FIRST RIDES II

First Rides II "The sequel"    1.15.2011  By JYNorflet 

Well, I'd like to say belated Happy New Year to all who read my posts. This installation is the first of what I hope to be many to follow for the year 20-11  Though somewhat smaller than my initial installation in a series of posts on beginner bikes, I hope the information assists in your attempt at determining which of these bikes best suites your needs, style and taste. As you probably recall from the earlier post, CC's denote the size of the motorcycles engine in Cubic Centimeters, (not used by Harley and some other American motorcycle / car manufactures). Anyway back at the ranch, the more or higher the CC's, the more displacement or power as well as speed the bike has. On the downside, the more CC's the heavier, the more gas consumption, and the more insurance is going to cost you.  However, a 250cc bike is ideal for training, it typically will provide the rider with a perfect balance between power, weight, balance and the oh so important maneuverability. One reason the Suzuki GZ250 looks so great to me as a beginner bike is it's style. It's sort of a cross between cruiser and a standard upright frame. This leaves the rider in a great orientation on the seat, that upright, arms straight out riding position provides several excellent benefits versus the sport bike riding position. The upright riding position places your center of gravity in just the right place. This provides you with better control of the bike, how ? Well it allows better maneuverability by allowing the rider to move his /her center of gravity easier. On the sport bike, the forward leaning position places your weight forward of the engine, in my opinion they are not as agile, especially in an emergency swerve situation where an obstacle may suddenly appear in your path. Not to mention the enormous amount of weight that is placed on your wrists. But that is an entirely separate article all together.  The Suzuki weighs approximately 300 pounds and churns out somewhere in the area of 20 H.P. which provides a top speed of 75mph or so. In addition, the bike is capable of obtaining 75 m.p.g. , which is great for the hard core commuter who not only benefits from the fun of riding and learning, but also benefits from doing it cheaply. The bike has a 3+ gallon tank,  comes equipped with electric start, a 5 speed standard gearbox, chain drive, an air cooled 2 cylinder engine, One thing I did find odd was the rear drum brake. Most if not all of today's bikes are fitted with front and rear disc brakes.  If you are not familiar with drum brakes especially on a motorcycle they do not have the stopping power of disc brakes. They also have another oddity. If you drive through a deep puddle, the drum will not operate until the water the brake shoe become dry again.  This is something that takes a bit of getting used to. So, after passing through the water you need to hold the rear brake until it become operational again.  The seat height on the Suzuki is 27.8 inches high. This is probably perfect for the average height woman, and just a bit to low for the average sized maThe 2011 model runs somewhere in the area of $2,999.00 The bike has a 3+ gallon tank,  comes equipped with electric start, a 5 speed standard gearbox, chain drive, an air cooled 2 cylinder engine, One thing I did find odd was the rear drum brake. Most if not all of today's bikes are fitted with front and rear disc brakes.  If you are not familiar with drum brakes especially on a motorcycle they do not have the stopping power of disc brakes. They also have another oddity. If you drive through a deep puddle, the drum will not operate until the water the brake shoe become dry again.  This is something that takes a bit of getting used to. So, after passing through the water you need to hold the rear brake until it become operational again.  The seat height on the Suzuki is 27.8 inches high. This is probably perfect for the average height woman, and just a bit to low for the average  or above average sized  man. The 2011 model runs somewhere in the area of $2,999.00, This is a $1000.00 reduction over previous year prices.
JYNorflet

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note: Remember, always perform a visual inspection of your bike prior to each ride.

Inspect the headlight, brake light, brake levers. look for loose nuts and bolts which may not have loc tight. Check all levers as well as safety equipment, such as mirrors, shifter and foot pegs. A little time now could save a lot of heart ache later. And don't forget that tool kit under your seat.

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