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I got my first bike! :) Then I dropped it on my truck! :(

Joined
Apr 28, 2005
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Location
North Houston/Spring, TX
Okay, I'm not entirely happy about it... rather bitter-sweet. I have a bike now, but I f'ed up the right-side bedrail on my truck because I'm an idiot. I had driven 7 hours in a row and I guess I was way too fatigued to be unloading a bike from the truck. I pulled the wrong strap. RIGHT STRAP FIRST not LEFT! I realized it the millisecond that I was flicking the latch.... then FWAP!!!! the bike fell on my right-side bedrail.

Okay, pics. I'll start with the good stuff -- the bike. It's a 1990 Kawasaki EX500. It has plenty of road rash and cosmetic damage from years of use and from being laid down 2 owners ago. Mechanically, it has lots of new parts (chain, sprocket, battery, starter.. something-or-other, fresh rear-tire). It needs some TLC. It needs fork seals, new grips (both parts given to me by seller, I have to install), and the fairing has a significant amount of damage. I am in search of a good '89-93 EX500 fairing... by "good" I mean not cracked up. Color and paint condition don't matter. This one is toast, but it will work while I learn to ride!!!

motorcyclebuy5.jpg

motorcyclebuy2.jpg


Now the truck damage:

truckdamage1.jpg

truckdamage2.jpg


Thanks for all the advice here. I think I will now be a regular fixture on the site. Don't expect me to be out riding til the MSF course at the end of the month, though. Heh. I managed to put around in 1st gear in my driveway, but also managed to scare myself a bit in the process... so I parked it in the garage and came inside. heh.

-Michael[/img]
 
Hey, just wait til you start dropping it in the driveway....or street....or that time you forget to put the kickstand down. I personally have pulled into a driveway thinking I was in first, no, I was in 2nd and the bike lurches forward after I think I'm in neutral and I just............fall over.

Congrats on the bike though, looks good!!! :-)

Kim
 
Memories! First bike was an 88 or 89 EX. Second was an 86 or something Ninja 600, third was your bike in name and appearance.

First, let me say nice ride for a starter.

Second, this bike is tough as nails and dont let a little crack in the fairing bring you down. I crashed mine in Monteray Mexico during a battle of the twins race. Fell at over 100 and slid through the gravel pit. What a mess!!!! Went back after the race and picked up all the bits and carried them home. Spent days and days drilling holes and stitching it back together with safety wire. Got another 15000 miles out of it as a commuter and part time racer. Thanks for the pics that brought back a fun, and expensive, trip from the past.

A bit of advice.... sit on the bike when tightening / loosening straps. More leverage, better feel.

later
mike
 
What should I jump right on this bike w/ regards to maintenance? My first task, as I know, is to change the fork seals. I can't really ride for about 3 weeks, so I may as well do that in the mean-time right?

-Michael
 
Just buy you some fiberglass and epoxy at Wallyworld. Take the fairing off, sand it down around the crack, back it with some thin sheet metal if there's a hole, and glass it. Then, the secret is in the sand paper. :lol: I had a TZ250 with more of my own fiberglass work than the original, LOL. I layed it down once in T7 at TWS, a fast near 100 mph sweeper. It had a hole in the left side you could pass a football through. I patched THAT and it looked pretty danged good when I finished! I'm still not great with paint, but I can glass. It would have ate into my race budget bad if I'd replaced the glass every time I damaged it.

For the truck, well, trucks are made to be used! If I ever buy a new truck, I'll have a spray in liner installed. Those seem really tough and able to take such abuse. Every truck I've ever owned got its bed scraped and scratched and dented. I mean, they're FOR hauling stuff after all! Those spray in liners look like they could handle most of my abuse. I've got a van with a trailer, now, though.
 
Unless you know the service history on the bike, at least change out fluids/filters, brakes, check plugs, chain, basic laundry list. Give the tires a good lookover if the bike sat for a while.

Three weeks of downtime gives you an excellent chance to go over the bike. As to the truck... its a truck and can take a little abuse.

Congrats on the new ride. Happy trails.
 
grendal said:
What should I jump right on this bike w/ regards to maintenance? My first task, as I know, is to change the fork seals. I can't really ride for about 3 weeks, so I may as well do that in the mean-time right?

-Michael

I'd just give it a thorough inspection, chain wear, swing arm bearing play, steering head bearing play and proper torque, that sort of thing. Might check the valve lash if it's about those miles. Change fluids. The fork seal replacement means new fork fluid. If the carb synch seems a little off, you might check it, but it's probably fine. As was said, just all the little stuff.
 
Hey, Michael, look at it this way: you got your drop out of the way! ;-)

I think you made a great choice for a first bike.

One thing I got out of the MSF basic course was the value of procedure/routine in terms of mounting/starting/stopping/dismounting the bike. That goes a long way toward avoiding the basic 'kickstand not down' drops, etc. Of course, I say this having almost dropped the bike because of the kickstand not down, because I didn't follow the routine in a gas station.

