I miss my Ninjette

[Apex]

Severely. Summer is the "riding season" for me. I do wish I still had it. Yeah, I love my bicycles, but I do love my motorcycles as well.

I'd love to talk my wife into letting me get another. May have to settle for a little scooter. I'd be fine with that as long as I could tweak it a bit.

A scooter would actually rock for close to home jaunts. I'd be taking my bicycle everywhere, but a scooter would be nice for those "I don't need my car, but need to get there faster than a bicycle" trips.

I wonder if I could talk her into that. A Honda Metropolitan only runs around $2k brand new. I think she may be more up to a scooter because she has this fear of motorcycles. If I got one, it would have to be black.

I'll have to think of a angle of attack on this....

[choneofakind]

Get another pregen!!! But scooters are fun too

[antiant]

Get another wife.

[Apex]

ROFL

Not going to happen! She puts up with more than I ever expected a lady to.

She even puts up with my cycling hobby.

Now she wants me to take on another hobby: photography. It is a belated birthday present. I had to do research and it has been ordered:
Nikon D7000 DSLR, Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens, SB-400 flash, diffuser for flash, light meter, DVD photography course (help me remember the settings), and a quick reference guide. Should be here next week.


I'm keeping her, she is awesome in so many areas.

[choneofakind]

Photography. Now there's something I want to get into. Just cost too much for this college kid at the moment. But someday, I will. Photography fascinates me. It's as much of an art as carving just the right line through a turn and feeling the world slow down as you breath in the moment.

or something like that. Idk, I just think it's wild how you can capture every emotion of a moment with one still image. It's such a romantic notion.

[Apex]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Photography. Now there's something I want to get into. Just cost too much for this college kid at the moment. But someday, I will. Photography fascinates me. It's as much of an art as carving just the right line through a turn and feeling the world slow down as you breath in the moment.

or something like that. Idk, I just think it's wild how you can capture every emotion of a moment with one still image. It's such a romantic notion.

Yeah, I love photography. I'm an artist by default, so I tend to look at things a little differently. Everyone else in my family stands there and just points and shoots. Me, I'm on my knees, laying on the ground, moving this way and that way to get a good shot. I just think my family is lazy....and just wants me to do the work for them.

Meh, no biggy. My little brother copies me in so many ways. He just ordered a Canon, his first DSLR. He still looks up to me apparently. I played guitar, he plays guitar. I modded cars, so does he. I also influenced his music tastes quite a bit. Amazing how we still meet up and hang out on occasion.

I love photography. I just wanted a camera that would grow with me. Point and shoots drive me nuts. Wait for it to zoom, then wait on the focus, then click the button and wait for the picture to fire. UGH. Annoying. With a DSLR, I get the focus adjusted, then flick it to manual. I can snap away with zero waiting in between pictures. So nice. Plus, having the light meter and actually taking the time to learn more about photography than I have in the past will be a great plus.


Back to the subject though....those Metropolitan's are crazy cheap to insure. Read about a guy in Jersey that has full coverage (theft, body, etc) for $80 a year. AWESOME. That would be a nice alternative to keep the car running good for longer (and save a ton in gas). My mustang gets around 17mpg, 13 if I drive hard. I think I could use that to lean her to my side.

Meh, still it is $2,000. I'll see how our finances are going after my job ends and we can go from there. Never know, I may need to find another job sooner than later.

[Nesto1000]

I would try to get a Honda Ruckus if you go the route of the scooter. Those little things are fun and can be modded as much as you like. That's actually what I originally wanted, but my dad said that scooters are too small so I get a two fiddy instead haha...

[RJprod]

Originally Posted by Apex

ROFL

Not going to happen! She puts up with more than I ever expected a lady to.

She even puts up with my cycling hobby.

Now she wants me to take on another hobby: photography. It is a belated birthday present. I had to do research and it has been ordered:
Nikon D7000 DSLR, Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens, SB-400 flash, diffuser for flash, light meter, DVD photography course (help me remember the settings), and a quick reference guide. Should be here next week.


I'm keeping her, she is awesome in so many areas.

I did photography for awhile before I was forced to sell my camera... I hope to get back into it next year.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjprod

check me out, I was decent...

