Posted by Bill in Oregon on January 08, 19100 at 22:08:58:
So my pal at work finally gets to me with his Harley stories, and I think maybe at 46 I ought to do something out of character. Why not learn to ride motorcycles? So I start surfing the Net and buying motorcycle magazines, and I begin to notice that even the cruisers all look different, and I like the VStar and the Honda Shadow, and so on. So I go the Yamaha dealer just to see, and they've dropped the franchise, but jeez the leftover 98 Suzukis seem reasonably priced, especially these orange jobbies with pain that looks like it was left over from a Husqvarna chainsaw. And I'll be d***ed, it has just one cylinder. THey have three new 98s marked at $3800, and a used 96 at $3100 with small windshield. I look around at other shops, buy more magazines, surf more Net. Not much on the Savage. Then I find this site. Bingo. Now it is almost time to go to work, and I have spent hours reading posts -- about Witch Doctor and his 98 woes; about George and Max and their Supertrapp experiences; about Justin and taking out the little white float thingy. I have learned quite a bit, and I'm not even scheduled to take the beginner MSF course til next month. The Savage has its attractions, for sure. But I have questions: Does a bike that seems to start cutting out for a number of posters on this forum make sense for someone who has for all intents never ridden? Is a thumper the wrong bike for someone with a bit of arthritis in his aging lower back (i.e., vibrations)? The trips I'd like to take here in Southern Oregon would tend to be 100 miles one way; would another bike be more comfortable, or a better first-bike choice? Thanks for reading, and if nobody answers, thanks anyway for letting me feel like I'm part of nice Net community.