JackFlash

I gave those Avon's a workout today.  Road the bike

like it's tail was on fire, with the NEO fast boys, down

in SE Ohio.  It was nice having confidence in quality

tire and not feeling like I needed to restrain myself.

It's the hardest I have ridden and the tires stuck like

glue.  I had my toe under the shifter, in a corner and

felt the road while I was leaned over.  I thought that

was cool.

.

If they came in my size I would have put

MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 on my GS.

I don't speak spanish, but if you have 3 1/2 minutes to spare,

it's this video that sold me.

http://motorcycle.michelinman.com/tires/michelin-pilot-road-4-gt

I just had tires put on my bike.  I asked and got great advice.

Here's the thread in case there's something in it that you can use.

http://ohioriders.net/index.php?/topic/104909-i-need-tire-advice/

NinjaDoc and I took I-77 N out of Caldwell.  I branched off onto I-70 W

and Nivin continued on.  I pulled into the driveway around 5 pm.

Just finished messing with my gear, reorganizing the saddlebags,

and bedding down the bike for the night.

I hope everyone makes it home okay.  Sorry about the sick DUC.

It was a day worth taking off work for.  Yee Haw!

Hunger is making a visit, so off to Chipotle I go.

.

.

The route is in the first post of the thread. I'm meeting

some yokels in Millersburg, around 10:00. If you're part

of that group, then you may want to check out the thread.

Okay, checked it out.  No Worries.

Wait. Are we eating lunch on Saturday with Doc's ride? I wasn't aware of such nonsense.

I don't know the route we are riding, Saturday.  I'm starting in Millersburg.

Do you know the route?

.

Hey James, do you have a target time for Warsaw? 

I'm trying to get the weekend off and might make

this ride.

.

.

http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/4483747799.html

We're still riding on Saturday. There's a thread on here, somewhere.

I believe this is it >>  http://ohioriders.net/index.php?/topic/105123-614-any-one-for-millersburg-to-central-south-ohio/

.

Ballasts don't get hot but the bulbs do.

I guess I won't get a chance to find out.  The metal nose

of the bulb won't fit through the hole for me to get it installed.

I guess that's one of the drawbacks of having a GS 500.

I'll return it to I.P. tomorrow after work.  There's a PIAA bulb

and then there's the SilverStar.  I guess those are my options

for better light.

.

Is there any chance you would want to meet in Millersburg

and combine this with the NEO ride to SEO?  I know that's

a long jog for you, just to get to the meetup place, plus their

starting time means you would be leaving home much

earlier.

I'm considering trying to get the weekend off work for some

riding.  Don't know if I can yet, but a trip to WV sounds

okay.  I'm not interested in riding on boring Rt 23 though.

.

Here is the same bike I have, an '08 GS 500F.  (F=fairing)

It's not a turd bike if you don't have anything else to compare it to.  It sits upright and

does just fine on the freeway.  I've had it to 100 mph but fear and running out of road

made me decide to back it down.  Passing trucks on the freeway has never been a

problem.  I kick down one and buzz quickly ahead of them.  Many who have traded

these for something else do miss it for trips around town.

I put soft saddle bags, a top bag, and a tank bag on it.  They came in a set from I.P.

No offense, but I think you're delusional if you think anyone is going to pay $3,000 for a GS500.  If you showed me a brand new 0-mile example of a GS500 with the fairings in showroom condition, and it was painted my favorite color, I would still value it under $2500...

 

In a market with tiered licensing, something like that will hold its value better, and maybe I'm jaded by how much more bike I've purchased for less than $3,000 in the past, but I think $2k is more realistic, if the fairings are in great shape.

I suppose I'll have to do some online research to see what's being asked for

ones similar to mine.

.

Unless you also got a ballast and wiring harness they did not sell you an HID bulb. They sold you a halogen bulb with xenon gas in it that will be a pretty color but no brighter than any other hhalogen.a true high intensity discharge bulb has no wire filament and uses a (you guessed it) high intensity discharge to excite the gas. This is achieved by using a ballast that supplies the initial high voltage burst to get the gas to change phases, then a steady lower current to maintain the conversion.

I got the HID setup.  It has a ballist, a harness to hardwire to the battery,

the gas bulb, an inline fuse.....the whole sha-bang, I hope.

I'm questioning if the bulb adapter will fit the hole for the bulb.  I'll know

more when I get in the mood to try and install it.

Question though:  Does the ballist produce heat?  Does it need to be

installed against something that will help it to dissipate heat, a heat

sink of a sort?  It looks like that's it's design.

.

I swapped the LED for an HID bulb, today at Iron Pony.

When I get time I'll try to install it and see what I think

about it.

.

We'll read about him one day, but not the next.

.

Is it listed somewhere?  I wouldn't pay that much for a gs500 but I'd certainly look at the ad and admire it

It's not actually for sale yet,

unless someone wants it as is. 

But, I would like to have bike #2

lined up for purchase first.

Finding #2 is the obstacle. 

That's why I was fishing around

on CL when I saw that FZ1.

