JTR
Well-known member
Hi guys, I'm Jay, I'm a welder/inspector from Hamilton, And I bought my first bike yesterday.
I am writing the M1 monday and will book my MSF next pay day. I guess I probably made a mistake in doing things in this order, bought a helmet, bought a bike, then worry about everything else. I don't know where to class a Maxim, definitely not a sport bike, so I would guess cruiser. I was going for a cruiser-ish bike. I ended up with a 1983 XJ750 Maxim, I was hoping to find something a bit lower but when you are scouring the used market with a budget in mind, you cant really place orders. Found an 82 650 first and it was in horrble shape, walked away from it and looked at the 750 which is in what I'd call pretty good shape for a 34 year old machine.
My reasoning/criteria for my purchase was along these lines.
1. No sport bikes, if it has fairing its not for me. It's a posture thing.
2. Must be used. I wanted something that I wont feel bad about dropping/breaking.
3. Must be old-ish. Something that has already done all of its depreciating, and could even sell for more if I leave it in slightly better condition than I found it.
4. Must be relatively cheap. I can get a brand new non-current stock Vulcan with 1km on it for $6-7k, so dropping half that on a 5-10 year old didnt make sense, since that would be a sweet down payment on the new bike.
My XJ750 ticked all of those boxes. I am a seasoned cager that actually does drive responsibly, alert and aware of my surroundings. I'm always observant of other traffic, playing chess with them in my head, and I've gotten fairly good at predicting behavior and their next move. I'm hoping to successfully transfer all of these skills to my 2 wheel life, and expand on it with the MSF.
Within 20 minutes of putting the bike on a trailer, I unloaded it at the former Target parking lot where I'll be doing my MSF. I took some getting acquainted rides, to feel her out and practice shifting, turning and breaking in a safe and un-populated area. I learned some things about the bike, and about myself. As for the bike, it feels good, rides very well for is age, and is definitely no slouch with a throttle that demands to be respected. As for myself, I learned that my coordination sucks, but I gained confidence, I know that I can do this and I can't wait for all of the adventures that she will take me on.
I am writing the M1 monday and will book my MSF next pay day. I guess I probably made a mistake in doing things in this order, bought a helmet, bought a bike, then worry about everything else. I don't know where to class a Maxim, definitely not a sport bike, so I would guess cruiser. I was going for a cruiser-ish bike. I ended up with a 1983 XJ750 Maxim, I was hoping to find something a bit lower but when you are scouring the used market with a budget in mind, you cant really place orders. Found an 82 650 first and it was in horrble shape, walked away from it and looked at the 750 which is in what I'd call pretty good shape for a 34 year old machine.
My reasoning/criteria for my purchase was along these lines.
1. No sport bikes, if it has fairing its not for me. It's a posture thing.
2. Must be used. I wanted something that I wont feel bad about dropping/breaking.
3. Must be old-ish. Something that has already done all of its depreciating, and could even sell for more if I leave it in slightly better condition than I found it.
4. Must be relatively cheap. I can get a brand new non-current stock Vulcan with 1km on it for $6-7k, so dropping half that on a 5-10 year old didnt make sense, since that would be a sweet down payment on the new bike.
My XJ750 ticked all of those boxes. I am a seasoned cager that actually does drive responsibly, alert and aware of my surroundings. I'm always observant of other traffic, playing chess with them in my head, and I've gotten fairly good at predicting behavior and their next move. I'm hoping to successfully transfer all of these skills to my 2 wheel life, and expand on it with the MSF.
Within 20 minutes of putting the bike on a trailer, I unloaded it at the former Target parking lot where I'll be doing my MSF. I took some getting acquainted rides, to feel her out and practice shifting, turning and breaking in a safe and un-populated area. I learned some things about the bike, and about myself. As for the bike, it feels good, rides very well for is age, and is definitely no slouch with a throttle that demands to be respected. As for myself, I learned that my coordination sucks, but I gained confidence, I know that I can do this and I can't wait for all of the adventures that she will take me on.
