i went and sat on a kawi ninja 250, and i reallty like it. i know people have different oppinions abotu buying brand new motorcycles especally if your just learning but the 250 fits me better than the 500! my legs hit the tank ridges on the 500. i wanted to sit on the suzuki 500 but they did not have one in stock. i think i would rather get the 250 and learn to ride the "crumb" out of it then go get somethign bigger (i dont think i'll loose tooo much on the 250 cause used prices on those are through the roof.) i got an insurance quote of $360 for 6 months, with state farm, and i think it was 680 for 1 year with geico, and i'll get at least one or two more quotes. maybe find a motorcycle only insurer.

i need your advice- what is a good price. the MSRP is $2999 and im paying 8.35% tax. i didnt ask what the "other fee's" would add up to. but on a cheap bike like this, how much can i expct to pay OTD? anyone purchased one of these like to share what you paid? any and all help is appreciated. thank you all for checking out my blog.

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Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency!

tell them you want that price, tax and extras in.
3 grand OTD.

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2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD
CMC 049

found a cool site today

http://www.ninja250.info/index.htm

lots of info about this bike i want. i am almost sure i am going to get it this bike. i cant wait! i can finance it for 3 years but probably have it paid off before x-masof this year and help my credit score. im so excited. soon it will be happy bike day to me!

i'll keep all my loyal blog readers posted about my progress.

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Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency!

I love that siggie Ryan *L

and hopefully happy bike day comes soon! Easy Credit payments...my ticket to an early grave...but I'll have lots of stuff to take with me *L

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2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD
CMC 049

ok, so i am planning on going and buying the kawi 250 tomorrow morning (they open at 10AM)

but in the mean time i need to quench my appetite for spending money so i got some thigns to "secure" the bike in my grandmothers garage (until i move in 2 weeks and have my own garage)

i got a 4' piece of chain from home depot. it took all the guy could do to cut the piece off for me, they have a pnumatic chain cutter and dude was pumping it to try to get it to cut. then i got a nice master lock that has a hardened shackle and said it is "bullet resistant" so it looks like a pretty beefy lock. (the chain and lock together weigh brobably no less than 12-15lbs.
now is time for the g/f to use her creative juices to make me a "sleeve" out of fleece to put over the chain so it doesnt damage the bike when i lock it to the metal pole in the garage. i am at work so i have not been home to see it yet, but it is suposed to be "lizard skin" patterned fleece in the shape of a tube to go around the chain leaving only the 2 ends stcking out to secure the lock. i figure it will (A) protect the paint and stuff on the bike (B) look cool (C) add one more layer of protection, maybe they brought a hacksaw but forgot a pair of scissors?

i am also planning to remove any hacksaws/blades from the workbench in the garage and put them somewhere else. I dont want it to be easy to get at the bike. My grandmother is from the old school of not always locking her doors and whatnot.

ok- personal story now-
I got a call from my g/f about our dog who was in surgery to have her "baby making pieces" removed. The vet's secratary called and said the surgery went fine but they will no longer be able to board the dog or do any more surgerys on her because she is too agressive.
OK, my dog is a Doberman Freakin' Pinscher. it loves me, it like my girlfriend, and it pretty much doesn't care/dislikes everyone else in the world. its the nature of the breed. im her family so she loves me and would do anythign for me, but strangers best watch their fingers lest they get too close to her mouth. So Tabatha (the g/f) is all upset, i just siad we'll go get the dog and not worry about it. the dog is not agressive when me and her are around, she is protective but if our friends/family come over and she knows its okay, she is a sweet lovable dog. i highly recomend dobermans to anyone who wants a dog that wil forsake all others to be your friend. All dogs are pets Dobermans are family. so anyway. hopefully i will be a real biker tomorrow with a bike and everyhting.

i'll try to post some pics of the chain/sleeve/lock combo when i get a chance. and of course, i'll post if i get the bike. until then. thanks for reading.

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Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency!

A1 suoer cool ryan...Take pics of yon bike....when ya gets it.

