1/2 way through the MSP. No bike!

[cb360]

Kudos to you in_denial - I think the same way. I could go out and finance the fanciest bike made... but I'd rather save that money for the future. Way too many of us mortgage our financial futures for toys. That's why Americans are the worst savers among all industrialized nations despite being one of the wealthiest. The average american saves less than 5% of what they make. There's a balance in there to be sure - you have to have some fun. And I do. I just have some lines I won't cross. If I need a new bike I'll save the money for it first. That attitude isn't for everyone, but it works good for me.

[ronboskz650sr]

My bike has no scary issues at all. If you get it into good shape, it will be fine.

[cruisinflatout]

I saw a Suzuki GS in the paper. I'm 6'2" and weigh 275. I guess I'll have to sit on one to see if it fits me. My $1,000 bike budget does not include riding gear. I plan on gettng decent gear. The reason I want to get a cheap bike is so that I buy some time and decide what type of bike I can see myself riding for the next 5 to 10 years. I don't want to drop $10k on a bike I won't be happy with. Plus, I have just been bitten by the motorcyle bug really bad. I have the fever. If I get bored in a couple of months, I can sell the $1000 bike and move on.
I plan on doing the mainenance myself. On my cars, I do oil, brakes and clutches. I used to work on my dirtbikes as a kid. Although, I have never rebuilt an engine or anything like that.

I'm about your size and my Gs fits me just fine

Someone mentioned the cost of gettin' an old bike up and running...I bought my current GS for 80 bucks Canadian (bout 65 US) and I put 600 more into it. It is now minty....mind you, I did alot of work and spent alot of time fixing it...but I have time, kash is another story...

Before that, I bought an 82 Honda 650 Nighthawk for 75 bones and put about 400 into it and it was up to par too...but again...time.

Before that, I bought a GS550 for 600 bucks and it didn't need anything...

I dunno about the market that you're in, but up here, a reliable, safe bike can be had for less than a G as long as you have the time, the manual and some mechanical knowhow...

Again, good luck finding something...

[in_denial]

I passed the MSP road test yesterday. Now I have bike fever worse than ever. I rode my neighbbor's Harley 1200 custom yesterday. Very nice bike, but I'm really not a Harley fan. After the ride, we went over to the dealership and looked at the new Kawasakis, Yamahas and Suzukis. I really like the Suzuki Boulevard C90 and the Kawasaki Nomad. I liked the way the V-star looked, but it didn't fit me right. The salesman told me that the Susuki C-50 has about 52 pounds of torque and the C-90 has about 68. My neighbor was amazed because the C-6-50 is a 800cc bike and it has the same torque as his 1200cc Harley. The Kawasaki salesman did not have the engine specs readily available and his shop was closing. I think I might buy
a new bike next year. Right now, I'm looking to purchase a beater bike and riding gear. Draggin Jeans looks like a good product. An opinions? I noticed that they do not have any kevlar in the hip area. Are they any other kevlar jean brands worth looking at? How about the Joe Rocket riding jackets?