[Snake]

+1 on getting pre-gen that you can have fun ridding and tweaking .

[BlueHairSar]

Originally Posted by Apex

Now she wants me to take on another hobby: photography. It is a belated birthday present. I had to do research and it has been ordered:
Nikon D7000 DSLR, Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens, SB-400 flash, diffuser for flash, light meter, DVD photography course (help me remember the settings), and a quick reference guide. Should be here next week.


I'm keeping her, she is awesome in so many areas.

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Photography. Now there's something I want to get into. Just cost too much for this college kid at the moment. But someday, I will. Photography fascinates me. It's as much of an art as carving just the right line through a turn and feeling the world slow down as you breath in the moment.

or something like that. Idk, I just think it's wild how you can capture every emotion of a moment with one still image. It's such a romantic notion.

Boys after my own heart. Except that all my gear but one camera body and one camera lens were recently stolen :0/

Pre-gen, pre-gen, pre-gen! Any big hobbies your wifey wants to get into that you could distract her with while you run off and get the bike ;0)

[BlueHairSar]

Originally Posted by RJprod

I did photography for awhile before I was forced to sell my camera... I hope to get back into it next year.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjprod

check me out, I was decent...

Your photoshoping needs some work, though. Especially on the shadow. Shadows are the #1 giveaway about photoshoping.

[Live2ride]

the suzuki burgman is a nice "scooter"

[RJprod]

Originally Posted by BlueHairSar

Your photoshoping needs some work, though. Especially on the shadow. Shadows are the #1 giveaway about photoshoping.

I said I was decent...but yea you're right..

[Ichiro]

A few months ago I wrote a thread about "downgrading" and getting a scooter. I got a Kymco Super8 150 and I love it. It's great for every day short trips and errands and I've found it gets used a lot more than my Ninja, primarily because I can carry stuff that I could not easily carry on the Ninja. You can fit a case of Coke (beer) on that flat floorboard and hang bags of groceries on the hook that is attached above it.

The 150cc engine is nowhere near the 250, but it does get up to about 60mph so it does the job. Acceleration is surprisingly quick and it is a fun ride.

150 pic.jpg

[Apex]

@BlueHairSar - I still have my old Pentax 35mm that I got back in '98. It is a good little camera. My D50 just doesn't want to work anymore for some reason. It is kind of old, so the D7000 should be a wonderful upgrade, especially in resolution.

Scooters: That would be the big thing for me....usefulness. A scooter is cheap and very useful. I'd love another ninjette...but it just isn't what I'd need. A scooter, with the under seat storage, and maybe even a trunk bag, would work great. If I had a dentist/doc appt, it would get me there in good time.

I also like how I can just toss a helmet under the seat, keep it dry and free from people messing with it. I've never had it happen, but I could easily see some punk kid putting his gum inside of it...

I hope to just take my bicycle everywhere until I find another job. Even a little 50cc scooter would be great to have for what is around me. Right now, I need to make some room for it. Our garage is full of cat stuff and bicycles all over the place. We took in a stray momma cat and her 7 kittens. My wife's brother took one of the kittens. I just caught the last kitten. Now we need to socialize them to get them ready for adoption and to be fixed. Momma cat should be back in her environment (back yard) here in a day or two.

[Jono]

Get a Yamaha Zuma 125! Plenty of room for your wife on the back. And enough power to keep you entertained.

[Jiggles]

Why does this thread feel familiar?

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114701

Oh, that's why

[Jono]

Mmmhm. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that we will see another thread like this again next year.

Mark, grow a pair and go get a scooter or ninjette. Quit talking about doing it and just do it!

[skilletmo]

Originally Posted by Jono

Mmmhm. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that we will see another thread like this again next year.

Mark, grow a pair and go get a scooter or ninjette. Quit talking about doing it and just do it!

[ADoMinGu3z]

lol ur wifes fear is hindering your ability to b happy? i say do it anyways. a scooter is no safer than a motorcycle. just take baby steps and perhaps she might pick up the hobby as well

[teejay]

Originally Posted by Snake

+1 on getting pre-gen that you can have fun ridding and tweaking .

