First Bike: Lesson Learned

[inthewakeword]

So this might be lengthy but if you must, read on:



So about a month and a half ago I bought my first bike an 89 kaw ninja zx600c... I rode it a few times before I got my liscence and I had nothing but problems with it. the first time I rode it I had to jump start it and the idle was finicky. After awhile warming up it seemed to run fine, so I thought nothing of it.The Day I got my liscence I wanted to go see my gf at work about 20 miles away, so I took residental roads through the city to see her. The entire time I rode the Bike, it would not idle correctly and the idle would get stuck at 5-7rpms frequently. I was making a U-turn and barely let the clutch out with minimal throttle and the rpms shot up to 8 causing the bike to jump forward and what did I do, I panicked and grabbed the front brake causing me to lowside in the middle of the road. I broke a blinker, gear lever, bent the kickstand, and hurt my pride. I pushed the bike to my gf's work in shame lol. After a huge ordeal I managed to get a friend to take my bike to my gf's house where within the next few days I replaced the broken parts, cleaned my carburetors, changed my plugs and ran a fuel treatment. The bike seemed to be running fine, it started up faster than ever but still idled a little low. My gf's dad suggested it needed to be ridden which I thought was a good idea to get things moving through and what not.



I rode the bike home that night, having to tap the kickstand out about a half an inch to shift,(very dangerous) and the bike would die frequently and then the problem started again. Every once and awhile the idle would stick at high rpms and jerk....I shouldn't have to worry about all of that and instead watch the rode and properly gain some miles under my belt. I parked it for the night and when I woke up the next day I had to go downtown to my other job, and I had to ride the bike because my gf had my car. I let it warm up no problem, rode a few miles the bike seemed to be doing great... I arrived at work no problem and had a great day... when i went to leave I started the bike and the idle immediatly shot up to 7 rpms.... I let it warm up for awhile once again, it being an older bike I figured this was customary. I rode off and it seemed ok UNTIL I went for another U-turn and what happend you say.... same old deal..... rpms shot up during the turn, and the bike shot out, and I was headed for a pole so I lowsided the bike once again sliding about 6 or so feet...... embarassed I got up dusted myself off and picked up the bike. Another brand new broken bliker, lever, and bent bars....... aggravated that I couldn't even ride home I pushed the bike into the parking lot and called my gf to come pick me up.... I had alot of time to think while waiting and after calling my dad for discussion who lives 1200 miles away I decided that I shouldn't have bought an older bike with problems while still learning to ride........ the next morning I traded in the 89 for a 07 ninja 500......(which I got an amazing deal on). So far Ive put about 100 miles on the new bike in 3 days and I feel so much more confident in myself as the bike is a bit lighter, runs perfect, and shifts like butter....


My personal opinion is, if you have no experience fixing, operating, or knowlege period about motorcycles don't buy an old bike that might be dangerous, and detrimental to learning how to operate a motorcycle safely and properly.





thanks for reading and I'll post up pics soon of the ninja 500, dubbed rumblebee ( its yellow).

[1sportbikerider]

Holy Crap!!!!!

[Silvercon]

You did good. Lay down the beater bike a few times before
getting the new bike. Too many people just go out and buy
a new bike and never really apreciate it. Good choice for
a new bike too. Now that you got all that breaking down
and dropping out of your system you can enjoy it.

[inthewakeword]

as they say, every time you drop a bike you learn a lesson fast, really fast lol. Plus I'm totally in love with the 500, so much smoother. Plus it's nice to know that all I have to worry about is watching the road and riding.


I think what sportbikerider said what probably the best reply possible to my story.

[Charlie Gary]

The descriptions of the u-turns has me asking if you tried turning the handlebars from full-lock left to full-lock right with the engine idling (when it would). This is a good check of the throttle cable setup. Many times an improperly routed set of cables can pull when the bars are turned all the way, causing the rpm to rise unexpectedly when you need it the least. One way to counteract a misbehaving bike is to be feathering the clutch in the friction zone during low speed maneuvers. Too much power? More squeeze on the clutch. The engine might rev, but at least you won't be accelerating like a madman. Glad to read you lived to tell about it.

