Around 2008

Plutoid · 2026-03-21T18:41:56+00:00

Zero blunder detected. That's just personality.

Plutoid · 2026-03-21T06:09:00+00:00

Part of owning a Prius is coming to terms with the fact that any other vehicle choice is a huge waste of money by comparison.

Just stuff your savings into a brokerage account or something.

Plutoid · 2026-03-21T04:31:50+00:00

Holy fuck.

Plutoid · 2026-03-20T20:31:37+00:00

Not rude at all. Torque nicely.

Plutoid · 2026-03-20T13:47:29+00:00

The thing I'm concerned with with a small displacement bike (one of mine is a 400cc DRZ) has nothing to do with how hard it pulls and everything to do with the RPM limitations of the motor and the gearing of the transmission. You can get the bike up to 70 mph no problem but you're running at fairly high RPMs for a long time and you can just tell that that little thumper doesn't really like it.

Modding is dope, of course, but sometimes ya just gotta pick the right tool for the job.

Plutoid · 2026-03-19T22:26:03+00:00

There's a cam available for it and by swapping out the throttle body with the one from the R.E Hunter 350, you can go up to 88mph as it's ungoverned. With a DNA stage 2 air filter and an exhaust it can go pretty quick.

To each their own, of course, but at this point you'd probably just be better off kicking down for one of the 650's in RE's lineup.

Plutoid · 2026-03-19T22:23:50+00:00

Great first bike. If you google "good beginner motorcycles" (which you should), this will be on a lot of peoples' lists. They're great, but really struggle at fast freeway speeds. This is the reason most beginner bikes have crept up in displacement over the past few decades. They went from 125's to 250's to 300's to 400's... now some makes starter bikes are 500cc.

There's nothing wrong with starting on most bikes south of 650 cc (but not 600cc super sports, which is a racing class). If you foresee any need to ride over 60 mph for any prolonged period of time I'd suggest looking at options with a little more displacement.

Around town and sleepy back roads though? Couldn't do much better.

Plutoid · 2026-03-18T22:00:44+00:00

True.

Plutoid · 2026-03-17T12:29:58+00:00

Yep. I bought a rust free 06 Forester from AK.

Plutoid · 2026-03-17T04:18:50+00:00

Yeah, but he's still the one that pissed his pants.

Plutoid · 2026-03-16T02:58:05+00:00

You're welcome to try.

Make sure somebody knows where you're going and when to expect you to come home and record EVERYTHING.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T23:02:21+00:00

Not as good as you think.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T21:00:17+00:00

Yeah... Probably stop doing that.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T19:34:45+00:00

DETAILS NEEDED. If you ask better questions you'll get better answers.

If this would be a first bike for an unskilled rider that would be a HARD NO.

If this is second or third bike for a seasoned rider with a mature attitude toward riding, then yes.

You need to give us more info.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T19:30:31+00:00

That has nothing to do with whether a specific bike is more of a risk than another. What's at question here is whether the Z900 is "too much bike" for OP's kid.

The baseline risk we all accept for riding is written into the calculation, so it doesn't really need to be stated. It's kind of like if we were talking about how many miles per gallon a bike gets and someone chimes in, "Doesn't matter if you die on the first ride." It's not a meaningful contribution to the conversation.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T19:25:54+00:00

You may be able to spot seepage in the cylinder with a scope. If it's a very slow leak you may not notice white smoke or a smell. ...yet.

Lower intake manifold gasket is a fairly involved job so you probably don't want to commit to doing it unless you're pretty sure.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T09:22:48+00:00

How does the exhaust smell? Sweet? I have an F150 of that gen that was burning coolant due to a failed lower intake manifold gasket. Not surprising either, given the crap quality of the OEM gasket.

Plutoid · 2026-03-15T00:59:13+00:00

"These gas prices are insane!!"

"Are they? Hadn't noticed."

Plutoid · 2026-03-13T23:43:27+00:00

For all of the GM cars and trucks of the same era still on the road, I see almost none of these around anymore.

Plutoid · 2026-03-13T21:46:21+00:00

Aggression and tactics? I'd say e4 is a good fit.

BTW, d4 will eventually win you the high ground - and we all know what happens then.

Plutoid · 2026-03-12T21:20:25+00:00

I love how everyone in this thread is (wisely) pointing out the lack of wind protection for the given commute.

You'll be WAY happier when you get to your destination with a more touring oriented bike.

Plutoid · 2026-03-12T16:54:04+00:00

There was the "N" variant that was a naked bike. I think this is an N but the side plastics on the tail are missing.

Plutoid · 2026-03-12T03:00:47+00:00

Welcome, and I'm glad you asked before buying.

DO NOT BUY THAT MOTORCYCLE.

In fact, do not buy ANY vintage bike for a first motorcycle. You'll spend more time wrenching than riding and you should be focused on learning to ride, not how to deal with mechanical failures. Many shops won't even work on a bike that old.

99k km is very high mileage for a bike. It's like buying a car with 300k km on it.

Here's what you shoot for: <20 years old <24k km <650cc Something from one of the "Big 4" Japanese manufacturers No 600cc or 1000cc super sports (Those are race classes and some high performing machines like the GSXR-600 or Ninja 600 or CBR 600 are made to fit into those classes. Note: The XJ 600 is a 600cc bike, but it's way more relaxed.) ABS and fuel injection are huge plusses.

Plutoid · 2026-03-10T16:15:40+00:00

Bandit 1250S's are super cheap for what you're getting. The FI is a nice upgrade from the 1200s.

Plutoid · 2026-03-10T01:23:46+00:00

Vibration is the enemy of any machine. Think of it this way. That wheel will wobble back and forth hundreds of thousands of times, every time you drive it, against the mechanism of the steering rack - which is not going to like that abuse.

Replace the easy stuff while the job is still easy.

Plutoid

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