Cheep Bike Challenge <$1500

[fotoduda.com]

Originally Posted by NortwestRider

My 850 needs no key to start and run ( secondary ignition ) but nobody here where I live ( a place know as Rat City) knows that !!.

Well now they know... ;)

Originally Posted by What?

A few bikes back there is a Suzuki GS850 by "fotoduda.com"
Look close and you can see two wheel lock to secure a $200 bike. That must be one rough neighborhood!
Makes me happy that I live where I live. I could leave the key in that thing on Main Street and nobody would touch it.

This neighborhood was infested with elderly people and nice quiet families, the worst kind. Most of the time they were occupied with washing their clean beige cars and polishing their garden dwarfs. They scarred the shit out of me

BTW in Amsterdam this big chain is just a regular bicycle lock

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by fotoduda.com

This neighborhood was infested with elderly people and nice quiet families, the worst kind. Most of the time they were occupied with washing their clean beige cars and polishing their garden dwarfs. They scarred the shit out of me

BTW in Amsterdam this big chain is just a regular bicycle lock

Sounds like my kind of place.I'm sick of this criminal hot spot drug infested hole in the road.If I didn't own most of the property here,I'd pack my trash and move on.

[NortwestRider]

We left ONE door of my wifes car unlocked ONE night and the next day I got in it to go somewhere and found the contents of her glove box all over the car !!.My 4 year old grandsons window is right there and he told me that he saw a man in grandmas car,I told him that he needs to wake me up if it happens again !!.


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[fotoduda.com]

Once I left the keys of my KZ in the ignition in the center of Amsterdam for the whole night. And the bike was still there in the morning. I guess I did well with the ratty look, probably no one would take it away even if I pinned an invitation to it

And the other day somebody robbed an elderly woman from across the street in my quiet suburban neighborhood in broad daylight.

The darkest place is always under the lamp...

[NortwestRider]

I'm thinkin that if one of the crackheads around here tried to steel my sidecar rig that they would crash it before they got out of my driveway!!.


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[ardbeglily]

What? I noticed the lock also and thought it was probably worth more than the bike. You couldn't even sell that GS for parts. By the way I love GS's.

[ThomasVolomitz]

Picked this up for $925 today. Always wanted one just to beat around on. Plastics have some dings but the engine is solid with a Kerker 2 into 1.

[TonyKZ1]

Congrats on the Ninja 250. They're pretty nice bikes, I sure like mine.
Tony

[thatdirtykid]

Originally Posted by fotoduda.com

That strikes all the right buttons for me. And I dont know why.

[NortwestRider]

Originally Posted by thatdirtykid

That strikes all the right buttons for me. And I dont know why.

Same here !!!!.


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[jdgretz]

There's a guy locally who has a ratted out Harley of some sort that looks similar. That bike is ridden hard and put up wet. The rider always has a smile on his face and some really cool stories of where he's been lately. That's what motorcycles are meant for.

jdg

[fotoduda.com]

Originally Posted by thatdirtykid

That strikes all the right buttons for me. And I dont know why.

There's a story connected to this one as well :)

It was on one rainy Friday afternoon in September when I've read on the internets that there's a classic bike racing event going on in Branna (CZ) that very weekend, in the mountains something like 360km away from me. What a great opportunity to not sit at home, have a nice trip and make some killing photos. By the time I made up my mind it was late evening and I realized that I don't have any proper boots nor trousers for this kinda trip in this kinda early autumn conditions. I totally skipped the fact that I had a broken clutch leaver held on by a piece of rubber string and that the rear suspension was shot with a tendency to go flat and get stuck in that position, giving me a much unwanted experience of riding a hard tail. I made it to the motorcycle gear shop just before closing time and after many tries found some trousers that would actually fit my long skinny legs. Of course the next day I realized that they were still too wide and too short for me at the same time. This shit happens to me almost every time I buy new pants. For the boots I decided to go with a tall military mountain model cause they offered good protection against cold and water and I could still walk in them, pretty much anywhere. Plus they where under 100 EUR. I got them the same morning I was leaving.

Buy the time I was ready to go it was noon. I hate to leave late. I went to a gas station to fuel up and had this idea to check the oil. I remembered I haven't done this properly at all since I bought it. Surely enough the probing bayonet was dry as hell. I bought 1l of oil and started pouring it in. 1/4... nothing. 1/2... nothing... 3/4... nothing! After all I put 2l of oil in it to be at the right level. And the bike's oil capacity is 2,5l in total. I did 500km with 20% of oil in it already and the previous owner did probably 10x more. Some engine they built.

