[schanel]

Hi, name's Sierra. Currently reside in MT, in case there's any riders around this way...
Just picked up my first bike about 3 wks ago & came across this forum to join shortly after.
Got a 2007 w/ about 7200 miles on. Looks good. Runs good. Has brand new tires and a fresh tuneup (good thing since I don't know much about bikes) And it is definitely too much fun!

Original color is black, which luckily the seller even gave me the original fairings to do whatever I want with. Also, gave me some frame
sliders that he didn't get the chance to put on that I'll need to get on there sometime soon. First thing I've done to it is simply buy some lowering links to drop it 2 inches (being short can be sucha struggle :hmmm.

Have some plans for it, which first thing is getting the old fairings painted matte black & then the wheels & some of the accents painted in a white to match my car.

Definitely impressed with this bike for my first one. Had been eyeing a ZX for awhile & then I found this one for a great deal out of Rapid City SD. Definitely couldn't pass it up, especially w/ riding season around the corner.

Thanks for reading & looking to bounce around this forum for awhile! And if anyone has any pointers or advice for this new chick, just throw 'em out there

 

[DatNyerr]

Yo man i saw that bike in rapid!!! i knew it before i even read your post. Just saw montana and the bike and knew it! I bought my bike from blackhills powersports.

Welcome to the forum, by the way. Theres good info here!

EDIT: Didnt catch your a chick, my bad lol.

 

[zx6ixxer]

Welcome to the forum, nice buy

 

[thesighbored]

Welcome, enjoy adding your personal touches to the bike, ride safe & safe ride!

 

[kojiiro]

Welcome!

 

[Scorpi0]

Nice bike and nice car!

 

[Strider]

Hello and welcome!

Since you are new to bikes, read this: http://files.meetup.com/1510087/A+Twist+of+the+Wrist+II.pdf

...and watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVWLIfChUwg

 

[westwa06zx6r]

Welcome! Good looking first bike! Keep it right side up and enjoy!

 

[Goatfather]

Welcome to the forums. The video above is really good, also recommend taking an MSF

 

[subiedude09]

welcome to the forum! Nice looking bike, and nice car. My first street bike is an 07 too :bigthumb:

 

[RJ2112]

Welcome.

I have to ask, how long are your legs that you need to lower the bike?

Bear in mind that the Moto GP riders are very often small stature people -- for the same reasons most jockeys are. Less weight means a bike will go faster, turn easier, stop quicker... Rossi and Marquez are likely only about 5' 6", and probably under 140 lbs. You may have an issue if you are 5' 2" or less, with relatively short legs --- if you are taller than that, it's a confidence thing, to be honest.

There are very few professional sportbike racers who are much bigger than 5' 10" or so. With equal bikes, the heavier rider will always lose the drag races, etc. When you get to the point that corner speed is the deciding factor..... physics says lighter is better.

That being said, knowlege is power. Schooling and formal training will make you a better, safer, faster rider much more quickly than learning it on your own. Practice. Read everything you can. Learn how to work on your own bike, so you know when it's misbehaving.

Spend your hard earned cash on the best quality gear you can (don't waste your time making it color coordinated -- the gear will outlast the bike), make sure the bike is functionally 100% (tires, chain, controls, brakes and suspension are MUCH more important than how it looks)

 

[sammyt]

lovely bike enjoy

 

[spiderman636]

Def agree on trying not to lower it. If you have to, take it to a shop that can evaluate the geometry of the front and rear and at least have the front and rear relative in a way that the bike doesn't have that spot where it feels like it feels off a cliff. Both my previous bikes were lowered when I bought them and I found them too dangerous to even ride.

 

[schanel]

Thanks everyone for the love
Too excited about finally taking the plunge on buying this bike!

Yo man i saw that bike in rapid!!! i knew it before i even read your post. Just saw montana and the bike and knew it! I bought my bike from blackhills powersports.

Welcome to the forum, by the way. Theres good info here!

EDIT: Didnt catch your a chick, my bad lol.

Haha, that's awesome! Small world that you've seen it around.

Welcome to the forums. The video above is really good, also recommend taking an MSF

I am, most definitely! Problem w/ the small town I'm in, they don't offer the MSF class till May, but got a few people to ride around w/ out here so they're teaching me what I need to know. If all's well, probably gonna take the skills test for my endorsement before I even take the course.

Welcome.

I have to ask, how long are your legs that you need to lower the bike?

Bear in mind that the Moto GP riders are very often small stature people -- for the same reasons most jockeys are. Less weight means a bike will go faster, turn easier, stop quicker... Rossi and Marquez are likely only about 5' 6", and probably under 140 lbs. You may have an issue if you are 5' 2" or less, with relatively short legs --- if you are taller than that, it's a confidence thing, to be honest.

