Total Motorcycle Community Forums

dean owens wrote:use searchtempest and keep checking the fz6 forum (as well as posting what you're looking for). i got my e52 top case for $150.00 and the rack for $50.00. that's a far cry from the $450.00+ i would have spend buying it new and having it shipped to me.

You are the master bargain hunter. I need to use my head more about this - I don't need new, especially since I'll probably end up futzing with the stuff.

RhadamYgg

jstark47 wrote:

RhadamYgg wrote:You know, the fact that I can buy hard saddle bags and a hard top case is great... Looked up the prices on the whole set from Givi and nearly had a heart attack! Over $1100 for all this stuff...

This is why I equipped my V-strom in stages. Did the side cases one year and the top case the following year.

People own bikes for more than a year????

Just kidding. I was waiting for my wife and kids to get home and I ended up sitting on the bike. It just feels right, which is something the B-King never did (well). The seat heights aren't that different, but the width of the bike is vastly different. Part of the purchase process for the hard cases and mounting equipment is answering the question - Am I going to keep this bike? Damn, I need to hurry up and put some miles on it and figure out the answer to that...

RhadamYgg

Also go over and check out newenough. They've got some soft cases on sale for pretty cheap right now.
And if you use FireFox browser, look up an add-on called InvisibleHand. When you're looking at a product, it looks for the same product other places and automatically compares the prices for you, then lets you know if this is the cheapest or if it's cheaper somewhere else and gives you a link there.

I'm definitely a firefox user. Whenever I can get away from Internet Explorer. NewEnough is one of my favorite places to loose disposable income.

Took the bike out to work today. It was a mixed bag. The bike runs good, but I do think of the things that the B-King did better, but there are a lot of things this bike does better than the B-King, too - all the benefits of this bike make it better for my purposes.

Locked the rear brake on the GSP on the way home. It wasn't a panic braking situation. Traffic ahead was slowing down, but I had plenty of room. Laying off the throttle in sixth gear doesn't give the high amount of engine braking that I'm used to - so I braked harder. Apparently, too hard on the rear. I noticed it was locking up because I could hear it and figured out what the sound was.

I did the wrong thing according to the books. I let off the rear brake. The rear was only just starting to walk - and I was heavy on the front brake (after realizing I was locking the rear I came down a little harder on the front, I'm not sure). Long and short - I didn't high side (yay) - I did a series of actions that led to the problem, but also got me out of it before being really aware of what the hell was going on (good, maybe?, oh no wait - that's bad...).

On the way home I stopped for gas - and had trouble with my stupid speed pass thingie. Fortunately, I carry my Exxon card (which worked), but it really pisses me off to take my wallet out when my speedpass thingie should always work.

I slopped it up a couple times and stalled. Once engaging the bike slightly at a stop light while waiting and letting off - rocking back and forth - except that one time I had the rear brake on and let too much clutch out and well it stalled.

The other time I came to a complete stop after getting through a light in to completely stopped traffic. Immediately after getting my left foot down, I looked up and traffic was taking off.... Stallo

The great thing about this bike is that when you are a putz, you can restart in seconds flat. None of this bullshit with getting the bike in Neutral before starting - just squeezed in the clutch and press the starter button and off ya go.

Anyway, that's just about it. I still haven't figured out how someone could have so few miles on a bike. It is a 2006 - call it three years old, nah give them the benefit of the doubt... Two years and they bought it in 2007 as an unsold 2006. Two years and all the miles they have on the bike is 3100 miles? Sheesh. Well, we'll see how many miles I get on the bike. Got 233 miles at present and hope to do a shitload this year - if I can figure out how to make this a long-haul touring bike (on a budget as previously mentioned) and have enough clothing for the convention I will be going to.

As I pulled out of the gas station this hot "poo poo" (idiot) kid jumps off the sidewalk where the station facility is and did a 360 on his bike - right in my path of riding. I popped on the brakes - left foot down full stop. Kid finally looks up and gets the eyes wide thing as he realizes I was about to cream his "O Ring".

I blew it off - he's not my responsibility. No harm done with at least 2 seconds before impact.
Jackass kid.

In fact, a lot of people were showing their inner "O Ring" on the road. Space cushion is our friend. I don't think I was in any real danger except for the two people behind me who decided that being two feet off my rear wheel was normal driving behavior.

Well, another day another ride to work and home. Very good riding conditions, fewer cars, got a nice bit of speed at some points, but it seems with holiday traffic you get holiday drivers - that don't know the speeds people normally drive on the GSP. So, I got stuck behind drivers going at 70 mph, instead of the 80 that most people do - at least on the way to work.

I was fiddling with a neck sock (don't remember the real name) this morning and forgot to snap my helmet in to place. I figured it out because of the damnable tapping on my helmet. I stopped on the side of the GSP - risky, but I had to do it and secure my helmet. The neck sock thingie made the helmet tighter, but nothing that would resist an accident. Getting the helmet strapped in right helped with the cold air as well.

The ride home was much better. However, both on the way in and the way home it felt like my throttle stuck a bit in the open position. Going to take the bike to the Yamaha dealer for a used vehicle check - probably an oil change and have them check the throttle. I'm still not quite sure if it was the throttle or my gloves causing the throttle issue - but I did a test when I got in to work and it seemed that the throttle stayed open at 3000 rpms when I revved it a few times - but not every time.

Anyway, already put 10% of the miles that whoever had the bike before me put on it. I feel a lot better about this bike than the B-King. Too bad I didn't figure that out when I was in the market for a new bike - I could have easily got a new FZ6 and had money left over a year ago. Not much to be pissed about - I didn't even consider the FZ6 at that time.

Well, here's to keeping this bike for more than a year and more than 5,000 or so miles.

Oh, I had two heavy breaking scenarios on the road on the way home, and I didn't lock the rear wheel, but I definitely have to watch how "loose" the rear brake is and how easy that makes it to push the rear brake down too much.

Damn. Got my evotech parts for sliders and tail tidy and my bike is still in the shop!

RhadamYgg wrote:Damn. Got my evotech parts for sliders and tail tidy and my bike is still in the shop!

what is your bike in the shop for?

Throttle stuck on me twice, oil change and wanted them to take a quick look at all the mechanicals... But its taking forever. I must have it the springtime motorcycle get ready for the riding season nutsies.