Hai Guys!

PhyPhoestilic · 11-01-2010, 03:12 AM

Hi guys,

I'm 22 years old and the new owner of a 2005 GZ250, it's my 3rd motorcycle but technically my first working one :tongue: . Over the summer I was living with 2 roommmates who both rode on a daily basis (sportsbikes) and it made me finally decide to get a motorcycle myself. I've always wanted one since I was in high school but never had the money and I was never able to convince my parents that I'd b okay. But I figure now is a better time than never.

Now a little history of my motorcycle escapades. (Skip if you don't feel like reading)
After I saved up some money over the summer I went and bought a cheap ($400) 79 Yamaha IT175 dirt bike, which I took home and rode for all of about 2 minutes before it decide to crap out on me. I was originally planning on learning on the junker and then upgrading to a cruiser. But I ended up spending the whole summer fixing it up, practically changing everything on it and but it still barely ran. I only got about 5 minutes of it riding around my front yard in 1st gear (I had no motorcycle experience or anything at the time and never drove a manual, so the clutch concept was a whole new thing for me). But all in all it still has a lot of problems that makes it unsafe for riding. So I was all about ready to give up on ever riding a motorcycle, but then on a trip home to my parents my dad told me I could have the old junker he had sitting on the front porch. It was a 78 Yamaha XS1100 that had about 78k miles on it and was in really bad shape. The front wheel was locked up and the carburetors leaked gas, but the engine still ran. So I had a new spark of hope for my chance at riding, that was until I realized how much I would probably have to spend on parts to maybe have a chance of getting the XS11 to ride. I was looking at about $1-2k in parts alone, and that still wasn't a guarantee that it would work correctly. I decided that I'd rather spend that money on getting a used motorcycle.

Then I spotted the GZ250 on craigslist and I couldn't resist picking her up. I found it for $1.5k but after negotiations I got it down to $1k (I had to pay about $250 for back fees and a new battery). While talking to the guy about the motorcycle I went ahead and got my motorcycle permit at the short lines at the DMV. It only took me 5 hours :roll: , but then again thats cause I didn't have a appointment. Then I got one of my roommates to go with me to pick up the bike for me, we got it back to the house and I started learning how to ride. First in the driveway going up and down slowly learning how to shift, come to a stop, taking off, making slow u-turns, etc, pretty much all the basic stuff. I've must've spend 2-3 hours riding the bike that first day. On 2nd and 3rd days I pushed myself to cruise around the neighborhood, and found some empty stretches of rode to shift all the way up to 5th gear and all the way back down. I think I put about 50 miles on the bike just riding in a 2-3 mile radius :tongue: . Finally I figured I was ready enough for the road. On that monday I went ahead and rode the motorcycle to school, it's a 12 mile commute each way. At first I was really scared and intimidated by the cars and traffic in general, but after 2 or 3 days I got used to it (not to mention stalling a few times at a sloped red light :sad: ). But I've been riding the motorcycle to school everyday since and it's be really fun. Plus going from about $5 a day in gas to $5 a week has really made me happy.

All that was about 3 weeks ago. I picked up the motorcycle at 5,110 miles and now it's sitting at about 5,900. When I picked up the motorcycle I changed the oil, front brakes, and lubed up the chain. Last weekend I did a 75 mile cruise around to a local lake to check out the scenery plus test myself with a longer ride. This weekend I topped that. I just finished a 325 mile ride from Riverside to Tehachapi and back , it was 8 hours long and was really cold at night. If I was able to ride on the freeway it would've been 3 hours each way, but the 250 really can't handle it. I'll post more info about that in the ride trip part.

Anyways sorry for the long write up but here are some pictures.

blaine · 11-01-2010, 09:47 AM

Welcome to the forum.It would be a good idea to take a safety course to make sure you don't develope any bad riding habits.Youwill need to do some maintance in the near future,oil change,check air filter,and a valve adjustment.Ride safe and good luck.
:2tup:

alanmcorcoran · 11-01-2010, 03:08 PM

Looks good. Tires look pretty good in the picture, but something to keep an eye on. I'm not too far from you. Might be able to hook up for a Riverside Co. Group ride. (I'm right at the edge of OC in AH near Corona.) Get out your way a lot.

mole2 · 11-02-2010, 02:17 AM

Welcome aboard and congrats on the new (to you) bike. She looks good. Mine was a black one also.

As mentioned, you should look into the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Riders Course (MSF BRC). It will prevent bad habits and teach you the safe way to ride. While I'm not a year round All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) person, I do recommend 6" or higher boots (work boots will do) Helmet and gloves. I never leave home without them. I do wear ATGATT when the weather cools here (like now) but when it's 90+ degrees and 90+ humidity (like this past May to September) I do change to shorts and a T Shirt (not recommended). Again, good luck and ride safe.

PhyPhoestilic · 11-02-2010, 03:30 AM

I did look into the MSF course originally but I just didn't have money to cover the cost of it. I had enough money to pick up the GZ250, pay for the registration (a few months in back fees) and my insurance for the year. I couldn't justify the extra $250 (over 21) for the MSF course. I have done a lot of research and practice on my own in terms of emergency maneuvers and basic things to look out for when riding about. Maybe I'll take the course in the future to get some additional tips, but right now I plan on taking the DMV riding skills test to get my license. I've practiced a little over the weekends and the test itself isn't too hard, especially with a small easy to maneuver motorcycle like the GZ250.

As for as gear goes I have a full-face helmet that I wear everywhere. Then some basic riding gloves that my brother gave me that have extra protection for the palms and knuckles. But other than that I generally ride around in jeans and a jacket of some sort. Hopefully in the future I can pick up some leather gloves/jacket and boots too, but that'll all have to wait till I have more money.

blaine · 11-24-2010, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracyk859

Hi, I am Tracy . I am a new member of forum. Would a newcomer be warmly welcome here? Good day you guys!!!

__________________
watch tangled online free

You most certainly welcome.Come on in!

:2tup: No Spammers! :mad:

alantf · 11-24-2010, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blaine

You most certainly welcome.Come on in!

.........NOT............. She's a spammer!!!!!!!!!!! :cuss:

cayuse · 11-24-2010, 04:35 PM

Ya, I wonder if rachely476 and tracyk859 are really the same 'person'
check the signature (for free online movies)

Water Warrior 2 · 11-24-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhyPhoestilic

I did look into the MSF course originally but I just didn't have money to cover the cost of it. I had enough money to pick up the GZ250, pay for the registration (a few months in back fees) and my insurance for the year. I couldn't justify the extra $250 (over 21) for the MSF course. I have done a lot of research and practice on my own in terms of emergency maneuvers and basic things to look out for when riding about. Maybe I'll take the course in the future to get some additional tips, but right now I plan on taking the DMV riding skills test to get my license. I've practiced a little over the weekends and the test itself isn't too hard, especially with a small easy to maneuver motorcycle like the GZ250.

As for as gear goes I have a full-face helmet that I wear everywhere. Then some basic riding gloves that my brother gave me that have extra protection for the palms and knuckles. But other than that I generally ride around in jeans and a jacket of some sort. Hopefully in the future I can pick up some leather gloves/jacket and boots too, but that'll all have to wait till I have more money.

Beg borrow or steal a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. It is the bible of riding and well worth the time to read it cover to cover.

PhyPhoestilic · 11-25-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Beg borrow or steal a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. It is the bible of riding and well worth the time to read it cover to cover.

Yup, I'll look into getting a copy of it sometime.

On a side note I finally got my M1 license, I did the little riding test at the DMV. It was pretty hard but not impossible. Been wanting to go on another ride (was looking at the 74 and 243 that was mentioned earlier) but it's been pretty chilly and I don't really have any winter gear.:tongue:

11-01-2010, 03:12 AM	#1
PhyPhoestilic Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Perris, CA Posts: 15	Hai Guys! Hi guys, I'm 22 years old and the new owner of a 2005 GZ250, it's my 3rd motorcycle but technically my first working one :tongue: . Over the summer I was living with 2 roommmates who both rode on a daily basis (sportsbikes) and it made me finally decide to get a motorcycle myself. I've always wanted one since I was in high school but never had the money and I was never able to convince my parents that I'd b okay. But I figure now is a better time than never. Now a little history of my motorcycle escapades. (Skip if you don't feel like reading) After I saved up some money over the summer I went and bought a cheap ($400) 79 Yamaha IT175 dirt bike, which I took home and rode for all of about 2 minutes before it decide to crap out on me. I was originally planning on learning on the junker and then upgrading to a cruiser. But I ended up spending the whole summer fixing it up, practically changing everything on it and but it still barely ran. I only got about 5 minutes of it riding around my front yard in 1st gear (I had no motorcycle experience or anything at the time and never drove a manual, so the clutch concept was a whole new thing for me). But all in all it still has a lot of problems that makes it unsafe for riding. So I was all about ready to give up on ever riding a motorcycle, but then on a trip home to my parents my dad told me I could have the old junker he had sitting on the front porch. It was a 78 Yamaha XS1100 that had about 78k miles on it and was in really bad shape. The front wheel was locked up and the carburetors leaked gas, but the engine still ran. So I had a new spark of hope for my chance at riding, that was until I realized how much I would probably have to spend on parts to maybe have a chance of getting the XS11 to ride. I was looking at about $1-2k in parts alone, and that still wasn't a guarantee that it would work correctly. I decided that I'd rather spend that money on getting a used motorcycle. Then I spotted the GZ250 on craigslist and I couldn't resist picking her up. I found it for $1.5k but after negotiations I got it down to $1k (I had to pay about $250 for back fees and a new battery). While talking to the guy about the motorcycle I went ahead and got my motorcycle permit at the short lines at the DMV. It only took me 5 hours :roll: , but then again thats cause I didn't have a appointment. Then I got one of my roommates to go with me to pick up the bike for me, we got it back to the house and I started learning how to ride. First in the driveway going up and down slowly learning how to shift, come to a stop, taking off, making slow u-turns, etc, pretty much all the basic stuff. I've must've spend 2-3 hours riding the bike that first day. On 2nd and 3rd days I pushed myself to cruise around the neighborhood, and found some empty stretches of rode to shift all the way up to 5th gear and all the way back down. I think I put about 50 miles on the bike just riding in a 2-3 mile radius :tongue: . Finally I figured I was ready enough for the road. On that monday I went ahead and rode the motorcycle to school, it's a 12 mile commute each way. At first I was really scared and intimidated by the cars and traffic in general, but after 2 or 3 days I got used to it (not to mention stalling a few times at a sloped red light :sad: ). But I've been riding the motorcycle to school everyday since and it's be really fun. Plus going from about $5 a day in gas to $5 a week has really made me happy. All that was about 3 weeks ago. I picked up the motorcycle at 5,110 miles and now it's sitting at about 5,900. When I picked up the motorcycle I changed the oil, front brakes, and lubed up the chain. Last weekend I did a 75 mile cruise around to a local lake to check out the scenery plus test myself with a longer ride. This weekend I topped that. I just finished a 325 mile ride from Riverside to Tehachapi and back , it was 8 hours long and was really cold at night. If I was able to ride on the freeway it would've been 3 hours each way, but the 250 really can't handle it. I'll post more info about that in the ride trip part. Anyways sorry for the long write up but here are some pictures. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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11-01-2010, 09:47 AM	#2
blaine Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: P.E.I. Canada Posts: 3,784	Re: Hai Guys! Welcome to the forum.It would be a good idea to take a safety course to make sure you don't develope any bad riding habits.Youwill need to do some maintance in the near future,oil change,check air filter,and a valve adjustment.Ride safe and good luck. :2tup: __________________ If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised.
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11-01-2010, 03:08 PM	#3
alanmcorcoran Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,926	Re: Hai Guys! Looks good. Tires look pretty good in the picture, but something to keep an eye on. I'm not too far from you. Might be able to hook up for a Riverside Co. Group ride. (I'm right at the edge of OC in AH near Corona.) Get out your way a lot. __________________ [hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq] http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More… Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

11-02-2010, 02:17 AM	#4
mole2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Longs, SC Posts: 1,469	Re: Hai Guys! Welcome aboard and congrats on the new (to you) bike. She looks good. Mine was a black one also. As mentioned, you should look into the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Riders Course (MSF BRC). It will prevent bad habits and teach you the safe way to ride. While I'm not a year round All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) person, I do recommend 6" or higher boots (work boots will do) Helmet and gloves. I never leave home without them. I do wear ATGATT when the weather cools here (like now) but when it's 90+ degrees and 90+ humidity (like this past May to September) I do change to shorts and a T Shirt (not recommended). Again, good luck and ride safe. __________________ 2009 V-Star 650 Silverado Pearl White 2007 Suzuki GZ250 Black (sold)
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11-02-2010, 03:30 AM	#5
PhyPhoestilic Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Perris, CA Posts: 15	Re: Hai Guys! I did look into the MSF course originally but I just didn't have money to cover the cost of it. I had enough money to pick up the GZ250, pay for the registration (a few months in back fees) and my insurance for the year. I couldn't justify the extra $250 (over 21) for the MSF course. I have done a lot of research and practice on my own in terms of emergency maneuvers and basic things to look out for when riding about. Maybe I'll take the course in the future to get some additional tips, but right now I plan on taking the DMV riding skills test to get my license. I've practiced a little over the weekends and the test itself isn't too hard, especially with a small easy to maneuver motorcycle like the GZ250. As for as gear goes I have a full-face helmet that I wear everywhere. Then some basic riding gloves that my brother gave me that have extra protection for the palms and knuckles. But other than that I generally ride around in jeans and a jacket of some sort. Hopefully in the future I can pick up some leather gloves/jacket and boots too, but that'll all have to wait till I have more money. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

11-24-2010, 04:35 PM	#8
cayuse Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Abbotsford, BC Posts: 444	Re: Hai Guys! Ya, I wonder if rachely476 and tracyk859 are really the same 'person' check the signature (for free online movies) __________________ Lovin' every minute of it. 2005 GZ250 (sold after 26000km) 2013 CB500XA
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