There are very few professional sportbike racers who are much bigger than 5' 10" or so. With equal bikes, the heavier rider will always lose the drag races, etc. When you get to the point that corner speed is the deciding factor..... physics says lighter is better.

That being said, knowlege is power. Schooling and formal training will make you a better, safer, faster rider much more quickly than learning it on your own. Practice. Read everything you can. Learn how to work on your own bike, so you know when it's misbehaving.

Spend your hard earned cash on the best quality gear you can (don't waste your time making it color coordinated -- the gear will outlast the bike), make sure the bike is functionally 100% (tires, chain, controls, brakes and suspension are MUCH more important than how it looks)

I'm only 5'3" & only about 120, so lowering it was a definite lol, at least until I'm more comfortable. I've already taken it to the local motorcycle shop here & had them give it a look over and they said everything looks/runs great mechanically. Tires are new, chain's in good shape, oil was changed less than 1k miles ago, brakes are good. It was well taken care of, guy had it garaged most of the time, so I kinda got lucky with this 1st buy. But as for lowering it, the shop owner/tech told me it had already been lowered as much as possible as stock?, so my only option was the links & to drop the forks, which we did. I've taken it on a few good runs already & to me, it feels stable, but obviously being to new, I guess I wouldn't know the difference haha.

And I definitely agree the mechanics are more important than the aesthetics of it, but luckily this bike is more than well enough to get started on really making it "my own"
My dad's a Dodge/Cummins mechanic, so I've always been down to help in the shop (like my car, I've done all the work myself lol), but when it comes to the bike, I don't know where to begin, another reason I came to the forum. So I've been reading all I can about this thing, even got a hold of a manual for it so I can see what it's meant to run at & such.

 

[schanel]

Hello and welcome!

Since you are new to bikes, read this: http://files.meetup.com/1510087/A+Twist+of+the+Wrist+II.pdf

...and watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVWLIfChUwg

Thanks for the sharing! Good thing I'm at work, just printed out all those pages lol. Once I get the time this wknd, definitely gonna check out that video!

Appreciate all the welcome posts! This forum is more welcoming than the ClubLexus one :sigh:

 

[RJ2112]

The biggest things that lowering a bike (properly) will do, is reduce the ground clearance. This will apply in a straight line, as well as in curves. Be careful with speed bumps, and don't expect to get anywhere near the lean angle you would if the bike were at the OEM height...

If you are comfortable and riding it, that's how you gain experience. Seat time is the most valuable thing you can get; but it's really easy to settle into habits that may not be the most effective way to do things.

We've talked about the bike.

What kind of riding gear do you have, or are you gathering up? Knowing it's much tougher for the ladies to get this right than guys, I know that can be some serious coin and a lot of trial and error. As you look at jackets and pants, gloves, it is a good idea to work with a place that will allow you to return things until you get the fit right. This outfit has an excellent return policy... I make a point of shopping their closeout section where you are likely to find off season items at steep, steep discounts. The biggest plus is that they will ship you the next size, before they have received the item you are returning.

The ladies on the board know all of this stuff better than I ever will, just throwing out what has worked for me with good sucess.

 

[schanel]

The biggest things that lowering a bike (properly) will do, is reduce the ground clearance. This will apply in a straight line, as well as in curves. Be careful with speed bumps, and don't expect to get anywhere near the lean angle you would if the bike were at the OEM height...

If you are comfortable and riding it, that's how you gain experience. Seat time is the most valuable thing you can get; but it's really easy to settle into habits that may not be the most effective way to do things.

We've talked about the bike.

What kind of riding gear do you have, or are you gathering up? Knowing it's much tougher for the ladies to get this right than guys, I know that can be some serious coin and a lot of trial and error. As you look at jackets and pants, gloves, it is a good idea to work with a place that will allow you to return things until you get the fit right. This outfit has an excellent return policy... I make a point of shopping their closeout section where you are likely to find off season items at steep, steep discounts. The biggest plus is that they will ship you the next size, before they have received the item you are returning.

The ladies on the board know all of this stuff better than I ever will, just throwing out what has worked for me with good sucess.

Oh of course, definitely take my time when going out of my driveway or over any kind of bumps here. Our weather up here is a lil' bipolar lol, but I've been riding as much as I can since I got it.

As for riding gear, I've been gathering up everything possible, or trying to at least. So far, already have some mesh gloves w/ the knuckle protectors, but ordered some Alpinestars gloves so should be here this wk sometime. Bought a (no name) DOT approved helmet from the local shop here, just to get me started, & considering the guy gave me a killer deal of $60 for it being my first one, but been looking at a Scorpion EXO-R410. The shop here doesn't carry too much motorcycle gear since more people out here ride ATVs/SideBySides/DirtBikes, but I picked up an armored vest until I can find a jacket to order in. I have been wearing the vest with layers so my arms aren't exposed. Gonna see what I can find on that website, thank you! So far just been shopping around on RevZilla