.. and I've revisited the blog page for my biking experiences.
Well lots has changed since my last post. I am now on R-date's. I have my '08 ninja 250. And more importantly I have been enjoying riding for the past 7 months. Perhaps that is the reason why the blog updates ceased. I had always wondered why they were called R-dates, but when I got the license in the mail it was more simple than I had realised. R-dates are just what is stated. The R class restricted until a certain date. Mine is R-03/12/09. So looks like another 9 months before I can get my open license!
In any case, since obtaining my pride and joy, I've managed to drop the bike twice while maneuvering it out of the garage. First time there was not a scratch on it. Second time it was quite bad, as it came down with quite some force. Sadly the baby ninja has some serious battle scars.
The modifications which I had previously wanted for the bike are still on hold, as I have just returned from the Asia trip with the guys, and need some cash first. With the bike creeping up on 6000 K's and the second service, I've only managed to put some white rim stripes on, and installed the fender eliminator kit myself. I did end up getting the Competition Werkes kit, and must say it does fit quite nicely. No more ugly tail!
I'll upload a few pics with the next update.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I have my L's!!!
Wow, I've been quite slack with this. No postings in the last month. That was due to impatience. Kinda sucks writing about bikes and 'biking experiences' when I haven't got my bike or licence yet. Well I've had to wait a while (due to work not giving me time off... grumble), but I finally got my L's today. Woohoo!
Well technically I don't have them yet. I need to go to a TransportSA office and pay the fee first. You'd think that after paying the increased $317.00 fee for the Rider Safe Beginner's Course, they'd include the Learner's Permit fee. But the government is tight.. what can you do hey?
I've actually learnt a lot from the Rider Safe course, and the two instructors Dave and Marshall were quite awesome and knowledgable. For somebody like me who has had minimal experience on road bikes it was great, and the DVD we had to watch wasn't too bad either, nice short and succinct. My previous experience on two wheels only included bicycles, riding scooters around in Asia, and being on the pillion of a road bike.
Day 1 was pretty much a familiarity day where we got to learn all the controls on the bike and basic manoeuvres. Luckily the rain stayed away for the whole day. The most valuable lessons from Day 1 I learnt was how the bike stalls. It wasn't quite embarassing, but a little, since I stalled the most heh. My issues were due to not riding the clutch. I'd either let go of it completely, or not revving the bike high enough while releasing it. However, I'm pleased to say that I didn't stall it at all on Day 2.
Day 2 was colder and chillier than Day 1 but I was still pumped to be there. We started out with similar manoeuvres to Day 1, but they got a little bit more advanced as the day went on. Halfway through the 5th DVD Lecture, Dave comes in and tells us to look outside the window. It was RAINING!!
Well when we got out there, the rain never stopped. My fingers were frozen icicles, and needless to say I was absolutely drenched! It kinda sucked with the rain.. but it didn't have to be so cold too. Oh well, at least now I know what it's like to get drenched while riding with no wet weather gear. I'll make sure I get some if I ever do feel like riding in the rain. At this stage I'll probably look for clear skies.
The assessment at the end of the day wasn't too bad. Just riding from a stationary point into an oval going into 3rd gear, before downshifting to 2nd to go into the arc, then exiting the arc up to 3rd again, then downshift into 2nd again to turn back into the other arc, then up to 3rd again then stopping at where the assessor was downshifting to 1st and left foot down. Pretty simple hey? Maybe not in word format, but if you were there it's quite easy. (something like below)
Their marking system was quite technical though, and I lost 3 points for not turning my head enough into the turns, but I had over-exaggerated it (so I thought), but Marshall didn't see it. Anyway I have my L's! Now I just gotta wait another week or two before I get my baby Ninja!!!
Well technically I don't have them yet. I need to go to a TransportSA office and pay the fee first. You'd think that after paying the increased $317.00 fee for the Rider Safe Beginner's Course, they'd include the Learner's Permit fee. But the government is tight.. what can you do hey?
I've actually learnt a lot from the Rider Safe course, and the two instructors Dave and Marshall were quite awesome and knowledgable. For somebody like me who has had minimal experience on road bikes it was great, and the DVD we had to watch wasn't too bad either, nice short and succinct. My previous experience on two wheels only included bicycles, riding scooters around in Asia, and being on the pillion of a road bike.
Day 1 was pretty much a familiarity day where we got to learn all the controls on the bike and basic manoeuvres. Luckily the rain stayed away for the whole day. The most valuable lessons from Day 1 I learnt was how the bike stalls. It wasn't quite embarassing, but a little, since I stalled the most heh. My issues were due to not riding the clutch. I'd either let go of it completely, or not revving the bike high enough while releasing it. However, I'm pleased to say that I didn't stall it at all on Day 2.
