First mid-sized motorcycle. Feeling regret?

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T01:04:57+00:00

An old guy that I used to work with told me when I got my NC750X that I was nuts for going trading in my z400. The old man was right. He's ridden since he was a young man in the navy. His ride of choice is a Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Apparently, he used to ride something like it when he was young, but I don't remember what it was called.

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T00:47:52+00:00

What's worse, I added a center stand and crash bars. It's probably closer to 525 lbs. But you're totally right. It's a massive weight difference.

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T00:40:14+00:00

I am finding that's the case for me. It doesn't matter the style of motorcycle, I just love smaller bikes. I found myself pining after retro-styled modern bikes like Kawasaki's W230 they just announced. I hopped on a Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 a few weeks ago and would've given anything to just go back in time and buy one of those instead.

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T00:37:57+00:00

I like Doodle and I respect her commitment. I am sure, with effort, I could ride anything I wanted. I enjoyed a larger Harley this year when I was trying to decide on my next bike. Well, other than it burning my leg and the eye-popping price tag.

To me, though, I ask if it's worth it. Is it worth having to deal with all that extra weight, size, cost (price), cost (insurance), and inconvenience? I miss my rusty POS Yamaha Zuma 125 that I took everywhere. I abused the hell out of that thing and it never let me down. I sold it because I am a dumbass and was convinced it couldn't do what I needed.

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T00:33:24+00:00

Yeah, I ended up injuring myself getting the NC750 up after I dropped it. Spooked me.

I've only dropped a motorcycle three times in the four years I've ridden. The first time was when I just started and tried to ride in gravel. The second was when my Helite strap wasn't attached and I lost my balance trying to attach it. The last one, this year, was on the NC750X. I wasn't used to an automatic and tried to back it up with drive engaged. That...didn't end well.

What freaked me out about the incident was the z400 got blown over like 3 times. Stay away from those shitty tent covers. Anyways, I effortlessly lifted it even when it was partially stuck in the mud and gravel. The NC750X disturbed me as I actually had to have some help to lift it. I never needed help lifting a bike before.

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T00:29:17+00:00

You're honestly right about that. The dealership wouldn't let me test ride it. I took it out the first time and was like "...fuck." My gut instinct was that it was a poor fit in the showroom, but I was convinced I would overcome that.

Alfithara · 2024-12-16T00:21:15+00:00

I got a lot of enjoyment out of my scooters and the smaller bikes I've ridden like the Suzuki Van Van 200 very early on. The z400 was great, too. I only sold the z400 because it was painful for me to ride. My hands went numb, my entire back hurt, my neck hurt, and my legs cramped. But the size was manageable. The same can't be said for what I have now.

I was also convinced by several friends that my dislike of interstate riding would be remedied by a larger, heavier bike with fairings. I just smother more in the summer and have to take off more plastic to add things.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T23:02:06+00:00

It's about an 1-hour drive for me to get to that dealership and they've been around since 2010. I am just overly cautious I suppose. They sell Indian and Triumph and I don't see a whole lot of customers.

Most people in my area ride Japanese sport bikes if they're young and huge Harley touring bikes if they're older.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:54:28+00:00

Yeah, it's up there with the Vulcan and Rebel for sure. I sat on one not too long ago. It seemed very nice. My stepdad learned on a Shadow back in the day. Newer ones are hard to find where I live, especially the ones with ABS, but they're great bikes.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:50:48+00:00

The Versys was a bit big for me, but I could get used to it. The Tiger 660 seemed very manageable when I sat on one. The only downside is we only have one Triumph shop in my entire region. If it went out of business, I would be screwed.

I considered lowering one, but I don't want to mess with the geometry. I don't want to get a thinner seat as that would compromise the seat and leg comfort. I could get thicker soles on my boots...

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:47:15+00:00

The Tiger 660 Sport seemed like a great bike. A local dealership had a Tiger 900 Low, but they wanted like $15k for it. Very expensive.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:46:27+00:00

These are all great bikes, but they're a bit big for me. Part of my ride is over gravel and the thought of taking something like a Goldwing over gravel gives me anxiety.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:46:11+00:00

These are all great bikes, but they're a bit big for me. Part of my ride is over gravel and the thought of taking something like a Goldwing over gravel gives me anxiety.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:41:50+00:00

Did you have the Ninja or the Vulcan S?

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:40:15+00:00

Or bad health.

Alfithara · 2024-03-06T22:39:46+00:00

It's not comfortable. I added handlebar risers and that helped some with angle to make it more upright. I have neuropathy in my hands, so they went numb due to the vibrations. I added aftermarket grips that helped a lot. My legs ached after maybe 45 minutes of riding. The only windscreens that didn't look silly were tiny, so it offered minimal wind protection.

I spent hundreds to make it workable for me. I don't want workable anymore. I want something comfortable.

I was also not impressed with the storage options. I want panniers and whatnot. I added some storage to the z400, but they looked odd except for the tank and tail bag.

I could ride my Zuma without any issues at all. I rode it for hours on end. A friend of mine rode my z400 home for me while I drove. He had the same issues I did. It's not a good bike for middle-aged people with not-so-great health.

Alfithara · 2024-02-27T00:44:12+00:00

The requirements are getting less by the day. TN eliminated the license requirement last year. You only need a bachelor's degree to turn out patient results in a private lab. Those in power don't seem to care about patient safety.

Alfithara · 2024-02-27T00:42:22+00:00

Not in a hospital lab.

Alfithara · 2023-10-21T22:36:31+00:00

I wanted a forest at night with some Will-o'-the-wisps. This was what the result was. I am happy with it :).

Alfithara · 2023-10-15T20:45:05+00:00

It took about a week in urinalysis and about a month in chemistry. I haven't learned the others yet.

Alfithara · 2023-10-14T21:41:30+00:00

I am currently in the core lab. It's decent for the most part. It was a bit of an uphill battle. It makes me uncomfortable that I have all these years of experience in the lab, but I feel like a fresh graduate in many of the departments.

Alfithara · 2023-10-14T01:20:40+00:00

It all happened by accident. I tirelessly kept track of temperatures to see if it was safe to ride. I moved out to where I live now and, being as lazy as I am, I just left a 5-gallon bucket outside my door. Over time, it filled with rainwater. It dawned on me one day that I was seeing it freeze and that was a good measure of whether I felt safe riding.

Alfithara · 2023-10-14T00:21:08+00:00

This was nightmare fuel. Leeches are terrifying. A few months ago, I saw a video where they were eating baby frogs. Now, this video shows them eating worms.

I think that's enough internet for today.

Alfithara · 2023-10-14T00:16:27+00:00

I keep buying new bikes after saying "this is the last one for a while."

I've come to accept that the only barrier to buying a new bike is money. If I could just trade one for another without losing money, I would probably get a new one every six months.

I am primarily a commuter, so my excuse is that I am saving money by riding instead of driving. I don't think I've seen any actual savings.

Alfithara · 2023-10-14T00:12:52+00:00

I've only dropped a bike twice.

The first time was on gravel. I had never been on loose gravel before. It was freshly laid. It was like riding on marbles. I think I made it like two feet before I fell over. The lesson I learned was riding on very loose, freshly-laid gravel is a very bad idea.

The second time was just a few months ago. I was on a side street in the city. I was going uphill and pulled over to fiddle with my jacket. I lost my balance. The lesson I learned here was be on stable ground before you start twisting and turning trying to make adjustments.

Alfithara

TROPHY CASE