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77 Posts
Introduction to me, eh? I am 47 years old, and I have never driven a car. The Ninja 400 is my fifth bike if you count a couple scooters.
I started with a 50cc Yamaha Zuma II scooter, which I rode for about 14000 miles (odometer didn't have enough digits, so it had rolled over back to 0 at 10000). I'd take that thing over Highway 9 in California -- maxed out at 15-20 mph uphill, but its big fat tires, removed centerstand and no knees hanging out meant for a fun time downhill. I even caught and passed a "real" motorcycle once! Eventually it locked up on me -- perhaps the chain that held the gas cap and had fallen off into the tank at some point ended up sucked into the fuel line. I don't know.
Not having much money, and being a scrawny fellow who can't handle a big bike anyway, I went then to a used 1987 Honda CH150 Elite scooter. Again, rode it beyond its intentions, e.g. trips from Cupertino to Sacramento, which was basically three hours at continuous full throttle. With a max speed of 65 mph, I could draft up behind a big rig, and try to get past before my momentum died out. Sometimes it would take a few attempts to push through their side wash (crouched down with one arm behind my back) and finally get around 'em! Eventually it was time for a "real" bike so that one was retired.
It was then a 1999 (I think) Kawasaki Ninja 250. At that time I had a commute of 40 miles each way, so was putting on about 15000 miles per year. Fun bike for the mountains too. Just before 60000 miles it started eating metal, so it went for parts to a shop that worked on a lot of 250 Ninja racers.
Off then to a barely used 1993 Yamaha XJ600S ("Seca II" or "Diversion" depending on your country). Had only 3000 miles on it when I got it. Now it has about 80000 (odometer cable broke and not replaced for about two years so I'm not entirely sure!). A few years ago, clutch failure. Thrust washer broke apart. Not too mechanically inclined but managed to take the clutch apart and replace it. Then six months ago, same failure. That time I replaced the entire clutch but for the basket which I don't have the tools to do. This past Wednesday, it failed again. Bah. The cam chain is making a racket and the tensioner is maxed out anyway, so I decided to give up on it.
So on Thursday I walked into a dealership with a wad of cash and bought the last Ninja 400 they had in stock. Black, non-ABS, California model (although in Nevada, I guess they have to sell the California version because we're so close to the border that California residents might be buying here). I would have preferred ABS as I do ride all year round and for half the year my morning commute is in sub-freezing temperatures (sometimes even below zero Fahrenheit), and I do occasionally get caught in the odd snowstorm. But I've never had ABS and ridden that 600 here for nine years, so I'm pretty good about applying brakes with care when it's wet and a little icy.
The 400's stock tires are a bit of a concern as they have pretty much no tread, so when it starts to rain and snow again I may need to change them out for safety's sake to something better suited for the wet. The fatter tires will be a bit trickier in standing water during heavy rains too, I reckon. The 250 and the 600 had narrower tires that cut through standing water with ease.
I do have to get used to the less-upright seating again after so many years in the XJ600's touring stance! And of course the first day I went to work in the morning, I instinctively reached down for a choke... oh yeah, fuel injection! Never had that before...
Anyway, whereas lately I've been not wanting to just "go for a ride" in order to preserve the aging XJ600, now I want again to start going for a ride just for the heck of it! My wife does not ride, however, so it's just a solo thing. As long as I tell her I'm going out for a while and don't just decide to explore some back roads on a whim instead of coming straight home from work one day...!
I started with a 50cc Yamaha Zuma II scooter, which I rode for about 14000 miles (odometer didn't have enough digits, so it had rolled over back to 0 at 10000). I'd take that thing over Highway 9 in California -- maxed out at 15-20 mph uphill, but its big fat tires, removed centerstand and no knees hanging out meant for a fun time downhill. I even caught and passed a "real" motorcycle once! Eventually it locked up on me -- perhaps the chain that held the gas cap and had fallen off into the tank at some point ended up sucked into the fuel line. I don't know.
Not having much money, and being a scrawny fellow who can't handle a big bike anyway, I went then to a used 1987 Honda CH150 Elite scooter. Again, rode it beyond its intentions, e.g. trips from Cupertino to Sacramento, which was basically three hours at continuous full throttle. With a max speed of 65 mph, I could draft up behind a big rig, and try to get past before my momentum died out. Sometimes it would take a few attempts to push through their side wash (crouched down with one arm behind my back) and finally get around 'em! Eventually it was time for a "real" bike so that one was retired.
It was then a 1999 (I think) Kawasaki Ninja 250. At that time I had a commute of 40 miles each way, so was putting on about 15000 miles per year. Fun bike for the mountains too. Just before 60000 miles it started eating metal, so it went for parts to a shop that worked on a lot of 250 Ninja racers.
Off then to a barely used 1993 Yamaha XJ600S ("Seca II" or "Diversion" depending on your country). Had only 3000 miles on it when I got it. Now it has about 80000 (odometer cable broke and not replaced for about two years so I'm not entirely sure!). A few years ago, clutch failure. Thrust washer broke apart. Not too mechanically inclined but managed to take the clutch apart and replace it. Then six months ago, same failure. That time I replaced the entire clutch but for the basket which I don't have the tools to do. This past Wednesday, it failed again. Bah. The cam chain is making a racket and the tensioner is maxed out anyway, so I decided to give up on it.
So on Thursday I walked into a dealership with a wad of cash and bought the last Ninja 400 they had in stock. Black, non-ABS, California model (although in Nevada, I guess they have to sell the California version because we're so close to the border that California residents might be buying here). I would have preferred ABS as I do ride all year round and for half the year my morning commute is in sub-freezing temperatures (sometimes even below zero Fahrenheit), and I do occasionally get caught in the odd snowstorm. But I've never had ABS and ridden that 600 here for nine years, so I'm pretty good about applying brakes with care when it's wet and a little icy.
The 400's stock tires are a bit of a concern as they have pretty much no tread, so when it starts to rain and snow again I may need to change them out for safety's sake to something better suited for the wet. The fatter tires will be a bit trickier in standing water during heavy rains too, I reckon. The 250 and the 600 had narrower tires that cut through standing water with ease.
I do have to get used to the less-upright seating again after so many years in the XJ600's touring stance! And of course the first day I went to work in the morning, I instinctively reached down for a choke... oh yeah, fuel injection! Never had that before...
Anyway, whereas lately I've been not wanting to just "go for a ride" in order to preserve the aging XJ600, now I want again to start going for a ride just for the heck of it! My wife does not ride, however, so it's just a solo thing. As long as I tell her I'm going out for a while and don't just decide to explore some back roads on a whim instead of coming straight home from work one day...!
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