Best of luck on your newfound addiction. :chug:
 
What about valve adjustments on these guys?....

BTW, is it a psychotic addiction if I spent 2 hours on eBay looking for various stuff for it? Heh. I'm currently "watching" a full front fairing and several other little parts that I could possibly replace if I felt so inclined. heh.

You can't tell from the pic, but it has lots of cracks that are held together with some sort of wire... and there's lots of whole missing chunks. I am sure someone good w/ fiberglass could patch it up decently. That's the option if I can't find a fairing at a decent price.... no hurry in any case. No plans to shell out money for paint anytime soon :)

-Michael
 
grendal said:
You can't tell from the pic, but it has lots of cracks that are held together with some sort of wire... and there's lots of whole missing chunks. I am sure someone good w/ fiberglass could patch it up decently. That's the option if I can't find a fairing at a decent price.... no hurry in any case. No plans to shell out money for paint anytime soon :)
Michael, if you do decide to have it repaired, take lots of detailed photos and send them to Bob Brown at...
http://www.empiregp.com/

You can read more about his background in this thread...
http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=3395

Now make sure that puppy stays in the garage until after you do your MSF class but do come out and join us on Thursday night at King's.
 
I got my first bike in 1965, a near-new CB160 Honda. I started it in my back yard, let the clutch out too quickly, and ran over my own car dinging the rear quarter panel :-?

I can laugh now, but at the time, in front of witnesses, it was the most embarrassing moment of my life :lol:

Having visited here for a while now, I'd say you've come to the right place for good, solid, friendly advice -- even it they are a bunch of Texans ;-)
 
Congrats Michael.. Im glad everything worked out for ya :chug: Now your going to have to go take that course and ride down to kings some thursday night this summer so we can meet ya... Since i'll be out of school i should hopefully be able to make it down from time to time this summer.
 
Vee Dub Nut said:
Now your going to have to go take that course and ride down to kings some thursday night this summer so we can meet ya...
Michael, here's a few shots from last weeks gathering. Just so you can see that we're not child-eating, skull-smashing, once-a-month-bathing cretins. Well, maybe some us are... but I digress.
:mrgreen:

KING'S
 
Congrats on the bike.

I'll add my own unloading story to make you feel better.

The end of a very LONG HOT day. I had two bikes in the back of the truck. Got the first one off ok, and then made the mistake of sitting on the second one and trying to roll it backwards down the ramp.

Sidestand caught in the ramp. Ok, no big deal, I'll just put my feet down. Since I had two bikes in there, I had come down the ramp along the edge instead of the middle. Put my foot down to find nothing but air. Bike and me both fall of the side of the ramp with the bike on top of me.

Hurry up, get up and look around to see if anyone noticed. :shock:

Learned my lesson that day.

PS
Where/when are you taking the MSF?

Challen
 
Texas T said:
grendal said:
You can't tell from the pic, but it has lots of cracks that are held together with some sort of wire... and there's lots of whole missing chunks. I am sure someone good w/ fiberglass could patch it up decently. That's the option if I can't find a fairing at a decent price.... no hurry in any case. No plans to shell out money for paint anytime soon :)
Michael, if you do decide to have it repaired, take lots of detailed photos and send them to Bob Brown at...
http://www.empiregp.com/

You can read more about his background in this thread...
http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=3395

Now make sure that puppy stays in the garage until after you do your MSF class but do come out and join us on Thursday night at King's.

Thanks! I will check into that... I have an 8 megapixel digicam, so no problem taking good pics :) My camera cost almost as much as this bike. heh.

Yeah, I did some putting around in the driveway, but managed to scare myself doing even that. heh. I definitely need some formal learnin'...

I will definitely try to get out there Thursday night... as soon as I figure out where that's at ;) If I come, I'm not hard to identify. Look for a 300lb dude in a screaming bright yellow crew cab Chevy Colorado truck.

-Michael
 
grendal said:
Yeah, I did some putting around in the driveway, but managed to scare myself doing even that. heh. I definitely need some formal learnin'...
Okay, confession time so that you don't think you're alone in this. :-)

In 1978 a drag-racing friend of mine came by with a motorcycle he had used purchased (used) and took me for a ride. I was hooked immediately so I had him take me to the local Kaw dealership. I found a new KZ650 that I thought I could afford, explained to the dealer that I didn't know how to ride, had him ride me around the parking lot so that I'd get a feel for the power of the bike (waaaaay too much power for a young dumb kid like me), and then I took the paperwork to my credit union, got a check cut and back to the dealer to seal the deal.

