Advice on a newbie test riding a GPZ500

Hello,

Test drove a "proper" bike today (well for me it is anyway), but I
have a couple of questions.

I have been driving card for 20+ years, but I know nothing about
motorbikes.

1) the engine barely got out of cold (the ambient temp was 3C in NW
england)

2) I thought the front breakes would have been a bit better then what
they were.

It is the dual disk model, and when I applied the brakes I could here
them touching the disks, but I thought I would have been catapulted
off the bike, am I expecting too much.

The garage I am buying from are MOTing and servicing it. They are also
giving me a 3 month warranty.

Any advice would be gladly, and appreciately, accepted.

 

Do you have a bike licence?
If it passes an MOT then the brakes are probably adequate;
why do you want to be catapulted off the bike?

 

I rather think that depends in how uch the MOT station/sales garage want to
see the back of it. Not everyone is as scrupulous as us on 'ere.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Given that you're a brand new rider on an unfamiliar bike and the conditions
today have been shit I'd say that if you grabbed a big handful of front and
didn't end up sliding down the road then the brakes are probably shagged.

Get a 2nd opinion - do you know anybody with more bike experience who could
go long to avoid you buying a dog?

--
AndrewR, D.Bot (Celeritas)
Aprilia RSV-1000R, Kawasaki ZX-6R, Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
BOTAFOT#2,ITJWTFO#6,UKRMRM#1/13a,MCT#1,DFV#2,SKoGA#0 (and KotL)
BotToS#5,SBS#25,IbW#34, DS#5, COSOC# Suspended, KotTFSTR#
The speccy Geordie twat.

 

Thanks for the advice on the brakes.

Anything I should be wary of about the engine temp?

 

I bought a gpz500 as my first proper bike this summer and have been
riding it most days since.

that seems normal, I've never had mine get exceptionally hot, and in
the cold it rarely hits midpoint on the temp gauge

I have the dual disk model and the brakes are pretty shite, don't
expect to do any stoppies on it.

The exhaust has a tendency to rot and will need replacing eventually.

I've had no problems other than I'm bored with it and want to replace
it next spring. Its been a great first bike, I've learnt a lot about
riding without ever feeling like I'm going to die from too much power
in my inexperienced hands. Its narrow and the half fairing makes it a
good commuter bike. Also I'm a short arse and the low seat is a
godsend for getting two feet down.

 

Good. So the cooling system is working.

 

Just the person I wanted to here from. I think I may give them some of
my hard earned and get learning to ride "Properly"

 

i'm just putting the finishing touches to it. next week i'm working on
an eternal rain machine for the channel islands.