Never ridden before, but I just got an '08 GZ 250 w/ 2800 miles... now what?
 

I rode it home yesterday after trading an old beater I had, altho I put a good amount of money into parts and such. Guy needed a car. I wanted a bike. Hhe gave me a magnetic tank bag, 2 used helmets (one full face without the shield, and one that fits inside the tank bag, and $200. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty fair trade. He was supposed to give me a "$250 riding jacket", but he forgot to bring it since he came nearly 100 miles to bring me the bike.

Anyway... he helped me find first gear as I forgot to shift down and kept stalling out my first 2 attempts at pulling off. Then I made a couple circles in the parking lot. I forgot to hit the clutch lever when shifting into higher gears, because it felt so similar to a 4-wheeler... and there were no clunks or anything. But I eventually started using the clutch lever half way home. I'm assuming the clutch lever is there for a reason.

The tires have great tread left, he said they were new. But the brakes squeal a bit. Will need to check them tomorrow. And he also said that he recently changed the oil, but I'll need to find out how to see if the oil is really clean or not...

Also wondering if I need to turn the fuel supply valve to the off position when I'm done riding it.

Any other basics that I need to know??

There is very minor rust that I'll more than likely be able to remove with steel wool. Only 2 dents in the gas tank and one scrape on the front fender. The left mirror is missing, and the right one is the only thing with enough rust that wouldn't be affected by steel wool. He said that he had ordered a set and would send them to me, but I'm not holding my breath. So after I clean it up and replace the mirrors, this thing is going to look pretty sweet to me. Also, the two buttons on the front seat are missing, but that probably means better comfort for my rear.

Chain and sprockets look to be in good condition, which is something I was worried about with chain-driven bikes. I originally wanted a belt-driven bike, but this will certainly do for a few months. :ride:

Anyway, what are some "need to know" things when it comes to operating and maintaining this beautiful and comfortable machine??

Welcome to the forum :)

No. The engine vacuum opens and closes the valve automatically via a little vacuum hose between the petcock and the carburator. Just leave it with the blade end pointing forward. Down is PRIme (always open). To the back is REServe. On the road, once the engine starts hesitating and stalling, switch from ON to RES and go get gas. Don't forget to switch it back to ON.
I'd say download the manual and look for the maintenance schedule. Clean and oil the chain, check/adjust valve clearance, check bolt tension, oil cables. Look for the "howto's" in the manual, and here. Use the search.
In your case, check the age of the tires, there is a week and year code (4 digits in all) stamped on the side, when it's over 5 years old, replace tire(s). Inner and outer.

There are inner and outer tires??

Welcome aboard. The first thing you should do is sign up for the MSF BRC (Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course). It's the best investment in your safety that you can make.


:)

Welcome to the family.Safe riding. ;) :)

Well, I just looked at their locations, and the nearest one is an hour away. I'll probably pass.

The local DMV told me that they offer a $250 course, but I'm not paying that much either. Think it's so expensive because they provide the bikes. But they mentioned some other safety courses that I'm going to assume are cheaper. Will have to call back and get some more info on those for sure, tho.

Insurance company told me that a safety certification would only lower my premiums by $3 a year, tho. That's kinda whack. After getting my endorsement, my premium will be lowered by $5 a year. Then I'll be paying $131 a year for pretty good liability coverage and comprehensive (which includes $3,000 of accessories, of which I have about $100 right now). All in all, I'm having a great experience with my first bike, tho.

Welcome!

I would still suggest schooling regardless. Money means nothing when it comes to survival of life and death.

It does when you aint got none. :cry: :cry: ;)

First thing..............welcome to the sight. Second thing..................get some professional riding instruction. Ask yourself one question. What is my life worth???? You can not just get on and ride. There are just too many factors involved to be a safe rider from the get go.
I can tell from your intro that you are your greatest enemy right now when you consider your experience and enthusiasm. You are inexperienced and want to ride. That is wonderful but don't let the lack of training be your downfall.
Get the proper rider training. It is the best life insurance you will ever buy. Get proper riding gear too. I subscribe to All The Gear All The Time(ATGATT). Full face helmet, gloves, boots, armored riding pants and jacket. You have to have protection if you go down in a mishap. And it can happen in the blink of an eye too.
Everyone here wants you to enjoy the riding experience but not the crash experience. Nor do you want a life long disability due to a crash. That would really suck.

I've ridden motorized bicycles for a few years, so I'm not completely inexperienced. I know that gravity and gravel are my two worst enemies that I must learn to control or avoid all together.

Definitely will be wearing all gear all the time.

