[donfre]

I have traded a Concour 14 for a Ninja 1000 and really enjoyed the power and manouverability of the bike on the test ride.Have been a fairly consistent Farrider for at least 5 years,mostly with the Concour,some with a K1200 GT. I tried out a Gixxer several months ago and became hooked on how easy the smaller bikes handle the twisties.Recently road tested the Gixxer and the Ninja came out in front,mainly for the better clutch /throttle coordinating. I am taking possession on Friday just before my 84 th birthday. I have ordered a 39 tooth rear sprocket with a 16 tooth front sprocket,mainly to get a higher touring gear.

 

[Mikey1000]

Congrats on your new ride & especially on you continuing to ride at your age. Always, always ride!!!! Year/color of your Ninja

 

[Day Trippin]

Welcome to the fourm. Congrats on your new ride. I hope you'll enjoy your new bike. I just picked one up about a week ago. Besides what year/color you got, maybe put where you leave. It seems like a lot of riders from all over here.

I agree with you about the gearing change. I ordered the 16T front and I'll see how it goes. I keep looking for a 7th gear at cruise. They could have geared 6 as and OD gear but they didn't. I'd take a larger fuel tank as well.

Enjoy your new ride. There is a lot to like about it and not a lot to so far for me to dislike. I normally put on about 50-80k miles a year on bikes. I pretty quickly find what i do and don't like pretty quickly as my commute to work is about 1000-1700 miles on the weekend.. A lot depends on which family member I go to visit on the weekend and if I ride the "fun road" or not. So I put in a lot of seat time in short order.

There are a lot of subtle tweaks you can to make a good bike even better. Since I spend so much time at high speed cruising, I am swapping out the windscreen for something with more protection. I ride in a variety of conditions and would definitely like better protection. All in all its been a great bike and I'm sure you'll enjoy it the more you ride.

If isn't quite right for you, there are a lot of threads here with ideas of what you can do to improve it. If you don't see what you are looking for, you can always ask. People seem to be relatively friendly here.

 

[donfre]

Thanks for your good wishes and advise.The bike is the dark grey/black 2016 model,I am sure to fit a larger screen when I can get hold of a supplier.So far have not seen anything that seems most suitable.I like to ride in all weather ; on bikes like the Concours the fairings and larger screen kept one very dry in wet weather . I have logged about 100k kms in the last 3 years. Unfortunately diminishing health has made the larger bikes too heavy to control when in awkward situations. If anyone knows of a screen at least 4 to 6 inches higher than the standard screen I would appreciate details.

 

[rcannon409]

Its not often you meet a fellow rider who is older than the total sprocket teeth on the bike. Congratulations!

If you dont mind, what was your first motorcycle?

 

[donfre]

When I was 16 I had a 1937 AJS 500,had several Ariels until mid twenties and a very close shave with a Ford ute convinced me that the risks involved with a motor cycle for a young married man with two children and buying a house etc was not a fair to his beautiful young wife.So I went without until I reached mid seventies and succumbed to the then exciting Honda Hornet.When I started on Farrides several K series and a Concour were the best choices for me.Iwished I still had the first AJS,would be worth a few bucks.

 

[sprockethead]

Welcome donfre.... I believe a studmuffin alert is in order.

 

[trublupsu94]

Best bike decision you could make. You are going to love it! Welcome!

 

[ScorpioST]

Wow! I hope I'm still riding when I'm 84. Enjoy that new nimble ride.