from sunny CA where it's 27 degrees last night.

[NonallaNostrum]

There are date codes stamped into every tire. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... ?techid=11 (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11) It starts with DOT and there are a bunch of numbers at the end. If it's newer than 2000, then the last 3 numbers will be the important ones. They are "week, week, year" as in "246" would be 24th week in 2006. Mine said "1799" at the end which meant 17th week of 1999, and had very fine cracks along the sidewall, which is dry rot I found out, and a very bad sign.


Got that backwards. Prior to 2000 last number was year (3 digit) After 2000 it is 4 numbers, week,week,year,year. Not sure how yours said 1799, unless you are somewhere else. Not trying to be argumentative, just clarifying :) Very good point to check them tho, most people don't realize it.

[greatmaul]

Got that backwards. Prior to 2000 last number was year (3 digit) After 2000 it is 4 numbers, week,week,year,year. Not sure how yours said 1799, unless you are somewhere else. Not trying to be argumentative, just clarifying :) Very good point to check them tho, most people don't realize it.

Oh geez, you're totally right. I don't have the old tires any more, and was totally going off of memory, which is not good in my case. Thanks for the correction! Hate to be giving out wrong information.

[Water Warrior 2]

There you go Counselor. Check your tires for their date of manufacture. My guess is they are original and way too old to be safe. Oh yeah, welcome to the forum. We like new riders to show up and keep us old guys on our toes.

[Rookie Rider]

Welcome, ride safe. Mine is red too, high 5.

[Way]

Welcome aboard! Your bike looks totally awesome. The fact that it's the same color/decal as mine is totally coincidental to me saying it looks awesome. :cool:

Stay safe, browse through the forum, post up your riding experiences etc. I'm so jealous of southern winter weather now that I can't ride.

[TNCounselor4u]

Thank you all for the nice welcome. I took your advice and checked the age of the tires and they are 11 years old...yikes..then I checked the front tire (I have already been riding on them) and they are cracking along the sidewall. Questions: 1. Can anyone recommend an online place to buy tires and what tires are best for recreational occasional road driving: 2. I have read online that Seafoam is a good additive for my gas tank-can you comment on that; 3. How do I locate a reasonably priced motorcycle mechanic who can do general maintenace and swap out my tires (do they need balancing and rotation like car tires?)...THANK YOU :-)

[TNCounselor4u]

Welcome, ride safe. Mine is red too, high 5.


NICE RED BIKE :2tup:

[TNCounselor4u]

Great pics! Welcome! I'm sure since you just had the BRC that you know about gloves, armored jacket, boots, helmet etc. It's pricey stuff, but really worth it, especially since you got such a great deal on such a great bike!

Also, since it's very low miles but 10 years on, you should check the dates on the sides of the tires. Mine was a 2000 with 6900 miles and the tires were original. Good tread or not, tires shouldn't go for much more than 6 years. The rubber gets old and dried up and cracked. My bike rides so much different now that I put brand new rubber on it.

There are date codes stamped into every tire. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11 It starts with DOT and there are a bunch of numbers at the end. If it's newer than 2000, then the last 3 numbers will be the important ones. They are "week, week, year" as in "246" would be 24th week in 2006. Mine said "1799" at the end which meant 17th week of 1999, and had very fine cracks along the sidewall, which is dry rot I found out, and a very bad sign.

Anyway, just tryin to help! Ride safe and best wishes from sunny CA where it's 27 degrees last night.

What type of tires did you put on your bike and what type of driving do you do?

[Jvacustoms]

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com

http://www.cheapcycleparts.com

http://www.jpcycles.com

http://www.jafrum.com

Those are the places I get my gear and parts online hope this helps! :rawk:

[Water Warrior 2]

Counselor. The front and rear tires are made for their specific position so you don't rotate them. The tires are designed for specific duties on the bike. The front is for steering and braking primarily. The rear is for pushing the bike and braking primarily. Internal construction is different. They are also constructed to rotate one way for best performance. Their will be a small arrow on the sidewall to indicate the direction of rotation. Front and rear are also different size tires. Both will have tubes in them and at their present age I would replace them while replacing the tires. The contact patch is very small so you will want a better tire with better grip on the road. Old tires are a health risk.

[Gz Rider]

...

[JWR]

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/ ... cycle.aspx (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/378/MANFALLDIV/Kenda-Motorcycle-Tires-Cruiser-Motorcycle.aspx)

Usually over nite shipping.

Comes out of Louisville,Ky.

[greatmaul]

What type of tires did you put on your bike and what type of driving do you do?

Hi! I ordered tires from "Motorcycle Superstore" and went with Pirelli. The tire that fits the front is a Pirelli Sport Demon, size 110/90-16, http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/6243/ITEM/Pirelli-Sport-Demon-Sport-Touring-Front-Tire.aspx and the rear one is a Pirelli MT66 Route Tire, size 130/90-15. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/31/401/6239/ITEM/Pirelli-MT66-Route-Cruiser-Rear-Tire.aspx?WT.ac=SLIsearch Those are the stock tire sizes. They have "preferred installers" and free shipping, and will ship them to their shops so you can just ride over and the tires will be waiting. Saves having to drive the tires over in the car first. Also, that kind of eliminates the possibility that the installer will be mad you didn't buy from them, since they sign up to provide this service for m.s.

I'm pretty much a commuter, but I ride on a variety of surfaces. When I take the bike, it is about an hour and 45 minutes each way (170 miles round trip:) mostly freeway, but I live in the hills so the first/last 20 minutes or so is twisty mountain roads and the first/last 5 minutes or so is on a gravel/dirt road.

If your tires really are 11 years old, I'd definitely replace them. I'm sure whichever brand you picked, the new rubber would be wonderful. I didn't realize at first that my tires were old, so I drove them for a few weeks and I was always afraid of cornering and never really felt secure or comfortable in a turn. Once I got the new rubber, troubles were over, and cornering, even at speed, is a breeze.

[Jvacustoms]

I have the same tires as greatmaul and i like em better than the stock metzlers that came on it

[mole2]

... 2. I have read online that Seafoam is a good additive for my gas tank-can you comment on that ...

If you're having a problem then I would recommend you try Seafoam first before tearing down the carb as from what I can tell you'll be paying a mechanic to do it. I put Stabil in all my equipment including the boat and motorcycle with every fill up. I had it happen to me where I had put 85 gallons of fuel in my boat and then, due to an injury to my back, I couldn't use it for a year. If I hadn't put the Stabil in the fuel would have gone bad. It's a small cost to prevent gumming up and the breakdown of the fuel. You're only going to put 2 oz of Stabil in with each fill up so a bottle will last a while.

That's my story and I stand by it. :biggrin:


:)

[blaine]

I have read online that Seafoam is a good additive for my gas tank-can you comment on that;
I use SeaFoam in all my vehicles & swear by it.It is both a stabilizer and a cleaner,and IMHO,well worth the extra money over similar products.
:) :cool:

[Gz Rider]

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