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East side Cleveland suburb checking in.

Josh1234

By Josh1234,
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Josh1234 Mentor

Josh1234

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Last summer I decided I wanted to learn to ride... So I watched the bikes for sale section on Craigslist & read everything I could about learning to ride & starter bikes. This went on for about 2 months, and checking the bikes for sale was just about my favorite part of the day, and to be honest, I still do it :)

I knew I wanted a starter bike, since I wasn't interested in smearing myself all over the pavement before I'd really learned to ride... Maybe that was "wisdom," I don't know, but I didn't want to pull a typical 18-year-old-idiot move (I'm 32).

I was looking for a bike that'd be reliable and fun, but with minimum investment, since I'd never ridden before and wasn't real sure I'd like it. I'd been advised NOT to buy a Ninja 250, as it wouldn't be enough bike for me, but I wasn't really positive one way or the other if I wanted to end up on a cruiser or a sportbike.

I decided to split the difference and get a "standard" with an upright seating posture, at least to learn on.

So first, I took the written test & got my temps, and then I paid a guy $20 to let me ride around on his Yamaha tw200, haha. I wanted to make sure I could shift successfully, as well as making sure I had the basic coordination to use both hands & both feet at the same time, where needed :) Mostly, I just wanted to make sure I could shift, since clutch-with-hand and shift-gear-with-foot is the reverse of my very-ingrained stick-shift behavior for a car :)

I rode around in his back yard (It was a BIG backyard) for an hour or so, had no problems, and then started hunting for a real bike.

I test rode an '82 Honda Ascot FT500, a Yamaha XZ550 Vision, and a Kawasaki KZ650.

None of them really felt great, although I didn't have a lot to compare them to, experience-wise. For some reason, I ended up fixating on a Buell Blast. I could've lived with a choke on a bike, but while learning, worrying about/paying for chain maintenance and whether or not my carbs were in sync & my valves needed adjusting just seemed like a bother... and the Blast does all that automatically. 500ccs, even if it's an underpowered 500cc's, would have enough horsepower and torque to haul around my fat ass. It seemed like a step up from a Rebel 250 (and less cruiser-ish & more "sporty") as well as being a step up from a Ninja 250, at least in torque. Also, resale on a Blast is total CRAP compared to a 250, since 250's hold their value a lot better, meaning it was cheaper. Anything bigger than 500cc's sorta scared me, and plus, anything bigger gets expensive, fast...

I ended up buying a 2005 Buell Blast for $1,200. It had just under 4,000 miles.

I rode as late into the fall as I could (Hello, turtleneck-under-jacket-under-work shirt!).

Oh, right, gear... before I let myself ride, I watched every video I could find on YouTube about motorcycle crashes, and forced myself to watch every cringe-inducing moment of bikes dying sad deaths, and worse, riders being idiots, doing stupid shit, or just plain having bad luck. I borrowed a friend's 3/4 helmet with face shield for my test rides, and bought my own helmet shortly thereafter. Used a non-padded leather jacket through last fall, and rode in helmet, boots, jeans & gloves... Since last fall, I've acquired a padded jacket, riding boots, better gloves, and the helmet is, of course, always on as well. I'm all about the ATGATT! Next purchase needs to be leather pants or kevlar re-inforced jeans, at least.

Anyway, I stored the bike for the winter, and I've been riding as much as I can this summer. After 1 year on a Buell Blast, I'm feeling a little more comfortable with some basic riding skills, and just like everyone said I would, I've outgrown it :) Unfortunately, a new bike isn't in the budget right now, but that doesn't stop me from looking!

I lurked here a while, but I think I'm ready to start posting, and riding will be a part of my life, permanently. I love the fun, the community, and the smart-ass way I can smugly say I get 50 mpg :p

I'm no stranger to forums, as I used to be involved very heavily with a car forum (Mitsubishi 3000GTs and Dodge Stealths) although it's been a long time since I was into that board heavily. I also used to help run the National Gathering for that car club / forum.

Anyway, just thought I'd introduce myself, since you'll hopefully all be seeing me around the boards AND the streets :) If you see a guy on a black Buell Blast, might be me... My brother-in-law teases me and says my bike doesn't quite live up to my gear.... Blue helmet, blue jacket, blue gloves :D

I'm OK with that... it's my FIRST bike, not my last, and I've developed such skills as, you know, not twisting the throttle 2 inches as I go over a pothole, and a starter bike is exactly the time to learn that... not on a 750 sportbike, when 2 inches of throttle-twist is a LOT more RPM's than on a Blast :)

Eventually, I'm going to look for a 600-750 sportbike, but that's when the budget allows :)

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Josh1234 Mentor

Josh1234

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Welcome. We'll have to link up sometime for a ride.

Thanks! I've never done a group ride, but I think they're in my future :) Wouldn't mind a bike that could keep up, though... ;)

holy shit that is a long intro. Welcome! I love the natural eared dobie you have in your sig picture

Thanks! She's 6 or 7 now, and a huge baby... people see a Doberman and get scared, but even a tiny dog can spook her :) As for the long intro, well... Might as well let people get to know me... I was an English major, so I'm pretty wordy. :postwhore:

Welcome! I ride through that area often.

I'm in Lyndhurst, right off 271... A little haul from Columbus, but it's nice to know that ppl get around :D

Oh, I forgot to mention... For the record, I'm 6'2 and about 220, and the Blast DOES manage to move my fat ass :) I fully expect some ribbing from people with larger bikes, but it will get me up to 85 or 90 or so on the highway, and has no problems at lower speeds. There's apparently some misconceptions about them & who'll fit & how fast they go. That said, it's a single cylinder (Thumper) and I AM looking for something that'll go a little faster on the highway and have a bit of a... Smoother ride :biker:

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gen3flygirl Grand Master

gen3flygirl

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Thanks! She's 6 or 7 now, and a huge baby... people see a Doberman and get scared, but even a tiny dog can spook her :) As for the long intro, well... Might as well let people get to know me... I was an English major, so I'm pretty wordy. :postwhore:

I have grown up with and fostered doberman's ...they are wimps. my parents can' go into a different room with out the dog getting up and following them around.

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Josh1234 Mentor

Josh1234

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Welcome aboard! The Blast is a fun bike.

You guys are supposed to be teasing me, not telling me I bought a fun bike :)

I literally think it had 10 owners before me... it's been beat to hell and clearly dropped plenty of times. I think a Harley Dealership owned it at one point and used it for Rider's Edge. But it was 50% what a ninja 250 woulda cost, and anything else at its price point would've been 20 years old, not 6 :eww::hellno:

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C-bus Grand Master

C-bus

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You guys are supposed to be teasing me, not telling me I bought a fun bike :)

I literally think it had 10 owners before me... it's been beat to hell and clearly dropped plenty of times. I think a Harley Dealership owned it at one point and used it for Rider's Edge. But it was 50% what a ninja 250 woulda cost, and anything else at its price point would've been 20 years old, not 6 :eww::hellno:

It has two wheels... no teasing on this forum. Unless it's a scooter. Or a Harley. Or a Gixxer.... or cruiser of any kind, really. Or a Honda (they suck). Or one of those pretentious Euro-trash bikes... we make fun of those. Or 600s (slowwwwwwww!)

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