Just wanted to let everyone know that after many many MANY months of tinkering and being frustrated- My bike is back together and 100% functional. I will go on my first ride since my accident June 12th, 2008. It has been a very long time, but as of right now, I feel accomplished. I did not do it alone though, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped/supported me...especially kkim, vex, and noche :thumbup:


But now I am scared to ride. I must conquer my fear though. So I shall do so in the parking lot down the street :o

So here's my girl all put together in all her glory!

Nice job. The two tone looks good :thumbup: Now go out and enjoy your cali weather!

i forgot that you were fixing your bike up by yourself. now it makes sense. bike looks great! love the two-tone look.

i can understand that it must be scary to start riding again after such a long time and after an accident. but once you jump on, everything will come back to you. it will be just like riding a bike... motorcycle actually. :)

Great News CaliGal - I know your bike will be as happy as you will be. There is no doubt in my mind it will all comeback to you.

Enjoy and let us know how it goes.

CG - congrats!! I have a quick question. Is that just a flat black that you used? I bought some black fairing pieces for under the passenger seat but I don't like the glossy look. I always thought it would look better if it had the same flat black look of the seats and the black pieces under the seat. I might just have to take my pieces somewhere and have them painted. I really like the way yours turned out :thumbup:

nice job:thumbup:

I'm jealous of that paint job

it looks amazing sweetie! congrats on getting her back up and running - we're proud of you! as for being scared - I'm still scared every time I head out, but I just trust in my abilities, and the tires, and everything seems to turn out fine :) I have a friend that teaches the MSF - so I've been working with him some - I actually considered taking it again since it's been 5 years, but this works well too :)

Congrats. But damn, thats a long time to be put out from riding.

bike looks awesome, very nice job! Don't worry about riding, just get out there and do it (not to be all Nike on you).

I hope you didn't mention this somewhere else, but what make is that rear tire hugger, is the skidmarx one?

Congradulations, The bike looks great. Please ride safely and defensively.

I can imagine the apprehension you must be feeling. I know you had the bike for but a few days before being taken out. :(

Perhaps some parking lot warm ups for a few days until you get your sea legs back? Or maybe some one in your area can ride along with you as your wingman?

GL to you... I know what an odyssey it's been for you to get to this point. You should be proud of yourself. :thumbup:

Welcome back to the ride! Like everyone else said, take it slow before getting back into traffic. Nice job on the repairs! The bike looks great! I wish mine looked that good! :D

Great looking bike. Good luck with it all!

Bike looks hot. Congrats!

That's looking secksy! I would make sweet pasionate love to that bike. ;)

Who knows if you play your cards right I might let you go ride with me the next time I'm up that way :evil6:

Your bike looks awesome! Congratulations and good luck!

PS where did you get your rim tape?

Wow! fantastic. Looks soooo great!! I love the blue with the black.

I remember having to drive a week or so after a very bad car wreck that I had years ago and it was so scary but gradually got back to normal.

Just remember to breathe and take water with you.

Seriously when you stop and drink water it lets your fight or flight know that your are doing neither..no threat if you have time to drink..
keeping you in a more focused mindset.

I will think strong thoughts for you !!

That's looking secksy! I would make sweet pasionate love to that bike. ;)



tmi!!! LOL

Yay Cali! Way to go girl!

congrats and ride safe

nb

Looks beautiful , but dont ride scared just ride smart. Quoting someones words after my lowside before riding home on my hurt bike :(

Bike looks good but you should be in the picture also.

Worth the wait. Just be careful and ride within your comfort zone and you'll be dragging the knee in no time. :D

Bike looks great! :thumbup: Good luck with your first ride back.

Not to admit that I've been living under a shell all the while, but do you have some DIYs or threads explaining all the mods you've done to the bike? Otherwise would you mind summarizing? It looks very nice and sleek without being too over-the-top or crazy.

Okay CG!!! Where's the ride report?? :D

Way to go. If you had the skills to fix the bike, you have the skills to get back on it. Just take it at your own pace and you'll be fine.