Like I said in the OP, was just looking for a quick and dirty intro to operating & maintaining this specific bike. I will definitely reading the manual at some point.... but I only have a few hours a week that I'm "free", so a quick answer to whether or not the fuel valve needs to be rotated and any other "non-obvious" schtuff is all I need. Other than my own practice. Think I'm about to head to a parking lot right now....

:ride:

:doh::doh::doh:

I learned all I need to know on the internet.
Get with the program old timer.

:ride:

Qasual - The learning how to ride part or survive part. Haha just kidding.

Honestly though, riding is easy. Surviving is not. Knowing the body language of vehicles that will merge into you without shoulder checking is pretty crucial. But that is just one example out of many "freak accidents" that can be avoided.

Like I said, I've been riding a 30mph motorized bicycle for years.

The GZ250 is only going to be ridden up to 60mph, and I'm willing to bet is going to be safer than a motorized bicycle. People will pull out in front of a bike all the time, because they don't really expect motors on a typical push bike. I used to shoulder the road and let people pass, but eventually I realized that it's my road too and would hog the whole lane so that people wouldn't pass and kill me.

I'm not a TOTAL n00b. Just interested in specific info on the bike, really. Thanks for your concern, tho.

One thing I really do hate, tho... is the twist grip throttle control. I much prefer the shaved down brake handle I use as a thumb lever throttle control. Wonder if anybody has rigged up something like this on their bike? I probably won't change it too much... to at least get used to the twist grip, but it really makes no sense to me why you would want to constantly change your grip while accelerating/decelerating, therefore changing your position from the brake lever. That's the ONLY :doh: thing that I don't get about motorcycle safety!!

The twist grip throttle will make sense with more time on the bike.

I did the opposite with an ATV. I removed the thumb lever and put a twist throttle on it because I was used to the twist throttle. It can be done.:tup:
I have never seen or heard of someone with a thumb throttle on a motorcycle so if you do it take some pictures and post them.

I guess you didn't read reply number 2 above by 5th Bike.


:)

Yup


:)

Oh, I did.... but I also included an and in that statement, followed by some other words in that sentence that you did not put in bold font. "... and any other 'non-obvious' schtuff is all I need."

One example of non-obvious schtuff would be that in order to remove the key from the lock cylinder, the handlebars must be turned all the way to the left. Ditto for "unlocking" the cylinder in order to start the bike.

As a matter of fact, tho, I am having a problem with the fuel valve not turning at all... http://www.gz250bike.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6953

And there is another question hidden inside, about filling the bike up on the kickstand -vs- filling it while holding the bike straight up to get to the advertised 3.5 gallon capacity.

Pretty good bike, tho. Perhaps just a tad slower than I expected, but that's definitely not a bad thing for a first motorcycle. Got a great insurance premium w/ comprehensive coverage. Only problem is that they won't allow me to get "uninsured motorist property damage" without buying "uninsured motorist bodily harm", which would essentially double the premium. Not too keen on uninsured motorist bodily harm when I already have health insurance. The agent told me that this is the way my state requires the insurance policy to be set up, but I highly doubt it.

I can't reply to any insurance issues but I can to filling the tank. Always get off the bike and fill it while it is on the side stand. The difference between really topped up with the bike upright is not great. If you are straddling the bike to fill it and a dumbass rolls in and bumps the bike you will regret it.

Not only that but if you fill it while straddling it when you put the bike back on the stand it may leak out on to a hot engine. Not good.

As for insurance, I'd want the uninsured motorist bodily harm (have it) to make sure I'm covered. You could quite easily meet your limits on your health insurance.


:)

Yup, cover your butt cause no one else will.

This is an excellent book to read and can be found for around 10 bucks delivered .

Great info for new riders as well as seasoned pros that need a refresher on why they do the things they do.

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Mot...t+motorcyclist

CL

:tup::tup::tup:

:tup::tup::tup:


:)

Couple more quick questions....

- I see that the gas is to be filled up while on the kickstand, but what about the oil? I'm assuming that the oil should be filled to the top of the sight glass window thingy while standing straight up, and NOT on the kickstand, right?

- Where can I buy some mirrors? The left one is missing, and the right one is pretty rusty. I'm assuming that I won't be able to find the stock pair for less than a couple hundred $$, no?


EDIT: I just saw in another thread that yes, the oil should be checked in the upright position. So what about the mirrors??

Yep oil is checked with the bike straight up.About 3/4 ways up the glass.Should be able to find stock mirrors on e-bay pretty reasonably priced.If not any aftermarket mirror with 10mm threads will work. ;) :)