Your Rider Resume

[Silver05]

I think its great that people chime in with their opinion, but agree that its nice to know how much that opinion is worth.

For what its worth, I've been licensed since 1992, give or take a year. I've owned 3 dirt bikes, and my FZ6 is my 6th street bike. And since I've enjoyed reading what others have ridden in their lives, I'll post my list for a stroll down memory lane...

78 DT175
86 Radian (great first bike!)
85 FJ1100
83 GS1100E (hold on!)
05 Super Glide Custom
86 Fazer (the old 700 fazer)
07 TTR50 (kid's bike)
06 TTR250
05 FZ6

<50 miles on the FZ6 so far (just picked it up today) and wow - what a neat bike. Still getting used to the feel of it, obviously, but I'm looking forward to logging some miles on it this summer. I don't commute, so its strictly recreational for me.

Cheers

[craig007]

I started riding last year. I took the MSF beginners course. This was the first time I drove a motorcycle (I did ride on the back of my uncle's HD in the early 70's). I bought my FZ6 a week after the MSF course. I have about 10,500 miles so far. I use it to commute to work and ride on the weekend. I learned soooo much from this forum and asked a lot of stupid questions last year. I don't tend to answer technique questions (because I'm still learning) and I don't know much about maintenance (rather ride than fix).

There are no "right" answers to a lot of the discussions: what are the best tires? best jacket? etc. Therefore, if I feel I can add something then I do.

[FZ6inNH]

I started riding when I was 11 years old. I am now 43, however, there was a 14 year gap in there to raise three kids. I sold my last ride when the oldest was six and had no toys for the next 14 years. The kids came first. Now that they are responsible for themselves, we are back into toys again!

At 11, my parents bought me a Honda CT70 trail bike. It was a little 70cc 3-speed automatic (no clutch). Shift and twist! After bombing trails for a few years with this, Honda introduced the ATC90 and I got to try a friends. After some pleading and pitching in my money saved from odd jobs, I got one of the first ATC110 3-wheelers. FUN! That lasted a couple more years and I got a Yamaha DT175 bike. I tore down this dual-purpose and make it a strictly dirt machine. I took apart the engine, had it bored and stroked, send the head out for porting and polishing, and changed out the sprockets for more low end dirt riding/hill climbing. During this time, I aquired a Honda XL 185 which I used for some off road but mostly onroad. I drove this for two seasons on the street without a license or permit. (This was central Maine... You know.... "Hey! Nice TOOTH!" )

My first true street bike was a 1977 Suzuki 450. That one had some issues and didn't last long. I then got a 1981 Honda CB750F Supersport. This bike was the ride of it's day. I bought it used almost two years old. I had it for about 4 months and totaled it when I was stunting. Doing a wheelie at about 55 mph and lost it over backwards. Geared up, I hit the road and slid watching the bike do several endo's, front, tail, front, tail, etc.... There was no saving it, crumpled mess! Paid cash, no insurance, total loss out of pocket. Lesson learned!

After getting out of the Army, I bought a used Honda ATC 350X three wheeler. This was only put out for 20 months by Honda and then pulled because it was too fast and dangerous. I kept mine until my oldest turned 6 and sold it. It wasn't until May 2006 that I picked up the '05 FZ6 holdover.

I never had formal training for working on these but learned on my own with Chilton or Haynes manuals along the way. I still work on most of my stuff by myself and prefer it that way. Especially with the bikes because I have a trust issue with someone else working on my ride and me feeling 100% safe afterward. I've also performed a lot of work on bikes for others. The rest of the kids in the neighborhood always came to me to help them fix and repair their machines.

As for street miles, I am guessing at about 40k miles. Off-road on bikes and 3-wheelers, probably 60k because I was ALWAYS on something with less than 4 wheels for 12 years out of my life.

I've done the MSF twice and think everyone should take it every few years as a refresher. It reminds you of bad habits you need to break! I also scored a perfect 100% both times!

I've crashed many times with all but one(See "stunting" above) in dirt. I've always worn gear and even after all these crashes, I've never broken anything. Most crashes were from pushing the ride to the extreme. I was one to always try something new. I'm glad that it's out of my system now that I am on the FZ6!

