New member from southeast VA

[LilNinja77]

Hi all, new member here who doesn't own a gz yet, but is hoping to eventually add one to my garage. I love small bikes and just don't understand the whole "bigger is better" mentality that dominates the market :tdown: . I'm currently loving my '07 Kawasaki Ninja 250 and the forum for that bike, but having ridden a gz 250 when I took my MSF basic-course last summer, want to have two small bikes to tear the backroads up with (and even then I'll only have spent half of what a base-model Harley costs :lol: ....at least around here, the dealers waaaay overcharge). Anyway, on to my request.
I know some consider this to be the "off-season", but I don't believe in such things and still prefer to take the Ninja over the truck, rain or shine, hot or cold. If there are any members around the southeast VA or northeast NC area that would like to join me for a ride please let me know, most of the bikes on the road near me are either crotch-rockets with squids on them or huge cruisers with overweight guys on them........I never find any other bikes on the backroads I love so much...I don't understand it :??: Have fun out there and ride safe everyone.
http://www.postimage.org/aV2wrzvi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV2wrzvi)

[CMS]

Hello and welcome , I too share your thoughts on the smaller bikes. I grew up on 60,100 and 100+ cc bikes. They were fun then and still are. My biggest bike is a 650,but I find I only ride it when the wife is with me. In all these years I still ride /go, and do the same things I did on the early bikes. Maybe thats boring to some, but I still return from rides with a great big smile on my face. The Forum here is very good,they just need to post a little more often. The Ninja 250 forum is very active, as you probaly know.I'm really liking the new 08 Ninja,maybe I could talk the wife into buying one for her? :tup: CMS

[Water Warrior 2]

Gotta agree with the smaller bike theory. Happy Hobo plans on riding her 250 half way across Canada in June and I will be on my 650 which is way faster than I am brave. Modern bikes don't have to be monster bikes for a good ride or a good rush. It's how you ride what you have, knowing the limits of the bike and yourself.

[LilNinja77]

I'm really liking the new 08 Ninja,maybe I could talk the wife into buying one for her? CMS

Hey CMS, at the IMC in Washington DC they had several floor models of the new Ninja available for "test-fitting", and the entire day I was there all three of the bikes were constantly being sat on; most of the time by women who seemed to absolutely love it.....so maybe you really can get your wife to fall for one. Here's a couple of pics of myself on it. Yeah the Ninja 250 forum is really really active, members are everywhere and it's a very fun board to be a part of. Check back periodically if you do think you'll buy one of the new models, one of the moderators just bought a shiny red one and is working hard at updating the FAQ section for the new model.
http://www.postimage.org/Pq2t4yg0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2t4yg0)

http://www.postimage.org/Pq2t58G9.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq2t58G9)

Ride safe

[CMS]

Thanks for the reply and pic! I like the green one. I'am waiting on the local dealer to receive his shipment. Surfing the Ninja 250 net for the info and comments untill they arrive. CMS :tup:

[molly]

i am in northeastern nc and own a gz250 and hd sportster 1200c. i would be interested in joining others on rides on the 250....lemme know when and where. i am pretty busy, even on weekends, but will do whatever i can to make time for a ride!

[LilNinja77]

Hello Molly, would love to join you for a ride sometime. Where in northeast NC are you at, I just spent 5 hours riding through there on the ninja yesterday in all that rain! Needless to say the "ole girl" needs a wash now to get all that road-grime off. I don't want to impose a time upon you since you have a busy schedule, so just let me know whenever you know you'll have a free day for riding. I can ride down to your area or you mine, or meet in the middle, whatever works out. I'll be moving across the state at the end of April, so I hope we can get together before then. Thanks for the invite!

BTW, the sportster 1200 is the king of Harleys in my mind, would love to have one myself but for now that is an expense that's a little too steep. If/when I buy a cruiser it'll probably be the Vulcan 500, it's got the Ninja 500 parallel twin in it and fits me like a glove :drool: I've never been a huge v-twin kinda guy, but I absolutely love the parallel twins. Meh, if anything my next bike will likely be smaller than the Ninja 250, it has all the power I need for street riding and touring and I see no reason to get something larger/faster when it would just be superfluous. I look forward to riding with another fellow 250 sometime, let me know when you can make it!
Ride safe

[molly]

Oh geeez! And I would LOVE to have a Vulcan! LOL! Guess i waited too late to respond, but perhaps we can still get together for a ride some time. Where did you move to? I have lots of relatives in Virginia, so i pretty much know one area from another. I'll check back for a response SOONER this time...Happy riding!!!

