My mom won't budge. I was/am ready to buy that '89 GS, but it's a no go. She says to postpone till next year. It's better than nothing, but I'm really sad. After MSF, its hard to go without even sitting on a bike. Still, I'll watch out for Craigslist ads, and of course read this forum. Without a doubt, I am getting a GS500. Too bad, though, the one I was eying had only 7800 miles. As much as I want a bike, it would be REALLY bad to go against my mom and buy one behind her back. Money isn't the problem, I can afford it on my own. Describing her to people that don't know her is hard, but simply, you CAN'T go against anything she says. She will make you feel like utter shaZam!. So, possible a year from now, I will be riding with you guys.

Hm... I wonder though. This doesn't really eliminate a project bike. If someone is getting rid of a smashed to hell GS500, I might jump on that, if its dirt cheap, though.

I guess I could argue more, but I tire of it, and it's become a futile battle. There is no way I could win.

Sorry to hear it dude, but you gotta respect the 'rents as much as you hate to do it.  You'll get to the point of getting a bike eventually, and then you can go on and ride safely and with whoever will be there for you's support riding along with you.  I thought I'd never be able to get my parents to let me get an old truck to work on, they want everything they own to be 100 percent stock, 100 percent original and working.  Nevertheless, I now have a '75 Chevy pickup, and of course the engine now needs a rebuild after I beat the crap out of it, but that's besides the point...

Anyway, this site will be here when you get a bike, and if it's not, or you forget about it, there are other sites to support your habit, and you'll get through it.  Just keep your eye out for bikes while you are driving your cage, and maybe meet up with some of the Nor. Cal guys on the site.  Might be a good way to live without a bike.

Tony

Save your money and get yourself a newer bike.  You don't want to be fixing you want to be riding.  Age causes deterioration everywhere.  The engine can be fine but rubber parts deteriorate and shrink.  Problem with brakes develop etc.
The difference between a 15 year old bike and a 5 year old bike in terms of money can't be that great.  The GS has a low resale value as do most bikes.
Good luck.  Your lucky you have a mom that cares.

Hey In my eyes... no better way to learn responsibility and respect for machine, and road and the laws of physics that sneaking around and buying it... You now have to keep it upright, keep in insured and keep it hidden, and make sure you dont get hurt. Done it before, and will do it again, and hope my son has the gumption to do it that way. Next year if get the same "unsafe schpeal" you go ahead and prove its not unsafe, and you have respect for machine and laws of physics and the laws of the land by rolling out the beauty and say... its as good if not better than it was when I got it... so its not unsafe, I am responsible, and I am smart... and if you still dont believe it after I proved it for over a year ... here is the title and here is the keys... just sell it. My dad would say no if I asked him for his bike, 3 years after I started regularly stealing it and going off to study at friends places at night... Guess what... never crashed in those 3 years, nothing ever happened to the bike or me, and heck when he asked me to clean it... I would clean it well. Then he bought me my own... 3 days later I crashed it, and forget cleaning... it will have all the dirt, grease it had and have new dried up soap on it when I cleaned it after that ... I suspect he knew it all along... cos he said somehting like in 3 years you never scratched mine, and you crash your new one immediately... Just my .02. Parents dont give you room unless you take it and show you are good for it. You steal it... you are responsible for its up keep ... they let you buy it... they are responsible for it.
Cool.
Srinath.

I truley thought about that. My mom is something else, lemme tell you. If she found out, god, I don't even want to think about how bad it would be... ::shudder::

If it is any consolation, my parents said the same thing, and I used every arguement under the sun to try and get them to change thier mind.  It was a no go.  However, once I moved out and was going to college in the next state,   I figured that since I was paying my bills, I could spend any left over money any way I wanted, so I went out and bought an 82 (at least I think is was an 82) Suzuki GS 750.  I rode it for a year and a half before they knew I had it.  That was also the time they found out I was engaged, but that is another story.  Later I sold it and got a Kawi KLR650.  

The moral of the story is, sometimes you just have to wait for the right time.    
Pick your battles carefully.  Someday you may need your parents' help and you don't want to alienate them over a motorcycle.  Were mine upset when they found I had a bike?  Yes.  But I never went against thier wishes while I lived in thier house and they respected that.  

The funny post script is that, 10 years later, my dad got bit by the riding bug and bought a bike.  This from the man who said I would kill myself on  
one.  "I told you so" never felt so good.

Buy it anyway.
Mom & Dad will get over it. I bought my first mx bike when I was 13.  My mom said she would break it with a bat if I bought it.  She didn't. After you buy it, Impress the moms with all of your dazzling knowledge about rider safety, impressive gear, and safe riding techniques.  She'll come around. BTW dad will totally ride it and bail you out with the mom. TRUST ME.

sorry about that.

by anychance you got asian or latino parents.

Well get your gear, maybe i will give you 2 up riding.. as long as you have no problems holding on to my waist.

ahahaha...

Yeah, Since I'll be working, if I don't spend the money on gear, I'm gonna end up buying a new computer or something. But then I won't match!!

We're still going to the cycle shows up north, dude.

My dad was always opposed to the idea.  I was 27 when I got my first bike earlier this year.  He thinks it's awesome now, FWIW, but I thought that the least I could do was respect the money and effort he put into bringing me up while I was living under his roof.  I waited until I was paying my own way to get piercings, get my bike, etc.