Cali... Great News! I will agree with everyone that the color choice you did is amazing looking. And to think you did it all yourself.... Nice :)
Now... Like Kkim said, wheres that ride report? wink wink

Congrats CG!! Awesome job! :thumbup:

C.G., You did a superb job on that bike. Kawasaki should hire you in six figures. Your colour treatment is way above what they have come up with.

Good stuff, yo.


about time, eh?

I remember when this happened. Doesn't feel that long ago to me though I'm sure it felt like an eternity to you. The bike looks amazing, and I know you must be proud to have done most of the work yourself.

How did the ride go?

Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement!!

Bike looks great! :thumbup: Good luck with your first ride back.

Not to admit that I've been living under a shell all the while, but do you have some DIYs or threads explaining all the mods you've done to the bike? Otherwise would you mind summarizing? It looks very nice and sleek without being too over-the-top or crazy.

The mods have been very minor. I chopped of the tail, and shortened the rear turn signals so they didn't stick out so much. I got the paint job two toned with flat black to match the engine parts. Added a flat black rear tire hugger from Scotts870 on ebay! Great guy by the way and the quality is top notch. I bought a second hand seat cowl and had it painted flat black. I also had my paint guy plug the holes for the rubber bumper so it looks more sleek (IMO). I painted most of the nuts/bolts that hold the fairings and what not flat black to blend in with the body work a little better. Spray painted the inside of the windshield flat black until I can get the funds for a proper new windsheild. I attempted to shave my seat but it was not very successful, so I need either a new stock seat or scrap some pennies together for a corbin seat. I removed the passenger pegs and if I ever put them on, they are also painted flat black. I also added some rim tape.

Mods left to do: new exhaust, new seat, new windscreen, some pazzo levers, new pegs, some SS brakes lines, some vinyl stickers...cause my fairings look too empty, and some flush mounts for the front.

I'm sure there's more, but I can think of them right now. :D

Good stuff, yo.


about time, eh?

Way over due!

Okay CG!!! Where's the ride report?? :D

Cali... Great News! I will agree with everyone that the color choice you did is amazing looking. And to think you did it all yourself.... Nice :)
Now... Like Kkim said, wheres that ride report? wink wink


I remember when this happened. Doesn't feel that long ago to me though I'm sure it felt like an eternity to you. The bike looks amazing, and I know you must be proud to have done most of the work yourself.

How did the ride go?

The ride was very scary. The bikes ran like crap. It kept stalling at every stop and I was too hesitant to give it enough gas. I was scared to turn from a stop, and scared to do anything really. I got off, gathered my head for about 15 minutes and then got back on. It was awesome! Didn't go on any major streets, just cruised around my house....but it felt so nice to be on my Ninja again! :D



There seems to be a limit on how many multi quotes I can respond to, so I have to do another post :o

nice job:thumbup:

I'm jealous of that paint job

Thanks! As you should be ;)

it looks amazing sweetie! congrats on getting her back up and running - we're proud of you! as for being scared - I'm still scared every time I head out, but I just trust in my abilities, and the tires, and everything seems to turn out fine :) I have a friend that teaches the MSF - so I've been working with him some - I actually considered taking it again since it's been 5 years, but this works well too :)

I am thinking about taking the advanced rider course. I need the confidence back.

bike looks awesome, very nice job! Don't worry about riding, just get out there and do it (not to be all Nike on you).

I hope you didn't mention this somewhere else, but what make is that rear tire hugger, is the skidmarx one?

Rear tire hugger came from Scotts870 on ebay. Not sure if he is still selling them though.

I can imagine the apprehension you must be feeling. I know you had the bike for but a few days before being taken out. :(

Perhaps some parking lot warm ups for a few days until you get your sea legs back? Or maybe some one in your area can ride along with you as your wingman?

GL to you... I know what an odyssey it's been for you to get to this point. You should be proud of yourself. :thumbup:

I am very proud! Thanks. And I have a few wingman offers that I may redeem soon enough (see below) :cool:

That's looking secksy! I would make sweet pasionate love to that bike. ;)

Who knows if you play your cards right I might let you go ride with me the next time I'm up that way :evil6:

:eek: It is a very sexy machine....and We both know it is you who would need to play your cards right :p

Congrats, girl!! :thumbup:

Did the bike start running better towards the end or still running like crap?

how old is the gas in the tank?