Day 2 was colder and chillier than Day 1 but I was still pumped to be there. We started out with similar manoeuvres to Day 1, but they got a little bit more advanced as the day went on. Halfway through the 5th DVD Lecture, Dave comes in and tells us to look outside the window. It was RAINING!!
Well when we got out there, the rain never stopped. My fingers were frozen icicles, and needless to say I was absolutely drenched! It kinda sucked with the rain.. but it didn't have to be so cold too. Oh well, at least now I know what it's like to get drenched while riding with no wet weather gear. I'll make sure I get some if I ever do feel like riding in the rain. At this stage I'll probably look for clear skies.
The assessment at the end of the day wasn't too bad. Just riding from a stationary point into an oval going into 3rd gear, before downshifting to 2nd to go into the arc, then exiting the arc up to 3rd again, then downshift into 2nd again to turn back into the other arc, then up to 3rd again then stopping at where the assessor was downshifting to 1st and left foot down. Pretty simple hey? Maybe not in word format, but if you were there it's quite easy. (something like below)
Their marking system was quite technical though, and I lost 3 points for not turning my head enough into the turns, but I had over-exaggerated it (so I thought), but Marshall didn't see it. Anyway I have my L's! Now I just gotta wait another week or two before I get my baby Ninja!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
To insure or not to insure?
As with most riders, one common question that is asked is whether insurance is worth it or not. Generally speaking, when one mentions bike insurance, it is fair to assume we're talking about Comprehensive cover. The reason one would assume this is because Comprehensive insurance is indeed a big debatable topic for riders. I myself, am still pondering through the options...
Basically you can get one of three choices: Comprehensive (Expensive), Third Party (Sensible), or no insurance (Risky). For a new rider with no experience, and still on his or her L plates, full comprehensive is likely to cost at least $1.5k with excess being at least $400. With a bike like the 2008 Ninja 250R, which you can purchase for around $7k on the road, it does make you think.
Paying $1.5-2k for a $7k bike doesn't seem really worth it. But unlike cars, you're expected to drop your bike at least once. So if you do happen to drop it a few times, comprehensive looks like the go. However, if you feel like gambling, you could just get Third party and take care of your liability in the event of yourself being at fault in an accident. You just better hope you don't drop your bike or get into single vehicle accidents (yourself being the single vehicle). With third party costing you around $170 a year, it seems fair. No insurance? After several discussions with other bikers it seems you'd be silly not to take out any forms of insurance.
Personally, I think I will be getting Third party, and hopefully I can find a decent package which covers me for Fire/Theft as well (although I doubt bikes ever get set on fire). Bikes are easier to steal compared to a car, so hopefully the addition of Theft coverage won't cost me too much more than the $170-200 I've seen quoted for Third party insurance.
Basically you can get one of three choices: Comprehensive (Expensive), Third Party (Sensible), or no insurance (Risky). For a new rider with no experience, and still on his or her L plates, full comprehensive is likely to cost at least $1.5k with excess being at least $400. With a bike like the 2008 Ninja 250R, which you can purchase for around $7k on the road, it does make you think.
Paying $1.5-2k for a $7k bike doesn't seem really worth it. But unlike cars, you're expected to drop your bike at least once. So if you do happen to drop it a few times, comprehensive looks like the go. However, if you feel like gambling, you could just get Third party and take care of your liability in the event of yourself being at fault in an accident. You just better hope you don't drop your bike or get into single vehicle accidents (yourself being the single vehicle). With third party costing you around $170 a year, it seems fair. No insurance? After several discussions with other bikers it seems you'd be silly not to take out any forms of insurance.
Personally, I think I will be getting Third party, and hopefully I can find a decent package which covers me for Fire/Theft as well (although I doubt bikes ever get set on fire). Bikes are easier to steal compared to a car, so hopefully the addition of Theft coverage won't cost me too much more than the $170-200 I've seen quoted for Third party insurance.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Ninjah Riding!
Haha don't let the topic of this blog post fool you. No, I have not yet received my long awaited 2008 Ninja 250R. Instead I've had to leave it to my imagination to see what I'd look like riding it. Enjoy ^^
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Aftermarket Exhausts
Although I will only be riding a 2008 Kawasaki 250R Ninja as a Learner's bike, I do think that I will eventually change the stock exhaust. Some may think it's odd that I would spend that much money on a 'Learner's Bike', but truth be told, I think I'll be riding it for at least 3 years so I might as well enjoy it. Considering that I will be going back to Uni for the next 3 years, I don't see how I'd be able to afford an upgrade to a 600 with little or zero income.
There are two aftermarket exhausts that I am particularly interested in checking out. Pretty much it will be the Yoshimura VS Area P, most probably going with the carbon fibre pipe for both options. Although the sounds from home-made youtube videos are notorious for not truly representing the 'real life' sounds, these two exhausts do sound the best out of the current available options.