I don't remember what I paid, but I'm sure I paid sticker and for some reason $2400 seems to stick in my mind. My friend rode it to his house while I followed in the car. I learned how to use the clutch and shift on the streets around his house for the next 15 minutes or so and then it was off to cruise the women's dorms at the University of Arizona.
;-)

I survived on that bike for almost two years of daily commuting, one long trip from L.A. to Las Vegas and back to Tucson, and one crash in the desert that tore up my right palm, right forearm, right thigh, and sprained right ankle. And no, the KZ650 did not belong in the desert and it did not get there intentionally.
:shame:

I survived because I was lucky, and nothing more. So if you're going to practice around the neighborhood, have at it, but just remember that an idiot can pull out of their driveway right in front of you just as much as they can do it on the highway.

I will definitely try to get out there Thursday night... as soon as I figure out where that's at ;) If I come, I'm not hard to identify. Look for a 300lb dude in a screaming bright yellow crew cab Chevy Colorado truck.
I-45 N to Hwy 105 W in Conroe to 149 N in Montgomery.
149 is about 10-15 miles west of Conroe.
149 is the FIRST stoplight you will come to when you enter Montgomery.
The speed limit drops to 55, then 45, then 35 approaching the town; adhere to the limit.
Turn right on 149 (north) and go approx 50 yards. It's the large building on the right.
We are usually parked out back in the paved lot and eating on the back porch. Folks start arriving a little before 7 and it goes until 9-9:30.

No burnouts, horn-tooting or other loud noises as we usually have one or more babies present and loud noises tend to put them into instant startled/crying/screaming mode. :-D
 
Looks pretty messed up to me.:eek: Doubt it's repairable. I'll be glad to take it off your hands for $500. :lol:
 
Challen said:
Kewl! Be sure and introduce yourself ......... I'm the Lead Instructor there. You may even be in my class. :eek:

Challen aka David

:mrgreen:

I took my MSF from you. Really enjoyed the class.
 
Michael,

How many miles on it?

While you're changing the fork seals and oil, you might as well check into front springs. My GS500 had real soft ones and would bottom out during braking.

Tighten all the bolts too. My GS500 also had a loose foot-peg and mirror.
 
xtalman said:
Michael,

How many miles on it?

While you're changing the fork seals and oil, you might as well check into front springs. My GS500 had real soft ones and would bottom out during braking.

Tighten all the bolts too. My GS500 also had a loose foot-peg and mirror.

Milage is "iffy".. If the cluster in it is original, then it's 14,xxx miles. The title says "exempt" but I'm not sure if that's due to age or mechanical inaccuracy. The bike was originally from California and came to Texas not long ago, so I do not know if the mileage is accurate. That's what it says though :)

Oh, and yes, the front does seem very soft/easy to compress.... Where would I get springs??

-Michael
 
Challen said:
grendal said:
Anyway, I'm taking MSF from Awesome Cycles (http://www.awesomecycles.com) on Memorial Day weekend :)

Kewl! Be sure and introduce yourself ......... I'm the Lead Instructor there. You may even be in my class. :eek:

Challen aka David

I'm signed up for the Sunday/Monday class on Memorial Day weekend (May 29/30). Is that the one you're teaching?.... If my class is taught by a David, I will know, I guess. Hah.

Maybe you can answer a question for me... What exactly are the shoe/boot requirements for the course? I obviously don't have riding boots yet. I have cowboy boots ;) I don't figure that Justins are really what ya'll had in mind. heh. I don't like'em anyway, they're horribly uncomfortable and act as dust collectors in my closet. What is the concern I have for boots in general.... I've never had any on my feet that weren't physically painful. I would say 9 out of 10 pairs of correct-size shoes I put on in the store cause physical pain simply sitting while wearing them due to a bunion (messed up big-toe joint) :( I have to have shoes that are "soft" in that area and put NO pressure whatsoever (not even the slightest bit) in that area.... running shoes seem to do the truck, as do the more casual soft-leather dress shoes.... cowboy boots actually aren't bad if it wasn't for the fact that I'm also flat-footed and they seem to have dismal arch support :)

Sorry I'm rambling now. Heh. Thanks!

-Michael
 
Michael,

:tab Good boots are paramount! Even a minor accident can do severe injury to a foot/ankle if you get caught under the bike. Many people wear non motorcycle specific boots and are happy with them. However, most motorcycle specific boots will have reinforced areas like the ankles, heel, shin, etc,... Those are the areas that are commonly impacted/abraded in an accident. Also, many bike specific boots are waterproof for riding in the rain.

:tab I doin't have the bunion issue, but I do have to wear an orthodic for arch support. I just pulled the original sole inserts our of my boots and replaced them with my orthodic. My boots are excpetionally comfy and are my daily footwear even when not riding. They are the Sidi GT Sympatex boots. I paid quite a bit more than the closeout price at New Enough ;-) These boots are awesome. The leather is soft and supple where needed and reinforced where needed. Mine were comfy right out of the box with no need for break in.

Adios,
 
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