[Alibi]

I actually had/have a very similar problem with my 440.

I got it up and running (sorta) and I'd practice riding around my apartment complex in low speeds.

And then the RPM problems. I quit riding it after the RPMs shot up one evening when I was test driving and the bike almost shot me into my brother's car. So I put 'er over instead and messed things up a bit... bent handlebars, broken blinker, bent tank. And then myself... had some road rash on my hand, split open my forehead (wasn't wearing any gear other than boots since I figured that I'd just be going a couple miles an hour in grass), and twisted my ankle pretty badly.

So.... I healed, put up the bike for the rest of the summer, and worked on other projects.

...but I'm stubborn so I'm going at the bike again and tearing it down to the frame and rebuilding it back up with a lower-mile motor, a new proper airbox, new tires, and new cables--throttle, clutch, and tach.

I think the RPM problems were caused by a bad throttle cable that wasn't properly lubed or perhaps something in the carbs... I'll never know 'till its back together here in a month or so.

I might still see about picking up a cheap Ninja 250 or something before I start riding the 440 more, but I'll wait till spring for that.

[aaronrkelly]

Theres nothing wrong with learning to ride on an old bike.....they key is THE bike. You got in over your head on a bike with problems. There are ALOT of decent older bikes out there....weed them out.

Did you test ride the bike before buying it? If so did the problems occur then or only after you already bought it? Did you take it to a mechanic and have them give it a quickie once over? Did you have a knowledgeable friend look at it or better yet ride it?

I bought an older bike but I also purchased it from somebody local, whom let me test ride it for 3 or 4 days. I took it to a few buddies to look over and test ride.....as well as the nearest moto mechanic. I got a total bill for all recommended repairs (new tires, oil change, exhaust leak repair, clutch cable) then approached the seller with the costs. We agreed on a fair price and I rode off.

[antiq]

I see you found out early that "problem" bikes are not much fun to ride and are not safe. Now that you have a bike that responds as it is supposed to you'll know better what to look for in a used / older bike. Most of us wouldn't even try to ride a bike with that many problems. Glad you are still whole and riding something decent.

[A-J]

Originally Posted by inthewakeword

My personal opinion is, if you have no experience fixing, operating, or knowlege period about motorcycles don't buy an old bike that might be dangerous, and detrimental to learning how to operate a motorcycle safely and properly.

Smarter words were never spoken by a newb! The common wisdom dictates that a new riders first bike should be a used one, cause the "drop(s)" are inevitable. The downside to that is you never really know what you're gonna get. Most buyers won't let you test ride a bike, let alone run it over to the mechanic's shop and get it checked out. Unless you are buying from a trusted friend, or have a friend who is knowledgeable come with you, you can't really know what you got until the deal is done. With a new bike, at least you have a reasonable chance that the bike will be in good running order (assuming it was assembled properly), with a lot less risk of something weird happening. Downside is it hurts a LOT more dropping a new bike.

[keyda81]

Not all used bikes are bad. I bought my bike used, and she's been great to me. I think the older you get your more likely to have problems. Mine is only and 05, so it's not that old. But hubbys first buy was a 79, and he had nothing but problems with it, it would die on him all the time and be a pain to start back up. Hence the reason he went out and got a brand new 08!

[aaronrkelly]

Im more inclined to think it has nothing to do with age and everything to do with who you are buying it from.

Even an 05 thats been setting neglected for 3 years is going to have issues. On the other hand a 1980 thats been ridden daily and maintained likely will not.

Its all about the previous owner. Ive got 3 bikes ranging from 1980 to 1984 - I can go out and start any one of them up right now in the 30 degree weather.....warm them up for a few minutes and take off confident I will have no problems.

[garymc]

Crash bars and protective gear are good things. But having problems with the bike that cause accidents is not.