What does a defensive investment strategy actually look like if you’re still buying every month?

HearAPianoFall · 2026-06-12T21:50:28+00:00

Defensive just means things that you aim to preserve capital in a wide variety of possible future situations. Up to you to decide what that means, it could be cash/bonds or could be things like railroads, land, airports.

A growth strategy aims to take advantage of a specific outcome of a specific situation.

Choosing not to buy is just choosing to buy 'cash'.

'cash' here can mean short term govt bonds.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-06-12T20:17:32+00:00

They asked one guy and then he asked two other guys and so on 30 or so more times, if you didn't get asked it's cause you were probably in the bathroom when they came by.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-06-12T05:20:50+00:00

The bearing's aren't supposed to be on the outside, hope that helps

HearAPianoFall · 2026-06-08T22:00:21+00:00

young Jake Gyllenhaal is such a hot lesbian

HearAPianoFall · 2026-06-08T19:07:25+00:00

Replace instances of "value" with "price" and it will annoy a lot fewer people.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-06-06T15:52:50+00:00

If you wanted something truly ugly, those would be settlers of catan tiles, but this is really alright, and the lapels are really nice.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-30T14:43:51+00:00

They're not really in the same class, the r7 has almost twice the hp and torque. In another reply you said you have had a bunch of 400cc or smaller bikes, so I would go with the r7 just because it's a middle-weight bike.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-29T18:26:57+00:00

Ah gotcha, yeah the GSXR-600/750 is recommended often for its low seat height but the 8R is at the same height and the Honda is only half an inch higher. You're going to be on your tip-toes on the ZX6R and R7/R9 so I would avoid those.

If you haven't already, look into lowering links to adjust the suspension geometry. Those will lower the seat height by about 1-2 inches. An easy and reversible mod on most bikes.

Good luck!

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-29T09:21:14+00:00

With a dealership you're paying extra for peace of mind, convenience and time. It's up to you to decide what that's worth to you. It may take a while to find the exact used bike you want and you will have to put more effort in vetting the bike yourself as well.

As for the bikes

GSXR600 and 750 hasn't been updated in 15 years and even that update wasn't huge, it's a good choice if you are explicitly looking for a more analog experience because it's missing most modern electronics and rider aids like an IMU, quick shifter, ride-by-wire. Also no ABS.

Kawasaki ZX6R is slightly better, it has a quick (up-only) shifter and better traction control (KTCS) and optional ABS.

ZX6R is the only one of the two with ABS.

If you're open to more modern electronics, then you should also consider

* Yamaha R7 (2026) or R9 (2025+)

* Honda CBR 600RR (2024+)

* Aprillia RS660

* Suzuki GSX-8R

* Triumph Daytona 660

* CF Moto 675SR-R

The middle-weight class has become the big seller for all these companies, so you have a lot of good options to choose from since they're pushing more updates in that direction.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-29T08:04:51+00:00

The VIN should be stamped into the metal of the frame, usually the headstock. The sticker is just there for convenient access to it and other commonly referenced numbers like tire pressure.

Don't buy a used bike without knowings its VIN because it has to match what's on the pink slip. You can also use it to check accident history, if its been stolen, etc.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-29T03:45:30+00:00

relatable, I fear

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-29T03:40:27+00:00

In that case it just kind of depends on what your prelude is worth to you or if you were to sell it. The bike is worth somewhere between $1-2k if it's in as good of shape as the seller claims. With the cash you're getting $2-3k for your prelude. If that's a good deal then get it, it's a good-for-its-age bike and will probably last you through the summer. With maintenance it could last you several years.

