Susan ("The Ant") got's a surprise....

[E-Ticket]

When she comes home today from her metals-enameling workshop .... and opens the garage door..... she is going to be greeted by a .....

..... brand-new 2004 Honda CBR600 F4i :eek:

It's gorgeous. It's the black/yellow sportbike and it's just drop-dead gorgeous. I just rode it home and it handles and goes so sweet! It's like this scapel with a beautifully-padded, ergonomically-perfect, leather handle. Yah... something like that. It's amazing...

And! (...DRUM-ROLL PLEASE...) I already had Beaverton Upholstery cut down and shape the seat foam for a 1-2" drop, and then professionally remount the cover. It's looks "factory" but I think with the front end dropped slightly and spring pre-load set at minimum on both ends.... she's going to be able to ride it just fine. I sure hope so!

And her new Honda CRF250x is hopefully coming back next week with softer springs, the Kouba lowering link, and the forks raised about 1/2." Hopefully all those changes will get us in the ballpark and she can start riding and doing some testing. We may still have cut the springs and revalve -- but wanted to try this step out first. (will report back on how that goes).

And then in May, we trailer my KTM 450 and her Honda 250x down and do BajaBound Adventures' "Hooters on Scooters" ride in May.
Yippeee.. it's going to a be an expensive but fun summer! :yeehaw:

If you're asking why all this is happening? Well, it's part of our "show-the-wife-how-much-you-appreciate-her" program running this spring. :worship:

Look forward to seeing you guys on the trails or the roads...cheers!

-- RandyB

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

WOW!!!! Lucky lucky!!! I can't wait to hear a ride report!!

 

[firecracker22]

I want a sportbike soooo bad.

PS can you hang out with my boyfriend? He needs to learn this program too, barring the whole married part that is.

 

[Michelle]

Randy, that's almost sweet ;)

Let us know how she likes it (the CBR), nah, actually, Susan, tell us all the goss, show us the pix and make us all green with envy ;)

FC22 - don't be put off by the "m" word, if it's the right one, with some work it'll be fine & you'll still be your own person ;) (says me who was ready to divorce after a few months because of some reason that's long been forgotten - heck we've celebrated our 8th anniversary this past February & are still friends sometimes lol).

Randy, I do think you're a sweetie but then my memory of you is on our training going up the hill (where a certain someone overshot where we were meant to stop hehehehe) (that yucky corner, never mind the bit where we were starting from). I hope that almost makes sense (I know it won't to those who weren't there & apologise, I've just got fantastic memories that'll be over-shadowed one day in the far distant future).
M

 

[srellis]

it's part of our "show-the-wife-how-much-you-appreciate-her" program running this spring. :worship:

I guess I signed up in the wrong class!! I had to buy my own 250X!!! :ohmy:

We put the Kouba link in my bike with just the front forks raised. I feel so much better just sitting on the bike. I can actually kickstart it now. (I had to this morning. It was 45 degrees and I couldn't get it to turn over with the e-start.)

We had a Hare scramble today and it was very sandy and soft. I was sliding all over but never went down. Some spots the sand was over ankle deep. I felt sorry for the kids on 60's. I can't wait to get on an MX track out here. Most of the tracks out here are more Supercross with lots of doubles and triples and very tight. I am ready to start jumping some of these!! I plan on starting with tabletops, of course.

Congrats to both of you and be careful!
Susan E

 

[zero_it]

Damn! Susan gets to come home from class to a brand new CBR600?! I think the closest I came to that was when I came home from a business trip and Tom had blown up my street bike...dropped a piston into the crankcase in multiple pieces. It gave me the "opportunity" to rebuild the bike top to bottom, almost like new. Does that count??

Congrats on all the new toys at your place. Happy riding!

 

[E-Ticket]

Randy, that's almost sweet ;)

Randy, I do think you're a sweetie but then my memory of you is on our training going up the hill (where a certain someone overshot where we were meant to stop hehehehe) (that yucky corner, never mind the bit where we were starting from). I hope that almost makes sense (I know it won't to those who weren't there & apologise, I've just got fantastic memories that'll be over-shadowed one day in the far distant future).
M

Oh yah... I remember that corner... <grin> It wasn't real scary or hard -- but you had to do it just right or get caught by the bushes or cross-ruts.

