Hey guys (and girls). Was looking around all sorts of websites then came across KB and decided to join up.
(At this point most of you probably stop reading but anyway... 
)
I'm starting uni this year and just last December had the idea of getting a bike. Can take the bus lanes (I think?), no parking cost, stuff all fuel costs and so much more convenient than biking everywhere.
So I started looking. And (as you do) I started watching videos of fireblades racing around the isle of man tt circuit and Hayabus wheelies and all other such things on youtube (there's an awful lot too see!!!).
Then I seriously approached buying a bike. But those beautiful Ninja 250R's were a little out of the price range. Especially considering I had never ridden a motorbike before.
After a little bit more looking and when my parents finally accepted I wasn't going to give up on the idea, my stepfather (who has been riding since he was 9) suggested I have a go on his Gas Gas (Spanish Trials Bike). He absolutely loves all of his trials bikes (all 9 of them) from his old BSA to the latest 65kg world champ replica... but my mother is a little annoyed that her car wont fit in the garage!
Now it being a 300cc single you'd think that wouldn't be too bad. But the low gearing and highly responsive throttle (both a requirement for this kind of bike) made it a bit too hot for me to handle. And did I mention it doesn't have a seat? To get an idea of what it is, here's a photo of one.
So anyway, after heading out to the school field he sort of strolled along side while holding the handlebars as I awkwardly tried to balance on the footpegs. Then he slowly let me go and all would have been fine had I not panicked. It was in second gear at the time (I had started in that, it will start in anything up to 4th), and basically some hidden instinct told me to jerk my right wrist back and open the throttle as wide as I could. NOT A GOOD IDEA! In the low-end these things have about as much pickup as a litre bike! So, as is inevitible with a highly responsive and low geared 65kg trials bike... I flipped it! 
that was a bit of an ouch!
He quickly rushed over and made sure I was OK then we decided to call it a day, which I was definitely glad of. But undetered two weeks later I did a little Sunday course (rcsom.co.nz - highly recommended) on a GN125 (just a LITTLE more docile ). Was dumping the clutch half the time but got the feel of that in the end and got my basic handling certificate the same afternoon!
The following Wednesday we went out and picked a real nice GN250 up (only a little more than 100km (nope, not 100,000) on the clock. I've been riding that around the park quite often (haven't been told off by the Auckland City Council yet!) and hopefully not being to noisy (the park's right next ot a rest home !).
After doing a bit of basic maintenance myself, that he convinced me was necessary even on such a new bike (we were a little dissapointed when we realidsed they were manafactured in China), likeregreasing the front and rear axles and bearings and such, he rode it a little more before deciding it wasn't 100% perfect.
So back to the workshop, a little bit of fiddling with the pilot screw and another go. Feels 100% better now he decides, but another couple of days in the park later and it's back to the workshop. We end up stripping the whole carb, cleaning it out and shifiting the clip on the main needle down a notch for a little more flow. Seemes to be going a bit better now! But still not 100% so, you guessed it, back to the workshop. So we try a stronger spring on the secondary diaphragm (it has some realy spaz system which for some reason involves a diaphragm about the size of a dollar coin to work along with the main one), which suprisingly gives it quite a bit more pull. But we loose all the low end, which isn't much fun.
So after all this, with the bike being in bits more than it's been together, we check the small manual that came with the bike and have a look in the carb section. Now that was really a laugh. All it said was:
The carburetor is factory set for the best carburetion. Do not attempt to alter it's setting. There are two items of adjustment, however, under your care: idle speed and throttle cable play.
Now I'm no mechanic but that sounds like an absolute load of nonsense to me. Carbs a meant to be fiddled with!
With the bike still in bits we were seriously considering ditching the carb for something a bit more decent. And that's where we're at at the moment. It's down in the garage but I hope that changes by the end of the week, ready for some more riding!
So, hope to be on the road with all the rest of you soon... but am still working towards passing my stepfather's stringent approval, which is fair enough considering the number of tragic accidents you hear about.
Think that's all for now, gratz if you read the whole thing, dunno why I wrote all that.... Anyway, bye for now I guess, and hope to be out and about in the next week or two!
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Originally Posted by 98tls
There is no such thing as bad weather; only inappropriate clothing! 
Hope to right more, I guess the next quantum leap would be the next bike, hmmm... don't think I'd get that until my full, I guess >250cc you get more bike for your money, but who knows, need to develop a proven track record (or road record, whatever, you know what I mean !!! 
, Always nice to have a helping hand when your starting out,
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