Blitz

It's impossible to tell what the weather will be like this weekend. Earlier today there was a 10% chance of rain Sunday. Now they say it's 80%. So I'm just going to plan to ride, and if it rains....I won't. I was thinking I might even ride to WV or TN and hotel it Sarurday night and ride back Sunday. Anyway, chance of rain Saturday lessens to 20% around noon. Meet at 13/70 Jacksontown exit BP at noon, and we'll ride South...adjusting the ride and route depending on interest. If anybody is interested in exploring and making it an overnight ride, I'm down. Post up if you're interested.

As a buyer, I always hated the cash in hand to test ride, because if you give him the asking price in cash you are hurting your negotiation stance because he knows you have the full amount. The other side is you negotiate a price before you know whether or not you really want the bike. I understand the reasoning, but from a buyers standpoint, it makes things a little more tricky.

Well Mike, I guess it's a good thing you didn't waste your time with hunting down a new battery on Saturday, and instead stayed back at the cabin and drank beer. Looks like that was proper planning and execution.

Yeah, bummer John. But you're making the right call. I figured it was going to be a toss-up when I saw we were contending with the remnants of a hurricane. Thanks for taking the time to put these things together. Anyone wanting to ride Sunday is invited to join me on a ride, as long as it's dry. I'll plan on meeting Sunday morning and being back around 4pm. I'll post a ride thread if anyone is interested.

Hahaha...yes, I've been riding a lot. Now you see why I was considering a ST.

That's my YouTube channel.

I did man. I put 22k miles on it in two years. Rode it from here to the Gap and back last year. Performed maintenance at proper intervals and she ran just as good on the last day I rode her as the first. More important than anything else, I learned a lot with that bike. I greatly improved my riding technique and the bike was a very forgiving bike to learn on. Much more forgiving than my ZX6R. I maintained it far better than I've ever maintained a cage vehicle, and I was rewarded with many miles of worry free riding. I hated to give it up, and it was a hard decision...as you see in this thread. But the allure of something new, less miles, and just as clean was hard to pass up. I don't think he knew what he had in the Aprilia. I have hope that the kid will treat it well. He avoided the freeways because he wasn't comfortable on them. And when he said his modifications would be to take it back to stock, that told me he isn't looking to chop it up just to turn heads. My biggest concern would be his lack of knowledge of general motorcycle maintenance. And that can really hurt a bike. But if he doesn't attempt to ride over his skill level, it shouldn't wind up as a wad of parts. He seemed tentative and cautious...almost intimidated. I know she was your baby. You hand polished that frame to a mirror finish. He lives in Washington Courthouse. If you want me to put you in touch with him, I'd be glad to. I'd say it's a 50/50 chance that the bike stays upright for the next two years. He's a wheeler and dealer too though...so it could be sold for something else that catches his eye by the end of the summer.

I'll be there if the rain holds out. Looks like we're contending with a tropical depression that day. Hopefully it loses some energy by then.

So the kid actually surprised me. He said he was taking it to a shop to have the front brake lever fixed, and he said he was going to have some other modifications made to it. I started thinking "Damn, this kid is going to lower it, stretch the swingarm and add a shorty pipe, and have a car tire mounted. Cause who needs to lean when it's lowered with a stretched swingarm?" When I asked what he planned to do he said he was taking off the neon lights, the flush mounts, the led tail light (that never really worked well according to the law) and was basically returning everything to stock. Definitely surprised by the choice to return to stock. Sounds like something I'd do. I guess I'll let her go. I can't say she's in good hands, but at least he has good taste hahahaha. That's better than I expected.

Thanks Dave. Good to know. I've never dealt with hydraulic clutches, so I have no idea what to expect other than what I can find online.

Balsamic Vinegar is Italian my friend. I'm (somewhat of) a connoisseur.It's Balsamic Vinegar, for sure. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Balsamic_Vinegar

Nah...Balsamic Vinegar.

A little dark is normal, from what the Italian bike guys have said. On the Aprilia forums they say you almost cannot prevent it. But I plan to check this weekend and see how much sludge is actually in there. I'm looking at new bar ends too, but I haven't found any that I really liked. My poor GSXR is already a victim of a lack of maintenance knowledge. The kid tried to adjust the brake lever and instead of sliding it off the bars he attempted to pry the clamp open. It snapped… as things are wan to do when you try to force them. Probably just the beginning of a slow and painful demise from neglect and a lack of attention to detail. Had to advise him how and at what intervals to oil the chain yesterday. Brings a tear to my eye.

The kid told me it was a 2001, but in looking at the title today it's actually a 2002. Bonus!