Below is the Yoshimura VS Stock clip. In the second clip, you can see the Area P VS Stock.
I'd like to hear both exhausts in the flesh, but with the already limited number of 250R's riding around Adelaide, it would be a long time before I would be able to spot both. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Yoshi.
There are two aftermarket exhausts that I am particularly interested in checking out. Pretty much it will be the Yoshimura VS Area P, most probably going with the carbon fibre pipe for both options. Although the sounds from home-made youtube videos are notorious for not truly representing the 'real life' sounds, these two exhausts do sound the best out of the current available options.
Below is the Yoshimura VS Stock clip. In the second clip, you can see the Area P VS Stock.
I'd like to hear both exhausts in the flesh, but with the already limited number of 250R's riding around Adelaide, it would be a long time before I would be able to spot both. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Yoshi.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Modifications ^^
It may sound stupid, but I'm thinking of modifications that I'll do to my bike (even though I haven't got it yet!). Basically, there's the one modification which is pretty much a MUST for any new ninja owners. Eradicate that ugly rear tail. If you don't know what i mean, allow me to show you.
Here is the original mud flap/fender/rear tail/ugly p.o.s. that comes with the 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (p.s. it's a flipped image, hence backwards stickers and exhaust on the wrong side ^^)
Now for the massive improvement, spot the difference when a Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator kit has been installed. Impressive hey?
God knows what the Kawasaki designers were thinking when they came up with that. It may have something to do with safety requirements or whatever, but it's just plain ugly and definately needs modification. It seems that to install this kit, some cutting will be required, but I'm sure it won't be too drastic or difficult. For us Aussies, it's most likely that the best deals on the Competition Werkes kits would come direct from the US. With our current exchange rate hovering around $0.95 USD the only concern should be waiting time rather than price. So this is the first modification I'll be doing when I eventually get my bike.
Here is the original mud flap/fender/rear tail/ugly p.o.s. that comes with the 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (p.s. it's a flipped image, hence backwards stickers and exhaust on the wrong side ^^)
Now for the massive improvement, spot the difference when a Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator kit has been installed. Impressive hey?
God knows what the Kawasaki designers were thinking when they came up with that. It may have something to do with safety requirements or whatever, but it's just plain ugly and definately needs modification. It seems that to install this kit, some cutting will be required, but I'm sure it won't be too drastic or difficult. For us Aussies, it's most likely that the best deals on the Competition Werkes kits would come direct from the US. With our current exchange rate hovering around $0.95 USD the only concern should be waiting time rather than price. So this is the first modification I'll be doing when I eventually get my bike.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Expenses.. Expenses
Well everybody knows that riding isn't exactly a cheap hobby. I've had my first taste of expenses and sadly they're only about 1/10th of the expected amount I'm gonna have to pay to be on the road for at least 12 months. First of all I went to TransportSA the other day during my lunch break and signed up for the compulsory Rider Safe Basic Course.
Basically it's a beginners course neccesary to obtain your biking L's. Well the basic course which is a 2-day thing (2x 3.5hour days), cost me $317!!! Well I was prepared for it to be steep, but that's deplorable if you consider the price about 12 months ago. I remember my friend telling me it only cost him $120... I blame rising petrol prices and the government. Higher fuel prices create more bikers hoping to save on fuel, which means more people doing the course, and then the government profiteers by jacking up bike related fees. How sucky!
The second bit of parting with money involved me placing the deposit down for my Baby Ninja. Even with that down, I'm still looking at waiting til the end of August. Especially if I really want to wait for my colour preference, which is black. How pathetic hey? Apparently Kawasaki are only releasing the Baby Ninja's in black and red in a 60/40 ratio respectively. Too bad if the market preference is 90/10. Waiting.. waiting.. always waiting...
Basically it's a beginners course neccesary to obtain your biking L's. Well the basic course which is a 2-day thing (2x 3.5hour days), cost me $317!!! Well I was prepared for it to be steep, but that's deplorable if you consider the price about 12 months ago. I remember my friend telling me it only cost him $120... I blame rising petrol prices and the government. Higher fuel prices create more bikers hoping to save on fuel, which means more people doing the course, and then the government profiteers by jacking up bike related fees. How sucky!
The second bit of parting with money involved me placing the deposit down for my Baby Ninja. Even with that down, I'm still looking at waiting til the end of August. Especially if I really want to wait for my colour preference, which is black. How pathetic hey? Apparently Kawasaki are only releasing the Baby Ninja's in black and red in a 60/40 ratio respectively. Too bad if the market preference is 90/10. Waiting.. waiting.. always waiting...
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