Couldn't resist. Should I sell?

greenhorn · 10-17-2009, 03:52 PM

My new ride: 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 500, 4200 miles on her. I rode it for the first time today after having it sit in my garage for two weeks... finally warm enough.

Wow. She's as smooth as silk. But I rode my GZ right after & man, I don't know if I could give it up. I'm going to have to check into insurance. I know I'll keep the GZ at least into late June to transition from the GZ to the vulcan but If I can justify keeping them both (reasonable insurance rate) , I know I will.

Looks like I can ride tomorrow too. :2tup: Who has two bikes and has kept their GZ?

Mary

Water Warrior 2 · 10-17-2009, 04:04 PM

Oh my, Multiple Bike Syndrome has reached out to another. LOL. Looks good and good for you.

JWR · 10-17-2009, 04:28 PM

dhgeyer · 10-17-2009, 05:27 PM

ME! ME! I've got 3 of them! And the GZ wouldn't be the first to go if one had to. MBS. It's a disease. There is no cure known to woman. My wife has been looking for an effective treatment for years. For me.

This condition doesn't usually affect females, at least as far as I have seen. It'll be interesting to see how badly infected you become. If it progresses beyond a certain point, you'll be more likely to buy another one (or more) than to sell either of the two you have. Scary, ain't it?

You have two fantastic rides there. Congratulations. They are both wonderful machines: fun, reliable, easy to maintain, fairly cheap to own and run. You could easily tour on the 500. You don't need any more. You don't need any more. Keep repeating that.

So many motorcycles, so little time.......

Easy Rider · 10-17-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Who has two bikes and has kept their GZ?

I am jealous. Sure, go ahead and rub it in !!!! :poke2: :biggrin:

I think I would have a problem with that.
The GZ handled so much different than the bigger bikes I've had, that I initially had severe oversteer with the GZ. Just about the time I got real comfortable with a bike that turned SOoooo easy...........I went back to a slightly bigger and heavier machine that you have to consciously TELL it where you want it to go and I had a case of understeer for a while.

Watch those curves and turns and you might see what I mean. If you don't see a difference, then you're good to go..........but I'm still jealous. :roll:

[edit] so the point IS....if you are like me and do see a big difference in the handling between the two bikes........you probably need to pick one and stick with it.

New GZ250 · 10-17-2009, 06:34 PM

Wish I had your dilemma, my wife is holding me back! Two to choose from, now that's a problem. Bikes are non judgmental too! Keep them!
:roll:

Water Warrior 2 · 10-17-2009, 07:08 PM

Unfortunately I can only afford one bike and that is only because there are no payments involved. Another bike and the added insurance which is financial rape in Canada prevents me from owning more than one bike. If I had the option of another bike it "might" be a Ninja 250. Small, light and lots of fun I am told.

alanmcorcoran · 10-18-2009, 06:24 AM

I kept mine (and still have it) but I never really came around to accepting the difference in power and I eventually stopped riding the GZ. I live about 2 miles up a steepish hill that the GZ has to be flogged to get up and, except for the commute to work, I mostly ride on the freeways. The GZ is just not appropriate for California freeway riding, period. When I got my big bike, the GZ had about 3200 miles on it. It has about 3500 on it now and the big bike has 6500. I've had the GZ up for sale for a while, but no takers at the price I'm asking.

One other dumb reason I like riding the big bike to work is that I feel safer putting my lappie in the cavernous saddlebags rather than bungie-ing it to the 2 up seat as I had been doing on the GZ. It's a stupid thing, but I'm susceptible to little conveniences.

Re big vs small bike handling: my riding skills had not developed to the point where I was really cornering all that well on the GZ at 3K. With 10,000 miles, the additional riding time has gradually improved my countersteering technique so that I am actually better now on the big bike on curves than I was on the GZ.

I also have trouble in several places with left turn "Smart signals" (the GZ won't consistently activate them.) Sometimes this happens with the Strat, but it's much less frequent. I hate waiting at lights, the tend to be long out here, it's often hot, and I especially don't want to sit through extra cycles.

Finally, I prefer the low end power of the Strat to the wound out screaming RPM's of the GZ. I suppose they are built for the high RPM's but I just prefer the no sweat power of the Yamaha that rarely gets over 3K RPMS.

BigIron · 10-18-2009, 08:14 PM

I moved up to a Suzuki C50. I like Suzuki. I still kept the GZ though. No one bought it. :roll:

burkbuilds · 10-19-2009, 08:46 PM

I didn't keep my GZ, I traded it in on my Vulcan 500 about 5-6 months ago. I think you are really gonna like that Vulcan, I've certainly enjoyed mine and I've put 6500 miles on it since I bought it. That said, there is nothing wrong with keeping the GZ, you may ride it some or maybe someone you know will want to ride along with you and use the GZ if they don't have a bike handy at the time, like maybe a visiting relative or friend from out of state. My financial situation (and my wife) wouldn't allow me to keep two bikes but if I hadn't needed the money and my wife had been more agreeable about it, I probably would have held on to the GZ for a while anyway.

