Tpoppa

I've sat on a few FZ9s but haven't ridden one. It feels under damped and under sprung, pretty common for budget suspension. The reviews I've read say the suspension is pretty consistent with some bikes I have ridden, though. The springs and damping rates felt really close to the Suzuki Gladius I used to have. It was good for 6-7/10 pace with stock suspension. It was good for 9/10 pace after I modded the suspension. On less than perfect Ohio roads I can live budget brakes, not suspension though. I'd love to see Yamaha release an "R" version of the FZ9.

I could live with the stock suspension on the fz1 or z1000, but not on the fz9.

I rode through a flock of Turkey Vultures last year. 1 was eating roadkill on the road, 6-8 more were a few feet off the road behind bushes hidden from view. They all flew right into my lane when I got close. There were feathers and flapping all around me. I hit 2 or 3 wth my helmet.

nice price on a 2012 Z1000 http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/4555361201.html

Shops that make money selling you a new tire may tell you not to use a plug. Again, I'll take donations of nearly new tires that need to be plugged.

A plug won't work if the puncture is larger then the reamer in the kit. The plug should not go in the hole easily. I needs to be a tight fit to seal properly. I'll gladly accept donations of nearly new tires with small punctires

Why? Have you ever actually seen one fail? I've ridden aggressively on plugged tires for thousands of miles without losing any pressure or giving it a second thought.

A correctly installed plug will last the life of the tire. I've done it several times. I have never heard of a plug coming out.

I may have saved some old WV routes. How many miles do want to cover in a day?

Give the rest of us a bad name and raise our insurance rates.

KBB and NADA values are more accurate for cars than for motorcycles. The ER-6N, while a good motorcycle, was not a good seller. That's good for you if you're negotiating with a dealer. I'd offer $4,500 ish

Another good deal at the same place 2013 Ninja 1000 for $8,999 http://www.dreyermotorsports.com/2013-Kawasaki-Ninja-1000-ZX1000GDFL--inventory.htm?id=456991&used=1&vin=JKAZXCG17DA023918&unitType=1787&unitBrand=20

Thanks for the offer. Cat 5 is super sweet. Wouldn't solve my space problem for 3 bikes though.

Don't be skeert to make an offer. Next bike is on the way and I really don't have room for 3 in the garage.

I just push my bike to where it needs to be then hop on when I'm ready to take off.

Lots of good naked sport bikes avaialbe these days. If corners and handling are your thing, I would look at the Street Triple R. If you are wanting more hp the Z1000, CB1000R, FZ1, & Speed Triple are all worthy. Or if you're a baller then the BMW S1000R.

An R6, even a 12 year old one, is a lot of power for a first bike. Be careful. Lowering a bike will affect the handling. As you are new to riding and presumably still learning the basics, that might not be an issue for you. How tall are you? You really only need one foot to touch the ground. I would work on shifting a bit to one side and getting comfortable on one foot before I went through the trouble of lowering the bike.

I wouldn't choose Germany as a model. They have their own problems.

College costs are way out of line period. They have outpaced inflation and income growth by a wide margin.

Pretty sure there is a way to defer for a couple years with a $50/month payment. It's been a awhile since I looked at student loans.

I think 10% is the new cap, down from 15%. After the housing crash...student loans will be the next credit crisis.

Agreed, but I would need to see the photos just to make sure.