Hello! New guy on the block

[Rishabh]

Hello, all you biker folks!

My name is Rishabh, and i've just joined the group. 7 years ago, I saw my first bikes in Canada on a beautiful sunny afternoon, on the 401. i fell in love that day and knew i will be riding one day. Finally done school, and started working, i just got my M2 this past October.
I'm looking for a 250cc to start off with. I've had previous riding experience and I'm super excited about the coming summer. Any one know where i can get a used Kawasaki 250 second hand around the Windsor/Toronto corridor?

Cheers!

[ROQET]

Welcome!!

[GunSlinger]

Welcome enjoy

[FiReSTaRT]

Welcome aboard Rishabh and enjoy the addiction! 250's are a dime a dozen, so you'll have no issues finding one. I'm sure more experienced members will be more than happy to assist you in choosing your first bike. By the way, if you wanna go a bit more hooliganish and have the best of both (pavement&dirt) worlds, you may wanna look into a WRX (Yamaha WR250X)

[bww77]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search. Cheers!

[Lonelyrider]

welcome!

[mimico_polak]

Welcome to the forum! I'm fairly new on here as well and it's a wealth of information from a lot of experienced riders! Enjoy and have fun!

[Taleb]

Welcome

[Rishabh]

i should be able to hold my own pretty well. i'm not one to instigate, but thanks for the heads up!

i hope you are good on the keyboard, there are some nasty pricks on this forum. thanks for comming out.

[FiReSTaRT]

i hope you are good on the keyboard, there are some nasty pricks on this forum. thanks for comming out.

Hey, it wasn't nice of you to warn the newb about us!!!

[Rishabh]

@ FireStart: hehe why's that. i guess your handle isn't Firestart-er for nothing
i'm sure there's knowledge to be gleaned from appropriate areas. ignore the slurs. pick up on the experience.

[frosty]

250's are really easy to find, especially kawi. i personally recommend kijiji.ca easy to look for anything on there with pics on the list. But enjoy your first 250, very controllable power, fun as hell to ride.

[Rishabh]

cant wait. finalized a sale. happening early next week. a red ninja 250, 2009. insurance check. gear, check. need some winterizing equipment, but apart form that, i'm pretty much all set!

250's are really easy to find, especially kawi. i personally recommend kijiji.ca easy to look for anything on there with pics on the list. But enjoy your first 250, very controllable power, fun as hell to ride.

[FiReSTaRT]

Speaking of winterizing gear, wait for the C-Tek chargers to go on sale @ crappy tire. They can be had pretty cheap and they're as good as they get when it comes to tenders. I bought my trickle charger (not tender) before they came on the market, so I have to top up the charge once a month instead of just leaving it plugged in.

[Rishabh]

thanks for the tip! i'll keep an eye out for them. trickle charger, fuel stabilizer. anything else required?

Speaking of winterizing gear, wait for the C-Tek chargers to go on sale @ crappy tire. They can be had pretty cheap and they're as good as they get when it comes to tenders. I bought my trickle charger (not tender) before they came on the market, so I have to top up the charge once a month instead of just leaving it plugged in.

[fastar1]

Welcome to GTAM Rishabh. I'm one of the pricks Stewart was talking about, but if you agree with everything I say then we'll get along just dandy

[FiReSTaRT]

thanks for the tip! i'll keep an eye out for them. trickle charger, fuel stabilizer. anything else required?

Some rags to shove up intake and exhaust and a cheap bed sheet to keep the dust off but let it breathe. Here's how I typically winterize:

1) Clean the chain (take a 2" paint brush, cut the bristles short, buy kerosene and put in a spray bottle, the only other tool you need are rags)
2) Fresh tank of gas with stabilizer and take it for a 5min ride in order to circulate the stabilizer through the fuel system and warm up the chain
3) Lube the chain as soon as you get in, while its nice and warm
4) Change the oil/filter, also quickly while the oil is warm - don't run the engine after that
5) Take out the battery and take the charger to it once a month (hence the convenience of the C-Tek charger that's always connected to the battery)
6) Lubricate the cables and basically anything that moves on the bike (good time to check the chain tension and adjust as needed, but I typically do it in the spring because I wait until its REALLY cold to winterize and then dont wanna spend too much time outside)
7) Put the bike up on stands, shove rags up the intake/exhaust and cover with a sheet (cheapest bed sheet you can get from Value Village/Goodwill, as long as it keeps the dust off and doesn't trap moisture)

[Rishabh]

hey, thanks!
i appreciate the time you took out to write out the steps. i'm just starting out and i want to start out right, so i appreciate any help you toss my way. I'm just waiting on the guy to bring the bike over.. we had good weather till Thursday and then Friday we got a snow dump, so that's delayed it till the next dry spell. Will keep you updated!