[LilNinja77]

I'm living in Blacksburg now, for school. It's a bit of a difference from home. I left a 350 acre farm and now am in an apartment....... :??: But it's only for a year, so I'm trying not to stress on it. I'm without my Ninja for now, she stayed back home; and of course there are more than a few beautiful bike roads out here......nice twisty mountain backroads. At the moment my 2 wheel fun is going to be limited to pedal-power, which isn't too bad considering how bicycle friendly Blacksburg is....Huckleberry Trail is freaking great!

And of course I've already spotted 2 or 3 other Ninja 250's in the city, and I don't have mine with me! Haven't seen any GZ250's yet, though I've seen a couple Rebels and a Virago 250. Actually this morning I saw a STUNNING Yamaha (think it was an 1100) with a black/purple paint job that could only bring one response :drool: :drool: :drool: For a brief moment I thought of becoming a bike thief :roll: , but then realized the owner was standing right there holding a large air-tool (the bike was parked outside a garage) and thought better of the idea :neener:
Ride safe

[molly]

Will you be returning to this area next year? What are u studying? Sounds like a great place to be, except for the apartment. I am a country girl....LOL!

[LilNinja77]

I intend to move back to the southeast VA or northeast NC area more than likely.....though at the moment I don't even know if I'll be here the full year, my knees are acting up on me again. FYI my knees suck :tdown: , I had surgery on the left last August and am already anticipating having to get the right worked on as well....it's acting the same way the left one did before it got REALLY painful. I'm attending BRSMY (blue ridge school of massage and yoga), for clinical massage and shiatsu, but if my knees don't stop hurting there's no way I'll be able to continue attending right now. Despite what many people would think, properly done body-work is quite strenuous to the practitioner.....and bad knees aren't exactly helping. I completely agree about "except for the apartment"......I grew up on a farm and that's where I should be damnit! Eh, gotta run, almost time to leave for class.
Ride safe

[molly]

My, how interesting....except for the bad knees, of course. I am very sorry about that, and hope you feel better soon. I am in Northeast NC. Which part are you moving to? We are about an hour from the coast.

[LilNinja77]

Ok, just got back from class. Luckily the knees didn't act-up tonight and things were fun :2tup: , ummm, if I move back to VA it'll probably be in the Suffolk/Holland area (where I'm from), or in NC probably somewhere between Hatteras and the Crystal Coast depending on a few things.
Ride safe

[molly]

WOW! I am familiar with that area. It's really expensive to live there. I wanted to at one time, but realized quickly i could not afford it.
Glad your knees are doing better, and hope they stay that way. Would be interested to know when you move back this way, as perhaps you could join me, my husband, and/or some of our friends for a ride. The more the merrier!

[LilNinja77]

Yes, it can be expensive.....hence why I said depending on a few things. Actually, if you look at the prices once you get about 20-30 minutes inland, the price usually drops considerably; so hopefully things will work out
Ride safe

[molly]

dh and i are about an hour inland. lemme know when you get back this way!!!

[LilNinja77]

Will do, riding with other 250's is always a fun time :2tup: ........or who knows, perhaps I'll add another bike to the stable and we can go cruising together with that XL1200 of yours :tup: Actually I just got another bike.....pedal-powered though. Since my ninja is about 6 hours away and I'm in need of the exercise (about 20 lbs. overweight), I figured why the hell not. Outfitted with an 8 gallon action-packer (just like my ninja), grocery runs are on the schedule! Back when I was going through physical therapy after my knee surgery, biking was one of the biggest things that helped me out, so I'm hoping things will strengthen up a bit in there and perhaps my knee will get a little stronger as well.

http://www.postimage.org/aV1Z_Chi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1Z_Chi)

Ride safe

[jonathan180iq]

Pretty sweet bike. What is that? Looks like a KHS

[LilNinja77]

I looked it up and it does look a lot like a KHS green, doesn't it? But no, I didn't know nearly enough about the better-quality companies to feel comfortable investing major $$$ in a bicycle, so I took the cheap and easy route.......
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... id=9207802 (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9207802)
I'm no hardcore biker or anything, it's just a grocery-getter and leisure bike for now. If I find it too addicting I'll then proceed with buying a more custom fit bike that'll last a long time.
Ride safe

[jonathan180iq]

That's a Walmart bike?!? Not too bad. I didn't know Wally made a bike with fenders and such that was actually useful for something.
I don't ride newer high end bikes but I do appreciate the better quality components that you find at bike shops. The frames from Wal-mart are about the same as ones you find elsewhere, just a bit heavier.

Anyway, nice pick up.

Keep those legs moving and you may soon find that you spend more time on the bicycle than the motrocycle. I know I did last year.