Just my own two cents.

First off, how old are you dude? if your still living under moms roof then you might have to eat it for awhile as thats the largest ace in the deck.


Regaurdless, if this next line is true

Quoteyou CAN'T go against anything she says. She will make you feel like utter shaZam!.

then you need to sit down and explain this to her,  This is the typical Guilt trip played by most parents to get you to think its was your choice to change your mind.  this is manipulation, and its wrong, your not 6 years old and still learning to  pickup your skateboard from the front yard. if your under 18 you really dont have much choice as you are a minor, but she shouldnt resort to using guilt, or punishing you with guilt for trying to persue something you enjoy.   Keep saving your pennys, keep reading up on gear and stay outa trouble. doing these things will give her less Ammo when it comes time.

That sucks dude, sorry to hear it. My mom is pretty chill, but she worries. I didn't tell her when I bought the bike since I bought it after I moved 500 miles away from home. Then I was in an accident (not on the bike...not in a car...long story) and needed surgery. She came down to visit me and said, "Whose motorcycles are those parked outside?!" It was sort of like when I was 18 and got a tattoo on my leg and when spring came and I started wearing shorts she just kept looking at it. Then after a few weeks she finally said, "That's not going to wash off, is it?". Course, I'm old now so now it's my wife saying, "Whose motorcycle is that in the garage? Did you get ANOTHER one?!"

Quote from: moditupahahaha...

Yeah, Since I'll be working, if I don't spend the money on gear, I'm gonna end up buying a new computer or something. But then I won't match!!

We're still going to the cycle shows up north, dude.

You guys coming to the International Motorcycle show this year? Nov. 5th-7th, San Mateo County Fairgrounds.

I spent 2 years on a C70 passport (insurance 35 per year, 60 mpg, $30 registration, top speed 40 mph, could lift it into my pick up truck and take it anywhere...).  The thing sat for 4 years and with new tires and a new fuel line, it fired right up.  I spent 30 bucks on a SpaceBalls helmet and rode with Answer goggles-  And I could always get Japanese tourists to clap when I did wheelies   .  Seriously the cheapest, coolest transport ever.  



My mom was Nazi about motorcycles but she was cool with the scooter cause it wouldn't go much farther than campus or downtown or work- but then she realized how cheap it was and how fun it was to ride and suddenly she had a $3000 piaggio and that was the end of her "no motorcycle"  rule...

Try to back door it with a dual sport or scooter.  You'll get some good skills and have fun and weaken the hand that rocks the craddle.

Quote from: Hi-TI spent 2 years on a C70 passport (insurance 35 per year, 60 mpg, $30 registration, top speed 40 mph, could lift it into my pick up truck and take it anywhere...).  The thing sat for 4 years and with new tires and a new fuel line, it fired right up.  I spent 30 bucks on a SpaceBalls helmet and rode with Answer goggles-  And I could always get Japanese tourists to clap when I did wheelies   .  Seriously the cheapest transport ever.  

My mom was Nazi about motorcycles but she was cool with the scooter cause it wouldn't go much farther than campus or downtown or work- but then she realized how cheap it was and how fun it was to ride and suddenly she had a $3000 piaggio and that was the end of her "no motorcycle"  rule...

Try to back door it with a dual sport or scooter.  You'll get some good skills and have fun and weaken the hand that rocks the craddle.

I'm strongly considering this, but only because it would be really badass. Espcially since I go to school at UC Davis, biking capital of the USA.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/mcy/42601816.html It would be a restore job, though.

Heh that sucks, i was so surprised that my mom was all for it for me though. I told her i wanted to start on somthing smaller like a gs500 and she was like, i think you should get somthing with at least 600cc. Heh weird....but my dad dosent want me to get a bike, but thats not going to stop me.

But you have to listen to the parents......

I don't know about that C70 Hi-T, I think my 1965 Yamaha YG1 was a little bit cooler.  She had a 4 speed tranny(4 down   ) and a seized piston when I got it.

It was a resto project I got from my grandpa; I worked on it with my dad.  Great fun and learning to fix it up, and it was a great intro to motorcycling before I got a 'real' bike that would go more than 45mph.  I think it helped ease my mom into the idea of me having a motorcycle.  My dad got hooked too; He restored a '72 CB450 and is working on a '75 RE-5.

Moral of the story: go for the scooter :mrgreen:

There are lots of scooters around here that drive on the same roads my GS travels.  There are some great scooter clubs too.  They really do ride around in packs.  The only place I don't see them is on the main lanes of the freeways (or the feeder roads now that I think about it).   I drove around on a little honda scooter in college and it was great fun...just watch out for potholes and gravel with those little wheels...oh yea, when I brought my GS500 home my wife exclaimed, "That's not a scooter!".

What's another year right?  And who knows, you might find a better bike than the one you found.  Hang in there and count the days...

Yeah, I'm counting the seconds. I'm going to save up for next year, because it's totally worth it. I suppose its all for the better, since this year, I had only 200-300 to spend on gear. Had I bought the bike, I would have only gotten a helmet and maybe a jacket (not that I would have been doing intense riding, just parking lot stuff mostly). Now I can save up while working and get everything in one big splurg.

So.... who is going to have one for sale next year?