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2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD
CMC 049

Happy Bike Day To Me!!!!!!

So i did it! i got a bike! i am the proud new owner of a kawi ninja 250R. the yellow one.

So we get to the dealership at about 10:15AM and i immediatly walk over to the 3 250's they have there-
red blue and yellow all lined up. the blue one is marked sold and i didnt care much for it so im looking back and foward between the red and yellow. Tha co-owner comes over and asks if i need help, i said,"i want to buy one of these but i dont know if i want yellow or red?" the guy said to sit on both of them and see. so i did. my g/f said red, but i still bought the yellow cause im the king in my castle. they wheeled it into the back to "get it ready for me" (if anyone knows what they did to it back there i'd be interested to know?) then i go into the office. i asked if they take Am-Ex cause i get points and i doubt with my credit i can get much better than 9.9% (i'm 21 and have never financed a car or anythign to build credit)

so theres a problem with the machine that reads cards...
"we shuld have it fixed at the beginning of next week" the office lady tells me. but i want a bike today! i came to get a bike and im leaving with it tied down in the back of my truck! but they said they could call it in and i could take the bike today but it wont hit my credit card until next week (whoo-hoo! free bike!). So i walk around for a bit and sign a paper sayign i have agreed to purcase the bike. the owner took it out on a drive around the block and looked really cool when he pulled back into the parking lot on it. he explained to go easy on the RPMs for a while, and to bring it in at least for the first service so they could check out the bike but then i could do my own work and just to use Kawi oil and ?? whatever kind of battery that is in there now if it ever needs to be replaced. i was riding around the neighborhood for a while, i didnt look closely eno9ugh, i thought it was 7000 revs i was supposed to be staying under but it is 4000! oops, i'll do better tomorrow. (praying it doesnt rain) if i can go out early i should be able to get a little ride in before it gets so hot out. i know im gonna get flamed for this but i dont have insurance yet... the office was closed today so i am stayign inside my neighborhood and strictly adhering to speed limits and whatnot. untill first thing monday when i will be insured. QUESTION- because i got an unsecured loan, i only have to cary minimum insurance ot be legal. but i want some theft protection and i guess protection if i get into a single vehicle accident like dropping the bike (cant get frame sliders for this model because of the way the frame is). anyone recomend what i shoudl ask the insurance company for
QUESTION 2- what is a good alarm that has a clicker, makes a chirp-chirp (like the honda s2000 alarms or vin diesels rx7 in The fast and the furious 1) i want a neat "alarm noise" not a horn honk. and has a tilt sensor. im mostly interested in knowin if someone stands my bike up. i don care abotu people being near it (like in a parking lot) but i dont want anyone mounting it. so all i really want is a cool chirp for my amusement, and a tilt sensor that will make it go off if anyone gets on the bike/stands it up. or shakes it a little by touchin it.
QUESTION 3- which is better for general motorcycleing stuff like a bottle of water, a map, and some sack food, and anythign i picked up at the store. a tank bag, or a tail bag? i heard tank bags can mess up your paint? any ideas or can someoen weigh out the pros and cons for me?

ok so now i want to post a testimonial about why the MSF has already paid for its self-
I was riding around, doing a u-turn because i didnt want to go too far out of this cul-de-sac that i was practicing in. so i go to trn and im trying to look press and roll, but i gess i didnt roll or lean enough because im obviously not going ot make the u-turn. so i straightened the bars and used both brakes to come to a nice stop abotu a foot and a half from the curb/mailbox that i would have hit. if i had not taken the class i would have just hit the brakes and not straightned up and i would have probably low-sided. and if you werent payign attention, i dont have insurance yet so whatever dammage was done (cracked fairings or worse) would have been on me and probalby in excess of the $200 i spent on the MSF. if anyone is onthe fence about taking it or not- TAKE IT, take it before you start riding! i was just practicing in a cul-de-sac and i almost made a costly mistake but my training for class kicked in and i saved it with no harm, no foul. i down shifted, backed up and took off again. and now i know hat not to do. so you'll never hear me say a bad word about the MSF.