[LilNinja77]

Yeah I'm still trying to refine the whole "spinning" process to battle hills.....as there are more than a few out here in Blacksburg. But the way I figure it, once I get used to the hills, any flat-land riding will be a piece of cake :cool: Is there any trick to becoming comfortable with mixing it up with traffic, or is just something you have to get out there and expose yourself to, hoping that one day you'll be able to stop clinching your jaw and relax a little? :cuss: I wouldn't say I feel like I'm about to get run-over, but it's still not the most comforting feeling in the world.
Ride safe

[jonathan180iq]

It's an acquired taste. I still get scared every now and then when you hear a car coming and don't hear them let up on their speed a bit to pass. You'll become ultra-aware of your surroundings and it won't bother you as bad with a little more experience. Honestly, since the bicycle is so quiet and you can hear every rolling tire or roaring motor within a few hundred feet, I feel safer on my bicycle than I do on the motorcycle. You also always have the option of ditching onto the side of the road and you won't be too badly banged up.

Don't let the people who pass by and yell stupid things get to you either.

Also, don't let idiot drivers make you angry. When you let that emoition take over is when you get yourself hurt. A lot of riding a bike on the road is like being on the motorcycle. You'll NEVER win a fight with a car. Just hold your position, hold your composure and remember that you are a vehicle on the road just like the "A" hole in the Escalade.

There are pretty good videos on Youtube about bicycle commuting and they give some pretty good tips and support to novies. Check them just by searching for
"bike commuting" or "bicycle commuting"

OH yeah, wear something reflective or yellow.

That's about it. Like I said, it gets easier the more you do it.

[LilNinja77]

Damn, this is more addicting than motorcycles! Went ahead and bought a second bike today, for those days where I'm just riding for the joy of riding, not for hauling groceries. Since my other bike is more of a standard-position, this is my sportbike :tup:

http://www.postimage.org/Pq16Lvq0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq16Lvq0)

Rode about 20 miles on it today, smooth as butter, even on the numerous hills along the way. I can already see I'll be needing new brakes relatively soon though......that thing picks up so much speed and requires such hard braking as a result. Luckily there are several nice bike-shops in town that offer pretty cheap-services. Now I just need to bring my mountain bike up here and hit the trails. As it is when you walk in to my apartment the first thing you see are three bikes leaned against the wall (my 2 and my mothers', for when she comes to visit).......now I'm mad that back home there isn't anywhere to bicycle, the house is directly off of 58.......leave the driveway and the speed limit is 60 mph :mad: I can count the number of bicycles I've seen back in Suffolk on one hand, and they were all downtown.....no thank you I don't think I'll be riding through there :tdown:
Ride safe

[jonathan180iq]

I thought about the Varsity once. I even sat on one. They only come in one size and I was too tall for it. It's good to see you getting into it. Now just add some panniers (that's bicycle talk for saddlebags) and start riding to work.

I'll go ahead and suggest letting your local bike shop set the bike up for you. LEt them look it over and replace some of the cheap walmart parts with good quality stuff, like brake pads. Your bike will last much longer like that and you'll enjoy the ride even more.

www.bikenashbar.com (http://www.bikenashbar.com)

That website is heaven

[LilNinja77]

Hey thanks for the link, I'll have to get familiar with it some :tup: Actually I went ahead and stopped by one of the local bike shops today to pick up a good quality air pump......those cheapy Wally-world ones don't cut it for these 100 psi tires. They replaced the tube in my front tire with some racing tube (it was pinched and wasn't holding air properly), he told me the name and I just can't remember it right now, supposed to be more durable. Was already thinking of getting them to upgrade the brakes and set the chain at a good tension.....go figure, I'm completely fine playing with the chain on my Ninja, but don't feel comfortable messing with my bicycle chain :blush: This is definitely more addicting than I originally anticipated!

I've got the action-packer on the Magellan, and one of those little under-seat bags on the Varsity. Obviously I can always carry a backpack, but you know better than I do how sweaty that can get. Besides, I normally am already wearing my Camelback.
Ride safe

[jonathan180iq]

Sounds like you've got a plan. Keep at it.

I've found that bicycle maintenance has actually helped in my understanding of motorcycles. The only difference is that when things are out of adjustment with a bicycle chain, the whole shifting system suffers. I don't feel comfortable with the chain either, but I can do derailleur adjustments no problem.

[Water Warrior 2]

When I retired 3 years ago and moved to the West Coast I brought my bike with me rather than just give it away for a song. Great weather and scenery here so I road a lot. Three months later I bought my Suzuki. Guess which one gets ridden the most ??