NOTE: This post originated as a 5 Sep 2009 email that I sent to friends and family. I have adjusted the date on this blog post to match the original email.
Attached is a picture of my new toy. A 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD. I bought it today from a really nice couple in Grapevine, TX. The bike is in great shape with just a little over 1800 miles. The color is interesting and hard to describe. In most of the pictures it will look black; however, the official Kawasaki color name is “Pearl Purplish Black Mica”. Depending on the lighting it can look black, navy blue or deep purple. Following is some additional information:
— some really nice pics of this year/model
— my approach to riding and this purchase
My mom and mother-in-law strongly disapprove of this new hobby. My wife, Sandra, is biting her tongue trying not to be a “parade rainer”. I understand their concerns and am trying to be as smart, prudent and safe as possible about this. Everything I read and everyone I talked to suggested one start with a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. I took the course on 15-16 Aug 2009 and have to say it was worth every penny. Excellent material and excellent instructors. I learned A LOT, and I realize that I have lot more to learn to become a safe and skillful rider. The only way to do that is to get a bike and start riding.
I did a lot of research to find a good starter bike – see below for some helpful links. I wanted a cruiser style, and many, many articles and reviews recommended the Vulcan 500 as a good starter bike that many folks end up riding for years. It is small enough to keep beginners out of trouble, but big enough to take out on the highway if you want.
Many consider the Vulcan 500 a “girl bike” because its size is very well-suited to smaller riders. The Vulcan 500 is often pictured in advertisements with women riders and many of the ones listed for sale were originally bought by guys for their wives. The one I bought today was, in fact, the wife’s bike. She doesn’t care for riding in traffic and found that she was not riding it much. For me, part of being smart, prudent and safe is recognizing that a “girl bike” is all I should be riding at this point in time!
After settling on the Vulcan 500 I shopped for several weeks collecting almost 70 ads from craigslist.org, cycletrader.com and eBay. I’m really pleased with the deal I got today. Thanks for letting me brag about it a bit!
— good info for beginning riders
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/MotorcycleIntroA.html
http://www.bestfirstmotorcycles.com/
http://www.chuckhawks.com/good_first_motorcycles.htm
Shawn