Ryan_c_F

My Ducatisti buddy Travis, who rides a pretty clean ST3. Here's me, drooling.

Some of the nicer bikes that I saw there... anyone else have shots from the show?

After 30+ years I'm going to allow them to go a tiny bit soft. As far as the Guitar Hero thing goes, it's just a remastering. The music is good, period. ...And Justice for All is my favorite album, too. I'm not under any circumstance defending St. Anger, but, trust me -- Death Magnetic is worth the listen.

Incorrect --- you have to check out Death Magnetic if you haven't yet. It's a true return to form... I defy you not to headbang during the bridge on "My Apocalypse." See if you can download the Guitar Hero version of Death Magnetic. They went back and remastered every track for the game, and it takes out a lot of the garbage post-production.

Too bad you're not looking for a 6. My dad's neighbor has a ZX-6E with 14k miles. Been sitting for a while, so you'd get it cheap. Same color-scheme, almost.

I am kicking myself that I never went to see this. Me, the guy with two Metallica bobbleheads on his work desk...

Hate the new seat on those things, but it is a truly great-looking bike otherwise. The color is so, so classically pretty in person.

So it's definitely, DEFINITELY the FZ1. Went and saw it before the bike show, and it's absolutely cherry. Runs great, has the full Yamaha GYT-R pipe on it, jetted, and he's throwing in a hard tail bag, tank bag and a seat pad. Going to ride it around on the next dry day and load it into a cargo van if it doesn't slip its gears under acceleration. ...is it spring yet?

The issue is that a lot of dealerships claim they won't finance under a certain amount, or will do so at exorbitant interest rates. You'd be better served saving up a bit during the off-season (now) and making a cash purchase in the spring/early summer. What kind of bad credit are we talking about? Unestablished? Late payments? BK?

I showed up with a buddy around 2:30 or so, immediately after having made a handshake deal to buy a new-to-me FZ1 that morning. Had a blast! Really enjoyed seeing some exotic rides for the first time. Was really impressed with the KTM RC8, but I fell in love with that Thruxton cafe-racer done up in old-timey red-and-white livery. Got pictures that'll be up later.

I'll be super jealous either way.

I'm probably going FZ1. I talked to the guy on that S83 -- it was sold to some old guy, who died shortly after the purchase. They replaced the battery, cleaned the carbs up really well, etc. However, the logistics of getting up to Michigan, getting the bike, bringing it back down, and replacing what may or may not need replaced on a bike in that situation are a little cost-prohibitive. I figure, even if there's something minor wrong with the FZ, I'm still going to have several hundred dollars budgeted bringing it up to snuff before riding season gets here. I've always been more friendly towards sport standards than cruisers, anyway. Took the V65 Sabre over the Magna, for example... and a VX800 over an Intruder.

That's about what I'm thinking -- plus, cheaper... and it's been used, not sitting around a showroom for several years without being ridden. Good call, sir. Anything I should look for in terms of points of failure/common issues with them?

Well. In the summer, I commute most days, run short errands. Cruise around. Not many twisties where I live. I'd also be doing trips with my dad at some point, which wouldn't be much farther away than upstate New York. The capacity to carry at least a weekend's clothing would be ideal -- pretty sure both bikes could handle what I had to throw at it. So, we'll say around-town for the most part, with intermittent moderate length trips to visit family in other towns and states.

I'm in a quandary--- advice appreciated. I'm between: 2008 Suzuki S83 (Intruder 1400), 88 miles, up in Michigan. $3980. I'd have to go pick it up. It's at a dealership so I'd likely have to haggle them down on extra fees, etc. But, yeah -- 88 miles. I don't think it was ever titled. And it's exactly the way I'd customize it -- drag bars, sissy bar removal, stainless brake lines. 2005 Yamaha FZ1 -- 18000 miles, $3500.00 about 3 towns south of me. Still below blue book, but it's a private sale and I've been burned on those before. Little hesitant. Advice?

I've got a dealer shopping for Blackbirds right now. Fingers crossed that I can afford it when he finds one...

cycle-ergo.com, my friend. It's a godsend. It won't simulate your weight (have to estimate if a belly would get in the way, for example) but it'll give you an approximation.

That's the one I was thinking of when I said CB1000R, lol. I want that bike bad, but let's be serious -- they already did that bike, way back when it was called... the CB1100.

It's just Honda doing Honda things. Their design people need to be fired. They haven't made a genuinely attractive new bike, outside of the re-designed Sabre cruiser, for years. The VFR1200 is fugly, bulbous, and sounds like a can-opener, the DN-01 (nice technoscooter, Captain Kirk: set phasers to "kill yourself") is possibly the dumbest thing I've seen on two wheels, no one owns a Fury... only Honda that I sorta-kinda want right now is a CB1000R, and they had to go all the way back to the early 80s for inspiration on that. They need to stop trying to be so avant-garde and special-snowflake-ey with their designs and get back to what made the Red Wing popular in the first place -- building bikes that were flat-out better than the competition.

I don't... know..! In all seriousness, probably another liter-engined sport-standard, or a sport-tourer. There is a ZZR-1200C at a local dealership that I've been meaning to check out again, and I've been seeing a few Triumph Trophy 1200s pop up from time to time.

Why wouldn't they go inverted forks? Any particular reason?

Haha, and the front one's the newer tire.

Aaaaannnd-uh SOLD. Best of luck with her -- hope it gives you many more miles.

What's your sale price, sir?