Well, Mr.-experienced-guy-rider-been-doing-this-forever-watch-n-learn-ladies (your's truly) was the last one to come up the hill around the corner.

And of course, I killed it halfway through the corner. Just dead.. blat. Man, you should have heard the hootin', hollerin', and trash talkin' from all the ladies clustered at the top of the corner.

That was funnier than hell. :laugh:
Had me laughing my butt of as well. Great day, eh! :thumb:

-- RandyB

 

[E-Ticket]

Damn! Susan gets to come home from class to a brand new CBR600?!

Yah, I was standing next to it as she pulled into the driveway around the house. She just stared for a minute, then got out of the car, came over and looked at the bike, and you know what the first words out of her mouth were....?

"I can't leave you alone for 5 minutes, can I?"

So... I guess not. :eek:

-- RandyB

 

[E-Ticket]

Day 3 of the new bike:

She's moved from the stunned and scared mode to the simply stunned mode.

But I am starting to see a resident grin on her face a lot. :thumb:

Cheers! - rb

 

[The Ant]

Yikes, manoman I WAS surprised! He HAD gotten me down to the shop to sit on it a week or so ago and I knew he thought it would work for me, but I didn't think things had gotten (or would go) this far! And he's been planning this ever since then I guess... :-)
He'd had to take like 2 hours worth of busses to get over there and ride the bike back so it'd be in the driveway already bought rather than have me ride it home from the dealer, which was probably a good thing and very sweet. I didn't have to think about it at all.

It is beeyootiful! I'm not at all used to being on something this flashy tho, I do love yellow - it already matches my helmet. My street bikes have all been black, dark green (almost black) or dark maroon (almost black).... am used to sort of blending in with the background, not calling attention to myself... this is the end of that!
Went for a ride out to a restarant that evening on it, hadn't set the dampening, just the main sag, so was way too stiff and still a bit tall for me, but coming to a stop and having just my toes touch wasn't as scarey as I'd thought it would be, bike is really light (I think some 60 pounds less than my Ninja?) and well balanced, didn't feel tippy at all. Came back and put the compression and rebound to almost the lightest setting and could then at least get some movement from the shocks, just sitting in the garage. Haven't been out on it again since then tho. Randy rode it in to work today to help work in the shocks et al, help loosen everything up for me.

And I'll take my boots in to my shoe man today to have him add a half inch to the soles.... think that'll make me feel a bit more secure. They're pretty thin.

Its sooo pretty.

So now we somehow have SIX motorcycles... egads. Love it though.
Will get the Ninja cleaned up and in the for sale column! Anybody want to buy a big fat pig!!?? Haha, likely should word the ad differently than that???
Biggest regret on our first ride destination was that I couldn't order the six martinis I felt like I needed!!!
-SusanP.
BBR230
CRF250x(almost)
Ninja600E
CBR600Fi

 

[firecracker22]

Um I can't afford it but just out of curiosity, what year and how much for the Ninja?

 

[The Ant]

I'm looking at the reciept - it was just under 8 grand. Whew. You can get earlier models in the paper for much less though, but this was the first year it was short enough I could even get close to riding it. Still having to make mods, but earlier models even the subframe was too high and wide. But then you are a bit taller than me and that may not be an issue! See them listed as "rode twice, scared myself, selling it" or "wife's bike, hardly ridden", "never ridden in the rain" type ads. I'd check there first. The Bluebook on my '98 Ninja is about 4K.
-Susan
BBR230
CRF250x (almost)

 

[The Ant]

oops - hit send too soon. But guess I covered everything....8 grand was for the 2004 CBR.
-Susan

 

[E-Ticket]

Um I can't afford it but just out of curiosity, what year and how much for the Ninja?

Howdy FC!

The low and high Kelly Blue Book for a '98 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6-E is $2925 - 4260. We will probably detail it out, ask $3800-3900 and then be able to drop to $3500-3600 after the inevitable beat-up by an aggressive buyer. <grin>

The ZX6-E is a great, first-time sport bike for anybody but especially women due it's really low seat height. As in, even "The Ant" could darn near flat foot it.

Cheers! - rb

 

[firecracker22]

Hmm. I wish, but I am in NO position to buy it now. I'll ask my friends though.