+2. I think a rider would end up going to bed frustrated having to settle for a scoot. Im sure they'd be a hoot, but you cant lean it over, you cant drop gears; they kind of take the 'sport' out of it. IMO of course

[YunMing]

I'd like to own another pregen one of these days. My cbr has just been a money hog lately. Buy your wife a new toy then ask her about getting a bike again.

[caps]

Ahem...

Cool looks, fuel injection, 225 pounds ready to ride, 30" seat height, full digital LCD dash, ridiculous gas mileage, $3000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=SOwGdUBjupE

[miss_syn]

Cafe racer 250? So it doesn't look as aggressive?

Or you could argue if she can do xyz that you don't like to compromise and let you get a bike.

[Apex]

LOL

I totally forgot I mentioned this topic before. I guess I need to search myself on here to make sure I don't double post it! lol

I'll try running it by her in a month or two. I have a ton of projects I need to get done first. No point asking for something if I can't put it anywhere right? So that is my next step, get the garage done and completely organized. At least if I park the Mustang for the most part, that will save some cash. Right now I guesstimated that I spend over $2500 a year just in gas and oil for the car. Once I am done working, just about all that money will be back in our pockets. The garage will have enough room for me to park it in there, so I could drop insurance to liability only and weekend driver, which should save cash on insurance. I have to find places to put my bicycles, but other than that, I could have room for a small 50cc ride. I am thinking about getting a nice shed for the back yard. I'd love to get a decent shed where one side for storage, and another insulated and set up with A/C. Then I could just put my bicycles in the A/C section. That way I'd have a comfortable place to work on my bikes and they wouldn't take up any space in the garage. Hmmmm....

[Apex]

Originally Posted by caps

Ahem...

Cool looks, fuel injection, 225 pounds ready to ride, 30" seat height, full digital LCD dash, ridiculous gas mileage, $3000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=SOwGdUBjupE

[choneofakind]

This might sound dumb, but why not sell the 'stang for something smaller and better on gas? Smaller but still fun is what I'm thinking, and if they're not wildly modified, the mileage is pretty good as well.

Civic Si (love the hatch versions), FR-S, S2000, Miata, Genesis, etc etc

[Apex]

It isn't that I am attached to my Mustang, I just think I am throwing my money away if I sell it for something else. The GT is worth maybe 4-5k. Selling that and then throwing down over $10k for another car just does not make financial sense.

Sure, you get a newer car with better gas mileage (and we all love new cars), but how long would you have to own it to dig yourself out of the red? Financially, it makes no sense to get something else to save money in one area. People were trading in the V8 cars when gas hit $4/gal, some of which were paid off. Yet, they are spending over $15k for a new 4-cylinder car that gets an extra 10 or so miles-per-gallon.

Comparison:
My 01 GT - V8, 14-gallon tank - approx 20mpg avg (currently running 91 octane)
13 Honda Fit - I4, 10.6-gallon tank - approx 30mpg (mid-line between city/hwy as per Honda website, running 87-octane)

Using a 15,000-miles per year standard:
Fit: 500 gallons of fuel a year @ $3.20/gal (87) = $1600/year for gas
Mustang: 750 gallons of fuel a year @ $3.50/gal (91) = $2625/year for gas

To pay off the extra $10K+ to purchase the car would take me at least 10 years. Return on investment is crazy. Liability on the Mustang would be cheaper than full coverage on a new car. So you'd have to factor that in as well. True, the Fit would save a bit in oil changes and tires, but my tires are already pretty cheap...especially when compared to my wife's 2012 Mustang!

I'd see a quicker return spending $2k on a scooter. >90mpg is huge compared to low 30's many current 4-banger cars get.
Same figures as above:
Honda Metropolitan - 1cyl, 1.2-gallon tank - approx 117mpg (Honda website, 87-octane) 15,000/117 = 128 gallons a year @ $3.20/gal (87) = $409/year for gas.

Return on investment would be just over one year. Makes more financial sense. If I get something that gets good gas mileage, might as well get something on two wheels.

Maybe I am just getting too frugal and just don't want to spend money on something new (car), when I can spend much less and keep the old "clunker" running.

Meh, I may just suck it up and take my bicycle to as many places as I can. Then gas isn't as much of a concern.