Well, no one ever accused me of doing anything half-assed. Since I last wrote, I have bought a bike, gear, put 1000 Kms on the sled (not bad in Manitoba's flooded spring), made my own fender eliminator kit, and bought a new front end -- a winter project awaits!

THE PURCHASE

When people are lending money at prime, you almost feel OBLIGATED to borrow more than you originally intended. Why buy used when you can have the money for a new one at the low, low rate of 4.75%? With this, um, logic in mind, I decided to go whole hog. Newly single, I had money to burn -- no more extravagances such as cotton balls and six types of conditioner gracing my apartment, no way! I was rolling in it (money, that is). The great thing is, my new girlfriend has read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" more than once. Life is good!

1997 Ninja EX500 - all stock Click for a bigger image

So in mid-April, I took delivery of a Blue 1997 Ninja 500. Soon to be actually mine, after 3 years of monthly payments. It only took one ride in my hooded(!) leather jacket and mountain bike gloves to prove it was worth it. The gear came next. AGV leather jacket, gloves, and Alpinestars boots from the Superstore of bike shops, Dennis Kirk. Yes, I should buy Canadian, but even with duty, exchange, and shipping, I still saved hundreds over local prices. Duty was nasty, though. Free trade? Says who?

RIDING IMPRESSIONS

What can I say? This is my first bike, and I love it. No, I have nothing to compare it to, but I haven't dumped it yet (knock wood). I have scared myself silly a few times. Nothing like locking and skidding on your front wheel. My prior bicycle racing experience says I should've been OTB, but I wasn't. I have the crappy stock tires to thank, I guess. The bike seems to be a nice balance between safety and performance. I can see why Twins have become all the rage (again). Mine isn't a Vee, but the midrange should be similar. Although no knarly lean angles have been reached, I am sure the tires are poor quality (Bridgestone Excedras). Most magazines agree, but these are so bad that in mild corners, it is hard to hold a line. Otherwise , the bike is very pleasant, with quite a sporty nature. I've had it up to 130 km/hr, and it doesn't seem to be working too hard. Me, on the other hand ... There are a few curvy roads around, and because I am not quite comfortable with the 60 mph wind gusts on the prairies yet, I find myself doing a lot of dusk riding. I am not a morning person, but I may well become one.

LET THE MODS BEGIN!

Not long after the bike and gear came, huge glossy catalogs from Lockhart- Phillips, White Brothers, Targa, and Airtech soon followed. The first thing that caught my eye was the fender eliminator kit offered by Competition Werkes. They look very trick and as the name says, gets rid of the clunky rear fender on sportbikes for the sleek GP look. Unfortunately, there was none available for post-'93 Ninja 500's at or above the going price of about $50 US. So, I decided to make my own.

First, I went to a local auto parts store and bought 2 flush mounted

Good work, Jim Click for a bigger image

indicator signals for about five bucks each, and a set of male/female connectors. Then it was off to Canadian Tire for a Dremel bit to cut plastic, and some nice anodized angle brackets from the "Housewares" section . Then I went to work. I removed the fender, trimmed it flush with the rear bodywork, but left enough that it still provided protection. Then I removed the tail pieces, peeled off the decals with a heat gun, and after measuring about 200 times, drilled holes for the flush signals. After wiring them, I attached the plate via the angle brackets to the stock holes for the license plate light. Voila! A tail kit for about twenty bucks and three hours work. The good thing is, that while no flush mounts are street legal, these ones have "D.O.T." bas relief-ed on them. Any overzealous gendarme will see this and (hopefully) not write me up. I am currently trying to find some higher-wattage bulbs that will fit, as on bright days, these can be hard to see.

So today at work, my winter project parts showed up. My principal was not amused, but it did lead to a pretty cool discussion in my History class. $600 US for a complete '91 F2 front end. It is the internet's fault. First I found a site called, "www.sport-twin.com". Then I got on an EX/Ninja 500 Listserver. Soon after, some crazy Californians are talking about the joys of a stiff front end, dual discs, and adjustable damping on their personal rides. Never able to leave anything alone, I investigated the mod, and realized it was not too difficult, yet gave some fairly large returns in regards to performance. Checking in Canada resulted in price quotes from

Click for a bigger image

$1700 for an F2 front end, to $2400 for an incomplete F3 front end. So when these parts became available, I jumped at the VISA, er, chance. All I can say is, about 3 years from now, look in this e-zine (free! -PS) and Cycle Canada ($$$ -PS) for a prairie-based ZX5-RR. I'm thinking a Chandler repli-bike is in order.

Muzzy pipes, Air-Tech uppers, custom PIAA lighting, Corbin seat, Targa lowers, Dunlops, SBS pads, all in a nice, bright green hue. Or, how about a fly-yellow cafe-racer a la Ducati 900CR? I have a dream (and a decent credit rating)...

James Sheppard