Mine is an '08 with about 7700

miles, new Avon tires, a fresh

oil change, and a new K&N air

filter.  It also had IP's $100 check

up and cable lube.

.

 I'm a firm believer that any bike I buy at this point will NOT be my last bike. 

 

 I won't be doing any track days, and I won't be doing any racing.  I don't need to go fast.  

 

And yes, I know I'll look like a monkey humping a football, with such a big guy on a small bike

 

.... I have SOME experience with a larger bike... my YZF-600...

Anyway, that's where I'm at.  Thoughts?

With experience on a 600, you will be eager to move up in no time.

After a long winter I'm somewhat apprehensive about jumping on

my little GS 500 for the first ride.  That lasted until I pulled out of

the driveway.  Then I was like a duck taking to water.  It felt so

natural, like it was a part of me.

So, I don't think think it matters which starter bike you get.  You

might have fun with it for a season or two, then you will have a

strong itch to upgrade.  You won't be married to the starter bike.

.

.

Bondo...it's all in the mix. You don't have to get crazy and weigh it out unless you're ocd, but measure the components carefully and mix thoroughly. Helps to knock down the high areas on the scrape with some 80 grit. Spread it into the scrape with a putty knife or whatever. Let cure completely, then sand, prime, shadow, sand...rinse, repeat.... then when you can't tell where the repair was with it primered, sand and primer and primer again and then paint.

I've been all over YouTube watching videos of how to repair

ABS plastic.  There is a chip on the top edge to fill in, and I have

another chip to reattach.  How about that plastafix powder? 

Have you tried it?

.

If you think a Gen2 FZ1 might be to much, how about a VERY CLEAN Gen1.

This is as clean as you'll find. Ridden by a lil' old lady on Sundays in Florida

. They have been known to go well over 200k miles.

 

http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132987

Read the whole thread.  Poor girl with her bad thumb.

Looks like the bike has a lot of goodies attached to it.

I wasn't thinking about a bike that old, or with that many

miles.  I have to get more fimiliar with prices of used

bikes.  That's my weakness right now.  $6000 tops is

what I can afford, and that is depending on getting

hopefully $3000 out of my GS 500F.

.

Eh...you can usually tell if the plastics are damaged by looking at them,

unless they've been repaired and painted, in which case they've been

REPAIRED.

I'll willing admit that side of the bike went down in a slippery curve

on a dusty road at a low speed.  I just think it will look better if the

scrapes are fixed.  It will give me something to learn on for fixing

plastic.  And for a learner bike, it will retain some of it's visual

appeal, I hope.

.

I actully responded to this craigslist ad, this FZ1 is sold (not to me).

Was just about to post the same thing. He just emailed me it's sold too

I sent a message today.  Didn't get a reply yet.

I suppose it shows that good deals are out there.

For sporty bikes...new paint, new parts, or custom = wrecked and trying to hide damage 

Ditto, and no matter what the reason for the paint, I want to know how it was applied, especially the materials.  I won't buy anything rattle-canned unless I plan to strip and repaint it with a multi-layer 2K clear on top.

I have new mirrors, left foot peg, and I'm getting two new

left side blinkers for the GS.  They got scuffed up on the

555 last spring. 

I'll work on the scuffs on the fairing and rattle can it in a

color I like.  Maybe flat black.  I hope that doesn't hurt it

much.  The original decals and paint are not pleasing to

my eye and I think, date the bike to an earlier time.

Harbor Freight has air brush kits.  The fairing might be a

good place to practice learning to how to use one.

.

That Ride Apart article is talking about Alaska/Labrador/Africa/Long-Way-Down kind of riding and is absolutely wrong when it comes to mostly-street-with-a-shaker-of-dirt riding that 90% of the rest of us use them for. Anyway, you're more into the dedicated street bikes, which is cool. Too bad though, I think your writing off a class of motorcycles based on magazine punditry.

Anyway, you asked...

KBB shows a suggested retail of $5645 on a bike in excellent condition.

NADA shows a low retail of $5894.

This bike has less than 1200 miles on it, per year of age.

2009 FZ1...full fairing, tall tinted windscreen...6800 miles...Sargent seat...Pazzo levers...$5000 OBO.

Comments?

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having more than one motorcycle. 

I sent the FZ1 question to it's own thread.  It was buried, in this one.

http://ohioriders.net/index.php?/topic/105106-is-this-a-good-deal/

.

oooooooooooo

I use those SilverStar's in the car.  I make a point of cleaning them

off with alcohol before installation.  You never know if someone at

the factory has touched one before it was packaged.

.

KBB shows a suggested retail of $5645 on a bike in excellent condition.

NADA shows a low retail of $5894.

This bike has less than 1200 miles on it, per year of age.

2009 FZ1...full fairing...tall tinted windscreen...6800 miles...Sargent seat...Pazzo levers...$5000 OBO.

I'm fishing for my next bike.  Is this a good deal?  Comments?

.

Where's this fz1? I want it lol

PM sent.

.