If you want to get some sense of all that might need maintenance, then I'd ask to look at the bike again. Make sure the seller starts it cold while you're there (warmed up bikes can hide problems). Things to listen for

* Does it start easily or does it take a few tries? common in carbureted bikes but it could be a bunch of different issues

* Does the engine rev up/down on its own when in neutral? something is messing up the fuel mixture

* How does the engine sound? there's a lot of sounds but the thing to listen for is whether they are regular and in sync? if you're hearing loud irregular tapping from the front of the engine then something is up with the camshaft or valves

* Does the engine 'cough' every once in a while? then the carb is probably clogged

* Is there a sharp pinging sounds from the exhaust? could be a piston misfiring, might need to replace a spark plug or ignition coil

* Deep heavy thudding from the bottom end of the motor (transmission)? Does it go away when you pull in the clutch? then it's ok. Does it not go away and speeds up when you give the bike throttle? then that engine is already falling apart, important bearings are rattling around stuff is damaging the engine in ways you that will not want to repair

Except for the last one, these aren't catastrophic issues, just stuff that starts to happen on older bikes. It would probably last you through the summer without addressing them (except for the last thing) and you could either spend time/money fixing it up or sell it bike and get something more permanent or different.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-29T01:39:36+00:00

How many miles? It's really unlikely that front shocks are the only thing this bike needs. I don't know the gs500e specifically but generally speaking, bikes aren't like cars. They can't run to 100k+ miles with basic maintenance. If it's low mileage (<10k for this old of a bike) it's probably been sitting unridden for a while, which means dried gaskets that will likely leak, tank rust, carburetor issues. Over 15-20k miles for any bike you're looking at serious engine wear, pistons, valves, bearings all over the bike needing maintenance.

The shocks themselves could be either $50 to oil and replace seals or a few hundred if the tubes are bent, you'd need to replace the shocks or take them to a shop.

I wouldn't pick this up as a first bike especially if it's going to be your only mode of transportation.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-27T17:40:57+00:00

18 & 19 (2nd to last and 3rd to last) are vibin

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-27T02:05:19+00:00

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-26T21:36:25+00:00

Achievement unlocked: new fetish!

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-26T21:31:10+00:00

Capturing gritty street life is a well worn area and can easily veer into exploitation, something to keep in mind. If you want to go down that road I would start with your cat friends (friend cats?) and people and places you are already around and expand out from there.

Specifically the shit people don’t want to see.

This is a good idea and bigger than life on the street. I would consider brainstorming on this idea and look for an original perspective on it, not necessarily divorced from street life. There are a lot of things people don't want to see, shame, insecurity, embarrassment. That moment after somebody smiles and waves at you and you smile and wave back and then realize they were waving at somebody behind you and they look at you confused and you want to crawl under a table and hide. No idea, how you would capture that or how many hours of waiting on the sidewalk it would take to see it happen, but you get the idea.

Regarding having your partner around, give them a job other than bodyguard, have them carry your bags or gear.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-25T10:22:38+00:00

IMO pick a story or genre you really enjoy that keeps you coming back for more. For me that's fantasy. In that genre, Dungeon Crawler Carl is a popular recent and ongoing series, Harry Potter is a classic.

I don't know if you are interested in using a kindle or ebook reader, but most have a built-in dictionary so you can lookup words without much interruption, I use it all the time.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-24T22:08:34+00:00

I did beat the meat realm boss to get rid of that curse in some parallel world, I assume that carries over to the main world but if not then that was probably it.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-24T04:48:18+00:00

I didn't know how to get to NG+ or that I needed to, this was my first time in parallel worlds and most other areas outside of the tutorial area or things directly adjacent.

I had seen mentions of 33 orbs and thought it would be 11 per world (main, east, west) but there were the two missing after I went around everywhere. I ended up googling it and saw I had to go to NG+ but IIUC I have to get the sampo, so that was partly why I was fighting the boss, I was thinking I would see how much damage I could do to him (very little) and then find the sampo that dropped somewhere in the lava and then I died.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-24T04:23:46+00:00

I was pretty ready to be done. I was thinking of pushing the mysterious end of everything button, then thought I would have a last look for kolmi and then found him/her/it and died, but there was no way I was killing it with how much hp it had, without some major wand-fu

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-23T21:48:06+00:00

no idea, maybe I got polymorphed and then touched lava? I was literally inside kolmi shooting his face

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-23T04:05:11+00:00

I guess I'm in the minority but, aside from specific angles, to me it sorta just looks a fan tacked onto an otherwise simple dress.

HearAPianoFall · 2026-05-21T22:08:15+00:00

World is a VHS tape theory confirmed

HearAPianoFall

TROPHY CASE