with that said- anyone who bad-mouths the 250R, they have probably (A) never ridden it (B) are misinformed. i is a lot of fun to ride. i cant wait till the motor gets broken in because reving that thing like crazy will be fun and using the lower gears to their full potential. i think once im insured, i will go for soem longer rides out in the country where i can cruise and not worry with traffic and stuff. that should help pack the miles on and get the motor broke in. (is there any reason i cant use 2-3 long rides, instead of 100 short rides to break the motor in?)

looks-
ok i know a lot of people think the 250 is the ugliest bike ever, but i dont think its that bad. yes, the design team that came up with that headlight must have colaborated in about 1984. and the tail light is not a lot "sleeker" but overall its not bad looking. i liek the symetry of the dual exaust. and the seat/ride position is comfortable for me even at 6'2" 240lbs. and the bike is easy to throw around a little, i can easily hold it on a not-too-steep hill with just my feet down (try that with your honda goldwing 1800) so if any of you ever et a chance to ride one, i highly recomend you see what its like. its not as bad as the reputation some people give it. i think its liek some people say Harley Davidson is sooo bad but really have never ridden one. (i like all bikes american, import, chopper, or bone stock)

OK so if you re still reading, bless you. i have ADD and im sure you can tell by how i write.

Motorcycles rule! yay for new-bike-day!

thank you for all of you who helped me in so many ways pertaining to motorcycles.

I also want to add a special thanks to Dragonhawk who's website probably saved my life (yea, i wanted a CBR or a Gixxer just liek everybody else) but he showed me his site and cooler heads prevaled and i have the ultimate beginner bike instead of a biek that would probably get me killed. (not to diss on anyone who started on a bigger bike, but i am glad i made the decision not to) so Thank You Dragonhawk!

and thank you to everyone who reads/replies to this blog. i swear i'll try to get soem more pics up tomorrow of me, the bike, me one the bike, and maybe my sweet little puppins! (who is feelign a little better after having her lady-bits removed on thursday)

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Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency!

Ryan, Im noticing a suspicious lack of pics ATM... I wants too see the new toy! Did ya bargain a bit? geta good deal?

as for the gear question, I have heard the same thing about tank bags, so go for a tail bag, see how they look (better yet, if they didnt give you anything on the bike when you bought it, go in and see if theyll give you a good deal!)

insurance- On a new bike, Id get really comprehensive coverage. collision, theft, ect. get as much as you can afford, and hope you never have to use it.

Alarms - I wouldnt be worrying about the noise it makes when you turn it on, but the noise it makes when it gets set off *L

some of them have a pager option that if say you are inside, and someone sets off your alarm, it will page you (cell phone/pager?) and you know its going off, alot of good an alarm will do you if your in the mall and its in the parking lot. this would be a bonous in my view..

And CONGRATS!

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2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD
CMC 049

Congrats, you seem somewhat happy! Super choice for a bike IMO.

I sometimes use both types of bag, here's what I think of each:

Tank bag: It must not be able to slide around at all (magnetic with rubbery back is great) and tank must be wiped off before putting it on. Wax often. Don't put alot of weight in it. Your paint should be OK if you follow the above. I use a Cortech magnetic ultra-mini on BLACK paint and there's zero scratching, holds a canteen, cellphone, rag, gum, it's full. Has clear map pocket on top. Stays put at 95mph, have't ridden any faster. $50 or so from local Honda dealer, very well made.

Tail bag: Makes getting on/off the bike a real pain. I have one and use it when buying groceries (will hold a 12pack of your favorite beverage) or taking along a change of clothes. Secure mounting using built-in bungees, nicely made, "extreme" brand (?) got it on ebay for around $30.

How much did you end up paying OTD for the bike? I was thinking about getting a 250 also.

As for insurance, I always carry full coverage because I couldn't afford to pay for any damages or replacement of my vehicles, but I can afford a few extra dollars a month for insurance. In the long runit will have cost me more but since I am terrible at saving money it works for me.

Congratulations on you new purchase.

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Henri


1992 Seca II XJ600