10-17-2009, 03:52 PM	#1
greenhorn Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 85	Couldn't resist. Should I sell? My new ride: 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 500, 4200 miles on her. I rode it for the first time today after having it sit in my garage for two weeks... finally warm enough. Wow. She's as smooth as silk. But I rode my GZ right after & man, I don't know if I could give it up. I'm going to have to check into insurance. I know I'll keep the GZ at least into late June to transition from the GZ to the vulcan but If I can justify keeping them both (reasonable insurance rate) , I know I will. Looks like I can ride tomorrow too. :2tup: Who has two bikes and has kept their GZ? Mary Login or Register to Remove Ads
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10-17-2009, 04:04 PM	#2
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? Oh my, Multiple Bike Syndrome has reached out to another. LOL. Looks good and good for you.
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10-17-2009, 04:28 PM	#3
JWR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisville, TN Posts: 1,413	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? __________________ Jerry Truth is there are lots of great bikes available and not nearly as many good riders out there riding them... "A man's got to know his limitations..." Login or Register to Remove Ads
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10-17-2009, 05:27 PM	#4
dhgeyer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Merrimack NH USA Posts: 722	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? ME! ME! I've got 3 of them! And the GZ wouldn't be the first to go if one had to. MBS. It's a disease. There is no cure known to woman. My wife has been looking for an effective treatment for years. For me. This condition doesn't usually affect females, at least as far as I have seen. It'll be interesting to see how badly infected you become. If it progresses beyond a certain point, you'll be more likely to buy another one (or more) than to sell either of the two you have. Scary, ain't it? You have two fantastic rides there. Congratulations. They are both wonderful machines: fun, reliable, easy to maintain, fairly cheap to own and run. You could easily tour on the 500. You don't need any more. You don't need any more. Keep repeating that. So many motorcycles, so little time....... __________________ 54 HD Hummer,64 Honda150,66 Ducati250,01 Vulcan500,02 Vulcan1500,83 Nighthawk650,91 K75,95 VLX,04 VLX,01 GS500E,01 Ninja250, 02 Rebel,04 Ninja500,06 Concours,96 R850R
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10-17-2009, 06:34 PM	#6
New GZ250 Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Palo Alto, CA Posts: 297	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? Wish I had your dilemma, my wife is holding me back! Two to choose from, now that's a problem. Bikes are non judgmental too! Keep them! :roll:
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10-17-2009, 07:08 PM	#7
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? Unfortunately I can only afford one bike and that is only because there are no payments involved. Another bike and the added insurance which is financial rape in Canada prevents me from owning more than one bike. If I had the option of another bike it "might" be a Ninja 250. Small, light and lots of fun I am told.
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10-18-2009, 06:24 AM	#8
alanmcorcoran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,926	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? I kept mine (and still have it) but I never really came around to accepting the difference in power and I eventually stopped riding the GZ. I live about 2 miles up a steepish hill that the GZ has to be flogged to get up and, except for the commute to work, I mostly ride on the freeways. The GZ is just not appropriate for California freeway riding, period. When I got my big bike, the GZ had about 3200 miles on it. It has about 3500 on it now and the big bike has 6500. I've had the GZ up for sale for a while, but no takers at the price I'm asking. One other dumb reason I like riding the big bike to work is that I feel safer putting my lappie in the cavernous saddlebags rather than bungie-ing it to the 2 up seat as I had been doing on the GZ. It's a stupid thing, but I'm susceptible to little conveniences. Re big vs small bike handling: my riding skills had not developed to the point where I was really cornering all that well on the GZ at 3K. With 10,000 miles, the additional riding time has gradually improved my countersteering technique so that I am actually better now on the big bike on curves than I was on the GZ. I also have trouble in several places with left turn "Smart signals" (the GZ won't consistently activate them.) Sometimes this happens with the Strat, but it's much less frequent. I hate waiting at lights, the tend to be long out here, it's often hot, and I especially don't want to sit through extra cycles. Finally, I prefer the low end power of the Strat to the wound out screaming RPM's of the GZ. I suppose they are built for the high RPM's but I just prefer the no sweat power of the Yamaha that rarely gets over 3K RPMS. __________________ [hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq] http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More…
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10-18-2009, 08:14 PM	#9
BigIron Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ohio,USA Posts: 51	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? I moved up to a Suzuki C50. I like Suzuki. I still kept the GZ though. No one bought it. :roll:
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10-19-2009, 08:46 PM	#10
burkbuilds Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shannon, Georgia Posts: 1,268	Re: Couldn't resist. Should I sell? I didn't keep my GZ, I traded it in on my Vulcan 500 about 5-6 months ago. I think you are really gonna like that Vulcan, I've certainly enjoyed mine and I've put 6500 miles on it since I bought it. That said, there is nothing wrong with keeping the GZ, you may ride it some or maybe someone you know will want to ride along with you and use the GZ if they don't have a bike handy at the time, like maybe a visiting relative or friend from out of state. My financial situation (and my wife) wouldn't allow me to keep two bikes but if I hadn't needed the money and my wife had been more agreeable about it, I probably would have held on to the GZ for a while anyway.
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