Zoom Zoom!
Ah, so I did it. I picked up the bike, insurance, and title this weekend. Next weekend, a trip to the DMV to complete the transfer. After that, getting the permit. Somewhere in there I have to pick up one more piece of gear (overpants), because I already own my own gear. I’ll try to put together a tally after I get the pants figured out. But this definitely will go on my August net worth calculations as an asset! Oh boy, I cannot wait!
It’s a really clean bike. The guy who owned it treated it really well. His wife no longer wants to ride it anymore so she’s making him sell it. I think she was actually shorter than me. It’s a 2002 MZ RT125. It’s a very small cc bike, but it could really move when we opened up the throttle with about 285 lbs. on it.
The beauty of this bike is that it doesn’t make a small person feel like they have to have a lot of strength to manhandle it. The problem with the Honda Rebel 250, which is recommended for most short stature riders as a starter bike, is that it weighs about 350 dry, and feels super heavy when you sit down on it. I always felt like I had to start going to the gym to ride it. This bike is so light, I don’t have that issue at all. Dry weight per the manual is about 290! WOW! That’s crazy light.
MZ, being finely designed and crafted by Germans (East), did a great job stripping this bike to well-placed essentials. My friend is jealous that I have a real dipstick on my oil tank and not just a little window like his SV650. HA! Even so, it’s the small things like the placement of the switches and how far you have to move them to engage or disengage them. Doing small repairs on this bike myself will be pretty easy. Chain maintenance, oil tank/filter access, etc is all very reasonable. The valves could be replaced at home too, but I don’t ever think I’ll get that ambitious. I’m just happy to have matched spanners to adjust my own shocks.
This bike is a rarity, so I hope that it will retain some of its value. A lot of starter bikes hold their value since they can be sold to the next beginner, often for what was paid for it, less any maintenance or repairs done. (I love that it takes mostly stock Yamaha parts.)
Whee!
ps- If you want to leave an instantly appearing comment, use the comment link to the left. I moderate comments from link on the right, and today is a day I have to keep the nose to the grindstone.
mehoffer wrote:
mapgirl,
good going on passing up the Honda “Rebel”.
the only thing I’d recommend w/ your new bike would be steel-toed boots that go, at least, above your ankle.
well, that, and ever-present vision to spot clueless car drivers!
Stay Well & Keep Thinking~
Posted on 23-Aug-06 at 10:57 am | Permalink
Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge / 2006 Budget Overview - The BAD wrote:
[…] Buying a motorcycle was *VERY* unplanned and it shows. I could blame this as the budget killer, but it cost me less that the deficit total. […]
Posted on 27-Dec-06 at 1:52 pm | Permalink