2007 Suzuki Boulevard M50, my new baby.

[ZacFields]

I finally got it today after a long week of researching, asking questions, and impatiently waiting. I brought home (or rather, my dad brought home... since I'm not fully licensed to drive a bike yet) my 2007 Suzuki Boulevard M50, deep blue color.

Here are the specs on it:

POWERTRAIN
ENGINE 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, 45° V-twin, SOHC, 8-valves, TSCC®
DISPLACEMENT 50 ci (Approx 800cc)
BORE X STROKE 83 x 74.4 mm
COMPRESSION RATIO 9.4:1
FUEL SYSTEM Fuel injection
DRIVETRAIN
IGNITION Digital
TRANSMISSION 5-speed
LUBRICATION Wet sump
FINAL DRIVE Shaft
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH 93.3 in. (2,370 mm)
WIDTH 36.2 in. (920 mm)
HEIGHT 44.5 in. (1,125 mm)
WHEELBASE 65.2 in. (1,655 mm)
SEAT HEIGHT 27.6 in. (700 mm)
GROUND CLEARANCE 5.5 in. (140 mm)
DRY WEIGHT 544 lbs. (247 kg)
FUEL CAPACITY 4.1 gal. (15.5 l)
BRAKES / WHEELS / TIRES
SUSPENSION Front: Inverted telescopic, coil spring, oil damped
Rear: Link-type, oil damped, 7-way adjustable spring preload
BRAKES Front: Single hydraulic disc
Rear: Single drum
TIRES Front: 130/90-16
Rear: 170/80-15

I'll be taking the safety course at kirkwood in late august and then getting my license. Until then I can drive it just as long as I've got someone within eye/ear shot of me on the road who is motorcycle licensed.

Here are some pix, enjoy.

Zac

[DragonUSMC]

sweet! now all you need is a leather vest and to join http://www.patriotguard.org/

Have fun man!

[JustinS]

So do you have your permit? I'm going to take the class in September sometime to prepare for next spring. I plan on buying a bike this fall / winter to take advantage of low prices.

I'm looking at a sport bike of some sort though, instead of what you picked up. I do like yours though, it's pretty sweet lookin'!

[ZacFields]

Jay: I actually may look into registering with that group. It seems pretty passive and I've always been a huge fan of what they do... and my bike is fairly loud. Not harley loud but when accelerating it's loud enough.

Justin: Yeah i'm taking the motorcycle safety course beginning August 19th I believe. There may even be some openings in that class if you're interested. I've heard firsthand from many guys on a biking forum that it's the best thing you could ever do as a beginner. And yah I have my permit also.

The M50 is the perfect compromise between a cruiser and a bike. it does not have the classic cruiser look to it, and obviously not the sport-bike look to it. It's just somewhere in a healthy middle-point. I love the looks of it. Can't stop going out to the garage just to look at it!

Zac

[DragonUSMC]

PGR is about honoring the people and their families at a hard time.

Its worth it man... you dont have to have a loud bike, hell there are a bunch of crotch rockets and cars. I drive the 240 at the missions i can go on. after you get your permit just go on one mission for me... thats all i ask of you =)

[JustinS]

I'm looking at taking the class in the middle of September after school starts and things have calmed down. I'm hoping it'll be cooler then also because you have to wear pants, jacket, boots, and gloves. And doing that in August, while learning, would suck arse.

I am thinking of going with a Kawasaki Ninja 650r. It's not a pure sport bike since it has a v-twin in it but it does have the styling and pretty much everything else I could ask for for a reasonable price.

http://kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.asp ... ent=photos

[ZacFields]

From what I've heard, 650cc's on a sport bike is actually plenty of bike for a beginner so I think you'de be making a good choice going with the ninja.

I'm sure you've done the numbers, but since the MSRP on that bike is just a little bit less expensive than my bike I can tell you that it'll only cost you about $140.00 per month on a 5 year loan. that's why sometimes its best to go with something brand new, because it will actually be more affordable in the long run. its a lot harder to get 5 year financing on something that's used and so you could end up paying $250/month or more if you couldn't get a 5-year on a used bike.

Good luck to you though. Sport-bike's aren't my thing but I've heard they can be fun as hell. I just wanna putt around to work and school and maybe do a few road trips after I've upgraded my seat.

Zac

[JustinS]

I plan on paying in full, or as close to possible I hate being in debt and I don't want to be over a motorcycle if that makes any sense.

I am actually trying to unload my car and pick up a cheap beater for the simple fact that I only need one toy at a time.

[ZacFields]

^ Back before I bought this condo I felt the same way the majority of the time. Eventually you'll welcome a little bit of controlled debt (thats my personal term for anything with set payments, like a car payment etc) just because once you've got a mortgage or rent etc you'll find that paying stuff with cash is bad because it depletes too much of your savings that you could need for an emergency in the future.

But if you can afford it paying in cash is the best way to go (or at least financing it and then just paying it off over the course of 3-6 months) because you won't have to pay any interest that way.

Cheers. Bikes are a fun toy, and there's not a lot of guys our age riding bikes. When you get your license if you ever want to cruise with me just let me know.

Zac

[OldSkoolRCR]

Nice ride...Zac, Can I race it?