I commute every possible day with the FZ6. Even if rain is called for, so long as it isn't raining for the ride in, I take the bike and a rain suit. We're not doing a lot of joy riding these days for two reasons, too many items on the Honey-Do list and the price of gasoline. I'm looking at about 6k per season on the bike at this rate.

I have never done a track day but fully intend to next year. I need to pick up some good gear for the track first. I'd really like to buy another bike to run on the track. Maybe I'll get lucky and score an older FZ6 to convert to track-only! Pull all the plastics, lights, etc... Truly naked!

I try to always post based on facts but have been wrong and admit when I am. I'm always welcome to constructive criticism. If I do not know, I either do not comment or try and point you in the right direction for an answer, be it another forum member or a web link. I really like to be helpful. If I offend someone, I would hope they let me know. I'd feel really bad about it as it's not my style.

Regarding advice, there are a lot of gray areas when we meet to discuss things online as we've seen with the oil, gas, tire, etc... threads. Most people who tell me they're an expert at something, well? I tend to find it unbelievable. I know a little about a lot of subjects but I cannot ever say I'm an expert at anything. As the wife says, I'm a "Jack of all trades, Master of none." I can do it all until it comes to plumbing but I think I might be able to do that now that PEX is out there!

I do value to the advice of a great deal of members here but everyone needs to quantify that advice with some responsible research of their own. You owe it to yourself to make sure the words of wisdom are sound!!

Last, great thread David!

[Botch]

I'm going on 49, and my FZ is my first and only bike, bought it last July. I've learned so much from these forums on riding. I guess my semi-worthwhile contributions would come from extensive mechanical experience and two engineering degrees (my third degree is in explosives, haven't found a good correlation on that one yet).

And I have no idea why we have an octopus.

OH! heh heh, it's a "squid"!

[FZ6inNH]

Originally Posted by Botch

(my third degree is in explosives, haven't found a good correlation on that one yet).

Apply at Mythbusters! THAT is the job of the decade!

Explosives......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............is there ANYTHING they can't do!

[tom5796]

Wicked pissa post, David! Hopefully a lot of people fess up. I'm one year to about the day. MSF and then 7000 miles. Note you never/rarely see me posting on riding skill-related stuff - I'm much more inclined to see what defy and FZ6inNH say... plus a lot of reading and practicing. However, regarding the tinker-factor I tend to dive right in.

[BranNwebster]

BranNwebster
Houston Texas USA

Objective:

To have a lifelong love affair with motorcycling and become proficient to thoroughly enjoy all aspects in a safe manner.

Experience:

April 30 2008 to Present – I have owned and operated a 2007 Yamaha FZ6, I have gain some fundamental skills in the area of motorcycling. After a little riding in my neighborhood I have graduated to commuter status and currently enjoy the luxury of a 38 mile round trip to and from work. I also am currently working on throttle control through turns and slowly moving towards acceleration post apex. I have put 1000 miles on this motorcycle so far.

Education:

May 30 2008 to June 1 2008 – Basic Riders Course, Awesome Cycles, Houston Texas.

Achievements:

June 3 2008 – Passed exam to earn my motorcycle endorsement, Houston Texas.

Hobbies:

To ride my motorcycle
Post on FZ6 Forum

[CHEMIKER]

I got my first bike in '94. It was an old Kawasaki 250 enduro that had been taken apart by someone intending to make it into a dirtbike and was laying in pieces in a friend's backyard in the dirt. I paid him $20 for it, got it running, and rode it home. If I remember correctly, I only bought a spark plug and a tank of gas (and 2-stroke oil) to get it running, so it couldn't have been that bad. Most of the work to get it running was cleaning the varnish out of the carburetor and putting the electrical components back on. I had that for maybe 6 months before it was stolen from right out in front of my house.

In '96 I got a Seca 750. The bike could have run better but since I didn't know how to work with multiple carbs I didn't touch the engine. I owned that bike for almost a year. It was impounded for improper registration (really improper, I'm lucky that I didn't get impounded with it). Needless to say I didn't try to get it back.

I got my FZ6 in early March this year and since I spent so much time away I consider myself a new rider. I never had a license or insurance for my first two bikes. I did have a permit for a time but let that lapse. This time around I took the MSF course, got my license, am fully insured, the whole bit.