Power: 128.00 HP (93.4 kW)) @ 9500 RPM Torque: 101.00 Nm (10.3 kgf-m or 74.5 ft.lbs) @ 7250 RPM Not too shabby!

I've rooted at least four devices, two of them that had locked boot loaders. Although I've come across the occasional issue, I've never bricked a phone. Bricking a phone is actually pretty hard to do, as long as you follow instructions well. Now that I've switched to iOS, I'm happy to say Jailbreaking is 1000x easier and the app ecosystem is better. Add a jailbreak to it, and it's the perfect device. But that's just my opinion.

Done deal. The dark Italian beauty quietly waits in the stable until I can take her out this weekend and put her through her paces.

Agreed. There were times I thought "I'm surprised these guys aren't riding faster than this." They were few and far between, but the thought occurred.....immediately followed by "good thing they're not. Too many cops and too far from home." I thought the pace for both days was pretty near perfect.

Thanks guys. Looking forward to riding it on the CSBA ride!

Hell Jim, had I known you had a GoPro I'd have asked you to follow me for a little while. I have more than enough footage tailing you! Hahaha

Thanks for the advice guys...especially Paulie. I appreciate it, for sure. After riding it today, and discussing it with the owner, I'm making the trade tomorrow. I have a few reasons for doing so that haven't been discussed. I've put 20k miles on the GSXR in 2 years. That's more than the Aprilia even has on the clock. I was getting to a point with the GSXR where I felt like I was never going to come close to getting back out of it what I'd put into it. Now, I'd expect it to depreciate some as all bikes do. But when sport bikes get into the 50k mile range, they're hard to sell for anywhere near what they're mechanically worth. With the Aprilia, I'm basically trading for a bike in the same condition as the GSXR was when I bought it, subtracting two years worth of hard riding and value depreciation. Yes, there are some big risks with the reliability of the Aprilia. But it looks like a couple of maintenance precautions can prevent those. And there's a large and enthusiastic group of Aprilia owners that have immediately been helpful with specific questions I've had, before even owning one. The V-twin growl was especially exciting today....I was actually surprised how much mid-range power it had. And the suspension was smooth yet sporty when it needed to be. And I love the look of the bike. So, all of that being said....I'm going for it. I may regret it, or it may be the best motorcycle decision I've made. I can say, that bike would not have lasted long in the hands of the current owner. I knew more about the maintenance issues with the bike than he did, and I've only been researching for three days. Fortunately he's only owned it 2 months. Unfortunately, I feel like I may be condemning my GSXR to a terrible fate.... Nonetheless, the kid is better off on a 600cc bike than that RSV. He's in pretty far over his head,...but I guess that's how you learn. Now I just wish I hadn't spent all that money to gold valve the front forks on the GSXR, cause I don't think it matters in the deal at all.

I literally started laughing out loud. I'm actually looking at going back down here soon. If I can swing it with work and the Ol' Lady, I might get a round 2 down there.

Buy my GSXR and I'll get a (fill in the blank).

So, here's a video of the bike. Sorry for the poor camera work. Looks like the guy couldn't decide between landscape and portrait, so he went with both. It's clean and seems to run well. I'll know better tomorrow when I ride it. But it's cleaner and less miles than my bike, and it's faster. Doesn't mean my mind is made up. There's a lot to consider. But I'm certainly interested. And might be willing to deal with nowhere to put luggage for a little while longer if she's as fun to ride as she looks.

So, while I'm interested in something more upright, this offer from the guy has my interest piqued. Part of looking into a ST bike was the opportunity to get something with more displacement. I feel like I'd like a 750cc, but a 1000 Vtwin seems more appropriate. No matter what I got, I wanted it to lean more sport than touring. Another part of my plan was to get something with less miles, as they're starting to add up on the GSXR. Though others have pointed out she's just getting broken in. I think its a mental thing. So when this guy offered an extremely clean 1000 cc Vtwin in a straight up trade, the desire for something more upright took a back seat to the less mileage and the overall cleanliness of the bike. Plus, I think I'd like that mid-range power of that motor. I've never liked ringing the neck of my Japanese bikes. I feel like any time I'm over 11k RPMs I'm just thrashing the thing, even though I know that's not the case. So, it was an offer I felt I had to look into. It doesn't meet all my requirements, but it's certainly interesting. It does have the metal tank and not the plastic one. And, in doing some reading, it appears some of the electrical issues with this gen bike can be prevented by some simple modifications to the wiring....at least that's what they say on the Aprilia forums. The guy sent me a video. I'll see if I can post it for you guys. Maybe you'll see why I'm intrigued.