 

[bbbom]

GET YOUR BIKE FIXED FIRST!!! :eek:

The snow is almost gone on Mica!!!! :yeehaw:

 

[E-Ticket]

Susan and I are headed over to the cobbler's to get her measured for some "Franken-soles" on her street riding boots.

She's walking around the house with this silly grin *stuck* on her face and heard muttering......non-stop....

... "we're goin' ridin'.... we're goin' ridin'....." :eek:

Man, you think it was almost Christmas time around here. :laugh: - rb

 

[E-Ticket]

It was a gorgeous weekend here in Portland, OR.

So we got to sporty-bike ridin'.....! :yeehaw:

Rode the sport bikes most of Saturday (Bald Peak, Chehelam Mt., back roads to Newberg, etc.) Had a ball.
Susan's starting to get comfortable on her new Honda CBR 600 F4i. Very sweet bike. Carves like a scapel, brakes are amazing. It makes my VFR feel like a bigfatpig. <g>

We're gonna' *have to* plan a bike trip somewhere cool after May. Maybe the San Juan Islands? Or maybe down Highway 101 on the coast to Monterey Bay? oooohhhh.... *now* that would be nice. :thumb:

Anybody want to buy a '98 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6-E?

<g> - RandyB

 

[The Ant]

Went to the boot man on Friday, left my street riding boots off to have a half inch added to the bottoms - will help immensely on my comfort level. Bike is wonderful once I'm under power, but every stop light/sign is a challenge, try to pick a low spot and all, but still. Don't feel like taking it out on my own yet would be prudent. Every ride feels a bit better!
-Susan
CBR600
CRF250X

 

[MXGirl230]

That's awesome. I have always loved CBR's, Insurance at my age on one though is outrageous...so I'll have to stick to my Suzuki Bandit 600. That's okay though, with my weight on it it'll still fly! Oh, question...is it uncomfortable to pretty much lay on the tank all the time? With my bike, I sit mostly upright...just curious for future reference...

 

[motogurl]

congrats on the new sportbike!!! I just picked one up a few weeks ago but not near as new... you will definately enjoy it.... :eek:

 

[The Ant]

You do sit more upright on the Bandit, I had a Yamaha Seca ll (which is similar) before my Ninja, but I'm not laying on the tank on the CBR at all, even with my dinky little arms. Really not much pressure on my wrists even, especially if I focus on keeping my torso strong. If I get tired I'll put my gloved left hand on the tank and rest my lower ribcage against it, or I hunker over if I'm going faster or getting windy sidegusts... otherwise its not as radical as some sportbikes.
Insurance tho. Hah, don't get me started. I have one ticket and Randy, since we're married they somehow include his in (?), has 2... therefore it comes in at $860/year. And I've been with Farmers since 1976 and never made a claim. And can't find anything cheaper yet, have checked around a bit. My Ninja was a third of that since I got it with a clean record and was still single and my agent went to bat for me. What can a person do??!! Grrr.
-Susan
CBR600
CRF250X
BBR230

 

[lynn02]

Congrats on your CBR. :thumb: I have an 2003 F4i and I love it. It's a pretty comfortable bike compared to my first bike ('99 R6).

 

[acutemp]

E-Ticket,
I was on those same roads on Saturday, there were alot of bikes out thats for sure, we probably passed each other at some point. I rode backroads from Hillsboro to Canby up over Chehelam Mt. and on my way back took North Valley rd. west for a quick trip around Hagg Lake and then up over Bald Peak. It was an amazing weekend weather wise for this time of year and perfect for riding. Have you done much riding north of 26 in the coast range? The roads out past Vernonia are really fun to ride and there isn't much in the way of traffic either.--Dan

 

[E-Ticket]

E-Ticket,
I was on those same roads on Saturday, there were alot of bikes out thats for sure, we probably passed each other at some point. ......Have you done much riding north of 26 in the coast range? The roads out past Vernonia are really fun to ride and there isn't much in the way of traffic either.--Dan

HOwdy!

Yup... odds were good that we zoomed right by each other.
The "Mist" and "Apiary" roads are two of favorite sport-bike riding roads. :yeehaw: It was a real bummer when the Mist Cafe burned down - that x'd one of our favorite break/eating places. :whiner:

See you on the roads or the trails! - RandyB