The trip passed uneventfully. I made it to Branna just in time Saturday's practice and qualification runs were over. I was happy that the plan worked. Than it downed on me that there was no plan. For example I forgot to plan to exchange the moneyz at the border, to buy some provisions and beers, or to find a place to sleep. I concentrated on getting there so much I didn't think about all that nonsense at all. I did a quick mental check. I was in this remote mountain village, tired and hungry, with no food nor beverages, I had 100 Polish Zlotys on me, there was no exchange office in 50km radius, no shop that accepted VISAs, nor any shop that was open in the evening, actually THE shop was usually closed on weekends, but because of the race it was open from 7 till 8 a.m.! It was getting dark, I had a tent and a bottle of water and there was no camping site in sight or even a place to pitch a tent, since the place was overloaded with bikers already.

I looked to the right and I saw some bikes with Polish plates. I asked them if they know a camping site. They said they're staying with a big group behind this hotel, but some fuckers built a swimming pool last year and there was not a lot of space, and I should follow them. All I understood was to follow them. We made it to the spot which happened to be a small grass parking on a slope behind this hotel in the middle of the village. With 15 bikes and a party going on already. It was a bunch op people from Silesia, a southeastern part of Poland. Coming from a little more north I spoke with a different accent and never actually mixed with them before. They turned out to be good folks. They all knew each other and had no idea how I ended up there, but with no hesitation they found a place for me to squeeze my tent in, 2 minutes later somebody offered me vodka, someone else changed my Zlotys into Czech Koronas from his wallet, the night was young and there was a good vibe in the air. Sooner than you can say hocus pocus where all marching up to the karaoke bar on the other side of the valley. I didn't know I could speak Czech, nor sing for that matter. Alcohol does wonders. Some say it kills your brain cells, but others say it only kills the weakest ones, so the survivors are the best of the best. I remember dancing and singing (more like screaming), going back to our spot, finding my way to the tent, putting on all my clothes and tying my sleeping bag as tight as possible. I could feel cold even as I was drunk, so it must have been really cold.

Next morning was a horror. Not only was my head the size of a small moon, but I was awaken at 7 a.m. to the sound of a vintage open pipe two strokers racing thru the village. It was horrifying, I didn't know which way was up. The noise was indescribable. Fear and loathing dawned on me. I managed to crawl to a bar and get some caffe, I even tried to eat some breakfast but very soon my stomach gave me signs that it was still half full of beer. My brain just sat there and watched and didn't pick up any calls. The roar of the bikes was banging between the houses and slopes of the valley getting amplified on the way. The effect was that it felt like standing next to the passing bikes even as they were on the other side of the track. I was wandering around like a lost child. By the the time I was able to think again it was noon. All of my new best friends have already left the scene. I could describe my position no better than in the words of Hunter S. Thompson himself: "Panic. It crept up my spine like the first rising vibes of an acid frenzy. All these horrible realities began to dawn on me: Here I was all alone in Las Vegas with this goddamn incredibly expensive car, completely twisted on drugs, no attorney, no cash, no story for the magazine. I didn't even know who won the race. How would Horatio Alger handle this situation?".

"The decision to flee came suddenly. Or maybe not. Maybe I'd planned it all along - subconsciously waiting for the right moment." I spent my last Koronas on Czech beer and a salty potato pancake, rolled up the tent, found a break between the races, loaded up the bike and run away. I took a longer route thru the mountains, snapped this pic on the way and made about 150km before calling it a day at my cousin's place in Wroclaw.

[Mambo Dave]

Awesome story, fotoduda.

Originally Posted by thatdirtykid

That strikes all the right buttons for me. And I dont know why.

Same. Is there a way we could vote for this pic to be on the front page's pics for ADVrider.com?

Edit: Done - http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....postcount=8933

There is something about the rear wheel spacing of that model, the slightly knobby tire, the overall form of the bike, and the loaded gear, the non-flashiness of the bike/model ... that, and that setting really helps ... that make it perfect.

[Yokomo]

Nice Dave!

I could never have a bike look like that as I'm too particular. I'd have to clean it up, paint it, blah blah blah, BUT I really enjoy seeing bikes like this. I like the grungy, ratty, well-used, whatever look they have.

[fotoduda.com]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

Awesome story, fotoduda.



Same. Is there a way we could vote for this pic to be on the front page's pics for ADVrider.com?

Edit: Done - http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....postcount=8933

There is something about the rear wheel spacing of that model, the slightly knobby tire, the overall form of the bike, and the loaded gear, the non-flashiness of the bike/model ... that, and that setting really helps ... that make it perfect.

Thanks man, it really makes my day when somebody appreciates my stuff!