lol..... well, sort of anyway....
My GF is finishing up the MSF course this weekend and after alot of discussion we finally decided that the SV would indeed be too much bike for a beginner and that a faired GS would be pretty new plastic just waiting to get scratched in a drop. Well, we found a compromise: my buddy's 2001 Ninja500R.
On a side note... for any fellas out there with a girl who is going to start riding:
Picking her bike up a day early to surprise her = good.
Doing multiple flybys of the house with the engine wound up to 8krpm before pulling into the driveway = BAD :oops:
fortunately, she was too excited about her new toy to stay mad at me for too long. ;)
I took this same bike around the parking lot back when my pal bought it and I wasn't too impressed, but now that I got a chance to take her up to speed, she's really quite fun. Light and snappy, and a much better sound than the GS, IMO. I really had fun riding it home. I'm looking forward to the day that she can handle the SV so that I can take the Ninja from time to time :mrgreen:
So this weekend I'm out to clean the bike up and get it ready for duty. Nearly everything on the bike is really clean, but MAN... I don't think the chain had been cleaned in the entire 13,000 miles of this bike's life :nono: . On the plus side, it looks like the bike sat outside (surface rust in areas where water would stand), so maybe all the crud on the chain actually protected it from corrosion :dunno:
So today's agenda is to try to clean up the chain, wheels and rear sprocket. 30 minutes with some penetrating oil and chain lube seemed to make a difference... note that the chain went from black to silver :o
(http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/r/b/rbd123/GStwinpics/ninjachain1.jpg)(http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/r/b/rbd123/GStwinpics/ninjachain2.jpg)
Good choice for a starter bike. I see those around here a lot and the 500's seem to last a long time. Keep in mind this is a GS board but i think everyone still loves you :nana:
Anyways have fun and keep the rubber side down..!!
There's a good friend/neighbor just down the road whose son has a '96-98 Ninja500 with 8000mi. She said he's askin 1500 for it and I thought, hmmmmmm. Bebe said "C...... you get another bike an' it better be a Harley". Grummble, rummmble, mmmmm, yeh but where am I gonna find a Harley for 1500 bucks? The Ninja is a bit stronger than the GS but it doesn't seem to have the agility the White Owl has. Plus, maybe just me, but it sure felt a lot heavier...lot of turn in at slow speeds. Hope she has a good time, and yes you need to take it out ever now an' then just to make sure it "ahem" is still in proper running order yes? Still love the Baby G, this forum and you.
C.......