I gotta admit I'm guilty of giving advice for what I think is right when more experienced riders know the real deal. Case in point, Chemiker used to sell tires and is used to telling people to get a new one when experienced folks know punctures don't always lead to catastrophe. I love this forum and am learning tons and in the interest of keeping its integrity promise to distinguish between opinion and fact.

Edit (because this is a resume and not a life history):
- I have taken an MSF course but nothing advanced yet
- I have about 5k miles on other bikes and currently 2.8k on the FZ6
- No accidents (knock on wood). I have only dropped a bike at very low speed (0mph) and even then only once
- I commute every day 40 miles total, combination highway and city streets
- I have never been to a track day so you won't hear me go on about how to get a knee down

- I am horribly inadequate in the twisties. I want to make this my main focus this summer

[boogiecram]

Well I've been riding street for about 9 years now. I started by getting my endorsement in WA and then moved to Phoenix. My first bike was a 1983 Honda Nighthawk cb550. It was a great beginner bike that I got for $500 from a friend. It was reliable and a great gas saver. I passed that bike onto another beginner rider for $500 also, hopefully it went to good use.

My second bike was a 1991 Kawasaki Ninja 550, I got it from a friend as he was moving because it didn't run and had been sitting in his back yard for about 3 years. I got that running and rode it for about 3 months in which I found that I hate true sportbikes, mainly because I am 6'2" and 320lbs, my hands and feet went numb in about an hour on that thing. I sold it to a guy that I thought was going to steal it from me, he seemed quite shady.

After that I went for about 3 months without a bike and then broke down and got a brand new suzuki vstrom 650. I loved that bike, it was tall and comfy. But alas, when you leave your key in the ignition in phoenix, your bike tends to disappear. Lesson learned.

My current bike is a 2004 fz6. I love this bike too. It is comfy, but it also moves when you twist the throttle. I've done a few mods to the bike, but nothing really major. This is the first bike that I also laid down, where your gear it helps!

I am not really a mechanic, so you probably won't see me posting anything about fixing a bike. I love to tinker though, so I love doing mods. I made my own fender eliminator that cost around $5 and mounted my own top case that cost around $50. I give advice where I think I am knowledgeable and I like to research before posting.

[Fred]

I've been riding for about nine years now.

I've owned in order, an 85 Suzuki GS700E, a 92 BMW K-75, a 90 BMW K-75RT (this became the turbo bike), an Kawasaki EX500 and an 83 BMW R100RS.

I've taken the K-75 and turbocharged it. Now I've torn it apart and am redoing it to make it even better.

I've rebuilt the R100 engine and one of my two K-75 engines. I taught myself to wrench on bikes with a couple of books and a lot of advice from mailing lists and forums. I also have a certificate in motorcycle repair from Austin Community College. The course was taught by a guy who has more drag racing trophies than I have wrenches, so it was quite informative.

I've wrecked twice, once my fault, once the fault of a brain dead cager (BDC).

If I'm not 100% certain of what I'm posting, I will use phrases like,"I suspect that," "It's possible," or "Maybe." If I am certain, I'll state facts with no beating around the bush.

I am vehemently opposed to halfassing repairs or modifications to a vehicle that can go 150mph. I think that if you don't know what you are doing, you shouldn't work on your motorcycle until you do. Get a secondhand lawnmower engine and practice on that. I mean that. It's a great way to learn.

I hate crimp connectors on wires and think you should learn to solder and use heat shrink. It's easy to do, there's no excuse for anything less.

Pliers are not a tool to be used for unscrewing a nut or bolt. A #2 Phillips screwdriver should not be used on #1 or #3 screws. Inch sockets should never be used on metric fasteners. Measure twice, cut it too large and then grind it down until it fits.

I'm an average rider. Don't look to me for advice on how to go around a corner. My FZ6 has fairly large chicken strips on the tires. If my front wheel leaves the ground, I have to stop and change my underwear.

I believe that you should wear all the gear, all the time. I also believe in evolution, so I am against laws forcing you to wear safety gear.

I'm kind of a douchebag and fairly arrogant. I can't help it, it's a side effect of being this awesome.

Frederic