Way to go CG - were proud of you. :thumbup:

CG - congrats!! I have a quick question. Is that just a flat black that you used? I bought some black fairing pieces for under the passenger seat but I don't like the glossy look. I always thought it would look better if it had the same flat black look of the seats and the black pieces under the seat. I might just have to take my pieces somewhere and have them painted. I really like the way yours turned out :thumbup:

Yeah the flat black just looks like it's the way it should be. Its not for everyone though. Some don't like the look of flat black. Everyone is different though so I don't hold it against anyone ::cough cough kkim cough cough:: :p

Congrats. But damn, thats a long time to be put out from riding.

You have no idea how long it felt like!

Congradulations, The bike looks great. Please ride safely and defensively.

Thanks and I plan too!

Your bike looks awesome! Congratulations and good luck!

PS where did you get your rim tape?

Thanks. Rimtape came from tapeworks.com #143 reflective bermuda blue

Wow! fantastic. Looks soooo great!! I love the blue with the black.

I remember having to drive a week or so after a very bad car wreck that I had years ago and it was so scary but gradually got back to normal.

Just remember to breathe and take water with you.

Seriously when you stop and drink water it lets your fight or flight know that your are doing neither..no threat if you have time to drink..
keeping you in a more focused mindset.

I will think strong thoughts for you !!

Thanks for the advice. I never though of that! I appreciate the good karma thoughts as well. I need all I can get :D

Bike looks good but you should be in the picture also.

You should know I reserve the right to remain an enigma ;)

Worth the wait. Just be careful and ride within your comfort zone and you'll be dragging the knee in no time. :D

Thanks. That's the plan. Ride within my limits and build up my skills...

C.G., You did a superb job on that bike. Kawasaki should hire you in six figures. Your colour treatment is way above what they have come up with.

I wish they would. Send them a letter on my behalf, would ya ;)

Congrats, girl!! :thumbup:

Did the bike start running better towards the end or still running like crap?

how old is the gas in the tank?

It rode much better by the end of the ride. It was just a little tired of sitting I assume. I'm sure the crappy start up was a result of the gas. It's the same tank from the accident. There wasn't much in there, so I figured I'd just ride it to E. Should I have drained it instead?

Way to go CG - were proud of you. :thumbup:

Thanks :D

draining the tank and refilling with fresh gas might be a good idea. Don't you guys have e10 gas in cali? If so, the gas absorbs moisture easily and mixes with the alcohol to turn it into a gummy mess. how long ago was the accident?? if over 6 months, dump it.

Hi CaliGirl! GREAT TO HEAR YOU'RE BACK ON YOUR BIKE!!

As an alternative to the ARC (Advanced Riders Course, not me, lol), you could attend a private parking lot lesson with a group of riders at the other forum I'm on. It's called Skillz Days, and I learned a LOT from just one day! The website domain name expired, but I'll post up the summary that I wrote for OCmoto.

You start with a smooth braking exercise, followed by warming up with left and right turns. Following that you'll learn that operating a motorcycle is a lot like dealing with women. Your movements have to be silky smooth and slow. This comes in the form of smooth throttle inputs, as well as smooth everything else. After a lot of repetitions your speed goes up. Next comes an exercise where you learn how body positioning affects how your motorcycle lean, and work on getting real loose and relaxed while riding. Crisscross Apple Sauce comes next where you go through a slalom course of tennis balls that really forces you to put into action what you just learned. Afterwards, a more detailed look into how lines are different at the track and street riding. The few things that I took away that helped me most were throttle control, how to stay off the handlebars while riding, and looking through the turn to see potential dangers (helps a lot when doing the SEE from MSF)

Exercises by #

1. Braking Smoothly
2. Smooth Throttle Control
3. Looking Through Turns
4. Conversing w/ the Machine
5. Smooth Low Speed Turns
6. Art of Turning Smoothly
7. CrissCross Apple Sauce
8. Finding Those Apexes

It's just $50 for about 7 hours of riding. Let me know if you're interested :D

Cali, put the rear pegs back on so I can go riding with you. I promise to hold on tight.