Re: My first bike
 

I'll take some pictures of the tank bag and post them ASAP. Ride safe! :2tup:

Re: My first bike
 

Right on, I can appreciate your thoughts about it. That's what's great about it - we can each do "our own thang." I am curious though - you mention something about a 'bracket' being needed for the saddlebags.... I didn't need one for mine, simply took the back seat off and put 'em right on. What kind of bags were you looking at?

AZ Kev

Re: My first bike
 

Suzuki sells brackets that holds their saddle bags but I guess you don't even need them becuz your way works just fine. I find suzuki's accessories much too expensive for my taste. A $10 backpack suits me just fine.

Cayuse, sweet video of your bike ride. I like the little twisties and the turns looks like fun. Where's your pic of your tank bag I may want to copy it. Thanks!

Re: My first bike
 

The brackets bolt to the rear fender supports and keep the bags OFF of the rear wheel and spokes. That is VERY important. If the bag hits the tire, it can fold IN and lock up the rear wheel .......maybe throwing you off in the process.

If you post a picture or two, we can all chime in with 14 conficting opinions and keep the thread going for MONTHS. :biggrin:

From your avatar, they look rather large and behind the springs; exactly where you don't want them to be......without the safety brackets.

Re: My first bike
 

Reyji, here are a few pictures of my homemade tank bag. I call it 'the mother of all tank bags' since it's so big.

Here's what I did with the straps. A velcro loop around the shoulder straps to shorten them up, and a couple of bungees looped through the D-rings on the ends.
http://s1.postimage.org/9oWA.jpg

Here you see how I threaded the waist strap through the frame under the front of the tank. I wrapped some padding around the buckle to protect the paint. I also have some spongy drawer liner material between the tank and bag to prevent scratching.
http://s4.postimage.org/7rQlS.jpg

Here you see I have a strap tied into my seat bracket and I put a loop of velcro through it and the backpack handle to stabilize that end.
http://s3.postimage.org/nhalS.jpg

Here you see how the bungees hook onto the frame. I'm using plastic hooks so they don't scratch anything. The shoulder straps are adjusted so the buckles aren't contacting the tank. Believe it or not, the straps don't interfere with my legs.
http://s1.postimage.org/aIfi.jpg

Here's the whole thing. Yes, it's huge, but it's holding my jacket liner, a wind breaker, and my full-size coffee thermos, plus my sunglasses, garage door opener, camera, extra bungees, a towel, wipes, warm gloves, and some maps. And I can still see my speedo and I don't really notice it's there when I'm riding. It's very stable, too. To re-fuel, I rip off the rear velcro and unhook the left-hand bungees and loop them around the right mirror, which lifts the whole thing off the tank out of the way.
http://s3.postimage.org/ngMpr.jpg

One day I'll get a cool Joe Rocket Manta but for now this works. :cool:

Re: My first bike
 

Oh cool pretty ingenious way of devising a backpack on a bike. Great that it works for you perfectly! Im going to buy some bungee cords and find a way to place my camping gear on the back seat. You inspired me. Thanks for sharing the detailed pics that's pretty clever. :2tup:

Re: My first bike
 

I always thought I'd get a bigger bike, and probably will someday. But everytime I take my GZ out for a ride I end up asking, "why?" It's quick, maneuverable, and stylish. Throw in economical, and it's a grand slam! Keep the shiny side up, brothers...

Re: My first bike
 

Couldn't have said it better. :yes:

Re: My first bike
 

For most of the world's population a 250cc bike is big. Untold thousands throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America use 100cc and 125cc machines for daily transportation, and do just fine. In Guatemala I've often seen families of 3 and even 4 getting around on a 125. Admittedly it's not the safest way to ride, but they get around!

The GZ is an excellent motorcycle for anyone who wants a cheap and reliable basic motorcycle that is easy to ride and maintain. It's not the best choice for long trips or highways, but apart from that it readily serves most purposes just fine.

The key to fully enjoying it is being secure and independent enough to not follow the crowd (or the ego) and get more than one really needs. I suspect that hospitals (and cemeteries) are filled with poor souls who allowed peer pressure or Freudian insecurities to push them onto machines that were far beyond their needs or their skills.

Re: My first bike
 

That's awesome I really like what you wrote. In other countries like you mentioned the bikes tend to be smaller and they all serve a very practical purpose. In North America our society portrays motorcycles differently. The bigger, faster, shinier and louder the bike is the more valued it is. Nothing really wrong with that it's just the way it is. It's the ego I think is the problem. The ego believes that bigger and faster is better and to be honest sometimes I struggle with that because there are times I wish I was on a bigger bike. Its an ego thing I know but in my heart I am very content with my GZ its the perfect bike for me at this time. As a first year rider I really enjoy riding it and I am always excited about my next ride. Maybe because I am still a new rider and the excitement will probably wear off over time but for now my little GZ makes me happy and that's all that matters. I think its good for the soul and I can see myself riding and feeling the same kind of excitement for many more years to come. :)

ROCK ON AND RIDE ON! :rawk: