Passed the 2000 mile mark on the GZ today!

[Smitty908]

Well,

This is just my little ride report after my first 2000 miles on my GZ.

I have been commuting to and from work on it ever since I bought it. (40mi. daily) I think I have driven my truck maybe twice since getting the bike.

I have been going back and forth from my house to Birmingham a lot lately, doing job interviews for multiple places. I have put over 600 of those miles on it in a week and a half.

It takes me about two hours one way to B'ham. The stock seat is not that great for extended periods. My butt gets numb after about an hour and my legs get tired of being in the same position.

Having no windshield and cruising for 2 hrs @ 70-75 mph (indicated) sucks for the ole' back.

All that said...I know it is not meant to be a touring bike, so not any unexpected problems.

It holds its own in just about any traffic I have been in, and I have had it on the Interstate quite a bit. The best part is I am averaging 77.5 mpg on those long trips! :rawk:

I have been averaging about 65-67 around town.

Anyway, I am very satisfied so far, and glad I bought the GZ. Everybody stay safe and may your next trip bring you a twisty road!

-Tim S.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Smitty908

It takes me about two hours one way to B'ham. The stock seat is not that great for extended periods. My butt gets numb after about an hour and my legs get tired of being in the same position.

Having no windshield and cruising for 2 hrs @ 70-75 mph (indicated) sucks for the ole' back.

Two out of three of those complaints are easily fixable.

You don't have to leave your legs in the same position ALL the time. You can put your ankles on
TOP of the pegs (assuming you wear boots), you can hook your heels on the passenger pegs and if your legs aren't too long, you can dangle them in the wind for a bit. Heels on the back pegs stretches some muscles different than normal and can result in a NASTY cramp the first time. Practice that in a parking lot first.

And the windshield thing is, of course, fixable with the addition of an appropriately sized shield.

The seat thing is a little more difficult. A couple of folks here have mostly solved it by putting more padding in and making the seat slightly wider and flatter. I have done much the same thing with a couple of gel pads but I have about decided that I just have a bony butt and nothing is going to give me "iron butt" capability.

You should also find that changing your leg positon helps with the butt cramps.....but only a bit.

Until you get some of those concerns worked out, you really should stop every hour, if only for a minute to stretch a bit.

I have some pictures of my mods. ready; hope to post them in the next couple of days.

[john1096]

Hats off to you. I love my GZ, but I don't know if I could do two hours at 70-75. My poor bike doesn't like to get out of the mid 60's if there is any kind of headwind. Wind seems to make a bigger difference than the grade angle. It feels kind of weird going that fast. the vibration is going all the time in little waves from my feet to my butt to my hands. That, combined with the wind buffeting just right, makes it feel like someone is actually trying to push my foot off of the peg from time to time. It's eerie. Maybe it's the gremlins. Maybe a little bell should be my next accessory. I have about two minutes of highway riding during my half hour commute. I keep forgetting to put the rear pegs down to try putting my feet on the rear pegs to cut down on wind resistance.