Mike's Simple Life: Before and After...

Before:

My first bike. A 2007 (or 2008?) Suzuki GZ250. I'm not sure why I decided I wanted to start riding motorcycles. I think it was about the gas mileage.

I bought the bike from an ex-BYU Idaho Public Health professor who was dying of bone cancer. It was priced way under Blue Book. $1700? I think. I bought it in December 2010, and went up to Cache Valley to learn to ride from Mike Forsberg every other weekend or so.

I got my licence in February and rode it back to Salt Lake in the second week of that month. It was the first time I'd been on the highway. First time I'd gone over 35 mph. I left Cache Valley at dusk, Mark LaRocco following me in my car as I pushed it to its limit up Wellsville Canyon. I couldn't do the speed limit. And I knew I had no chance of making it on the freeway. I rode in a hoodie, my rainbow vest, mittens and a half-helmet. Coldest ride of my life.

I rode the bike almost every day, even through the winter. When I sold it to one of my students from East Hollywood in May of 2012 I'd put, I think five and a half thousand miles on it. I sold it because it really just couldn't hack it on the freeway. I'd ride down I-15, and merge onto the 21st South freeway every day on my way to work, and back the same way. There were so many close calls at the merge with careless drivers coming from I-80. At 65mph there was no acceleration left, so those close calls involved me slamming the brakes and hoping there was space behind the careless merger. It was a terrifying affair. I'd always end up frantically going for the horn, but I'd only end up hitting the lights. It didn't matter if I did get the horn, because at freeway speeds not even I could hear it.

There was one time in the spring when I was feeling good, returning from work. I'd come off the entrance at 32nd West onto the 201. I had the accelerator pegged, coming over that small hill after the entrance to I-215. I felt like I was flying. And right at the top of the hill I looked to my right and saw a cop pointing his speed laser right at me. My right wrist was cranked, and I knew in that instant I was had. Then I looked at the speedometer and realized I was going five miles under the speed limit. And so it went.

And so it went. I sold it for $1700. In the end I'd only paid for gas, insurance, a couple oil changes and filters, a bigger front sprocket and some brake pads. Not bad.

It wasn't until I'd test ridden a bunch of other bikes looking for something new that I realized what I'd had in the little Suzi. It was a great runner. Smooth power band. Light and maneuverable. And it got 75mpg. If only it had had a little more top end.

After:

Bought this 2009 KLR650 in the middle of June 2012. It was again quite a deal. Priced at $4200 it was $300 below the NADA average value, and it came with saddle bags, a collapsible trunk bag and a tank bag. And it only had a little over 2500 miles on it. In the spring, 09's with tens of thousands of miles were selling for up to five hundred over the NADA average without any extras. When we were discussing price, the guy dropped his asking price to $4000 without being prompted. He just seemed scared of riding. Spooked.

I came back and picked it up the next day.

Unfortunately I haven't really warmed up to it. It's tall. Too tall really for me, although I'm relatively comfortable with it now. But there are still moments where I have to make a short stop because of a driver trying to beat the right of way through an intersection, and I put my foot down to find the ground missing. It doesn't take a deep gutter, or steep incline for it to be father than I can reach. And I'm on the lowest setting on the rear shock.

Not only that, but setting the sag so low seems to make the kickstand too long. It is standing almost level on level ground. Unfortunately the kick stand is on the left and roads almost all slope considerably down to the gutter. It causes problems for parking. I really have to push it over on the stand and hope there are no strong breezes.

And that's not the only time breezes are problematic. It presents a copious amount of surface area to the wind when it is coming from the side. There have been a couple times on the freeway when gusts have pushed me into the next lane at 80mph, and there was nothing I could do about it.

The freeway is a problem. I bought the bike with ideas of long rides. California, then maybe up the coast to Seattle. But it only takes fifteen minutes for the vibes to numb my hands. And twenty more for the numbness to creep into my shoulders.

But the power is good. A little off road capability is nice. The mileage isn't horrible if I don't push it. I got 57.5mpg out of the last tank. And the insurance is lower than any other 650 except maybe a DR650 or an XR650L. So I'll stick with it. At least until next spring. Then I might be able to sell it for a profit.

I've already put about 1500 miles on it.