My short, wild ride as a GZ250 owner

[superdave]

Hello everyone! I bought a nearly-pristine 03 in march and was thrilled with the beauty and rideability of the GZ. Nearly doubled the 1500 miles that were on it when i bought it. Then, on May 20, i made a fatal mistake. :skull: While trying to read address #'s in a search for a business in a nearby town, I turned my head back around to see a van stopped in the road in front of me. I jammed on the brakes, but could not stop in time and rear-ended it.

Fortunately, I always wear not only my helmet, but an armoured jacket, sidi boots, and knee pads as well. I was only slightly shaken up, and, outside of a couple minor bruises on my legs, unhurt. The bike was not so lucky; bent handlebars, broken master cylinder, scratched gas tank, and other assorted damage meant my beautiful bike was totalled.

Now for the happy ending: My insurance company valued the bike at $600 MORE than I paid for it. Even after my deductible, I made a profit!
And yesterday I won an auction for a 1998 Triumph Thunderbird Sport, which is even more handsome than the GZ250, hard as that is to believe.
It is a great, retro-style bike that is in excellent condition. My gf and I are making the 200+ mile trek from Ohio to Michigan to pick it up this weekend on her Norton Commando. Hope I am ready to step up to a 883cc bike! I am riding her bike to prepare me for the ride back. To be honest, although I still enjoyed riding my 250, I was feeling the desire for more power and more stability at highway speeds.

Hopefully, my lesson has been learned and I will pay more attention to the road on the Sport. I drive extensively for my job and haven't had something like that happen in 30 years. But you never know, so wear your helmets, kids!

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by superdave

Now for the happy ending:

My gf and I are making the 200+ mile trek from Ohio to Michigan to pick it up

Good story.....so far.

Let me caution you, however, not to let the "stars get into your eyes" with the new bike.
If you notice ANYTHING at all significantly wrong with it (except cosmetic "dings") consider the deal VERY carefully. VERY CAREFULLY.

Do NOT close the deal without an extensive test ride.

What you have written so far is often page 1 of a long and sad story; page 2 often is: "The present owner says it ONLY needs........." and sometimes includes "I gave him the money before I got a test ride........". Page 3 sometimes reads: "He didn't have the title (for whatever reason....)".

If the discussion includes the present owner saying about your objections "But we had a deal.....", your answer should be "So sue me". It's a bluff. Do NOT feel obligated to complete a deal where the current owner has not been 100% honest.

It often helps to have someone else along with you. Tell your GF "Don't let me do anything stupid........and then pay attention to what she has to say when you get there."

Good luck. Hope it works out good for you.

[superdave]

Thanks for the good wishes, easy rider. This bike was advertised as being in excellent condition, so if there is ANYTHING wrong with it when we test drive it, it will be a NO SALE...or a significant discount. I had a great experience buying my 250, but i know that is not always the case. :twisted:

[blaine]

Good luck with buying the thunderbird,keep us posted.Ride safe! :2tup:

[superdave]

I have been riding my tbird for over a month now...and i like it better every day! It was exactly as advertised and is more bike than i can handle right now, but i am growing into it and am sure it will be one i can ride for the rest of my biking life.

Below is a pic of me and the sport, with my gf and her norton. Makes a nicely matched pair, imho. Thanks for all your advice and good wishes. Good luck to all.

[superdave]

sorry about the size of the pic...can't figure out how to post a bigger one. it is larger on my computer, but condensed when i post it here.

[GZ Jess]

SuperDave, I noticed that you and your GF are in Ohio. I am always looking for someone to ride with and even better when there is another lady involved! Let me know if you ever head north, we could meet up!

Jessica

[superdave]

i will do that, jess!

am trying the pic as an attachment...

[alantf]

Still small Go to "post reply", then use the "send file" function underneath. It sends JPG fine. :2tup:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alantf

Still small Go to "post reply", then use the "send file" function underneath. It sends JPG fine. :2tup:

I think that's the only way you CAN do an attachment.
While relatively small, it is fine.
The original must have gotten compressed at his end somehow.