Hello all, John or "Skeet" as my friends call me stepping into about my 9th forum.... lol
Little background -
Been riding 4 or 5 years now.
First was an '01 Ninja 250 got me started. I almost clobbered my mailbox on day 1. Had never been on a bike, even a dirt bike. Put 8k on that wicked machine the first year, learning all the wrong stuff, like downshifting 2 gears mid turn to keep up w/ my friends on their bigger bikes... and riding in 25*F to prove some point about being a "true motorcyclist" - learned ice on the inside of your visor is a major problem! Sold this and....
Test rode an FZ6 I was gonna buy for my second bike and realized 14,000 RPM was too much, and that high speed ZING wasn't safe for my 2nd bike. Was gonna get an SV650 instead, but two of my friends already owned them, so I didn't wanna be like them...
Then I sat on about 20 bikes, finally deciding on my '08 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom. I love the look. Ergo's are great while on the kickstand, just don't try riding it more than 150 miles. Wanted a "safe" bike for a logical 2nd step, put about 6k on it in 3 years now. Doesn't get ridden much. Somewhat realized even though I'm in love w/ the style of the bike, the riding and the "scene" you become part of while on a cruiser just isn't for me. Rode the Vulcan a year and then...
Keeping with my "safe" idea and avoiding anything with 4 cylinders (sport bikes) I bought my '01 KTM Duke 2. 'Effing rare as anything. Expensive as hell to maintain/fix. Ended up wiping out on it twice now... so much for "it's only got 50hp, it's safe!" Wheelies galore, stairs, sidewalks, etc. I love the bike but she's gonna get me killed. Plus it's ALWAYS something with this thing. Amazing commuter bike though, nothing beats that big torque thump!
Sooooo I wanted something that would hopefully inspire me to sell off the Vulcan and the KTM and be less maintenance, extremely rewarding as a daily commuter, tour-worthy, cheap to maintain, etc.
Ended up going back to an FZ6. I picked this '04 up 2 days ago. Only put about 70 miles on it so far. Enjoying it, but missing the torque!!
I'll have to find and post some pics of my other bikes!
Anyway - I'm an extreme DIY and refuse to allow anyone to work on my stuff. I'm signing up to learn about throttle body sync, valve adjustments, gearing recommendations, etc.