[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.