New 1994 Seca II! First bike. :-]
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 6:06 am
Hello, all. Well I've been posting here for a few days, researching for a couple weeks longer than that, but just yesterday I brought home a '94 Seca II in yellow. :cruise:
Here's a couple shots at the dealership, http://www.yamahaofcamphill.com which was a good experience.
Technically, I didn't bring it home - a coworker/friend did, as I do not have my permit or license yet. Here he is, pulling it in my driveway last evening. He said, "Take my picture, I've never been on a yellow bike before!" :laughter:
And after I'd put it in its spot in my garage:
(Yes I need a cover!)
My friend's opinion was that it rode well, he didn't have any complaints really. It's a VERY clean bike, the dealership is a 5-star Yamaha facility and their techs seem very good. No fork seal issues, no engine leaks, no stripped bolts or anything, no funky idle/running noises. They put a new rear tire on it, and the front is good. New oil change, and PA state inspection.
A little history on me! I am 37, and grew up around bikes in New Hampshire. My father's been riding since he was in his 20s in the 1960s, on Triumphs and Harleys (he owns a Fat Boy 1200cc these days). The Laconia Rally happens up there in June every year, so I was used to attending that, and had several friends who rode. I spent every winter on snowmobiles for over 25 years, so I'm used to the open air life, I just never made the transition to street. My mother (divorced parents) hated motorcycles, because her nephew was killed on one, a year or two before I was born. Though, frankly, he was drunk at the time and it definitely was not the bike's fault. Still, the stigma stuck so I never rode while I was home.
After that, well life got busy, no time, no money, no storage, or any combination of those three until recently. In the past year I started doing some research on styles, and individual models. Sport-standard struck a chord with me, so I discovered the Gladius, FZ6/R, Honda's new CB500 line, Ducati Monster and all of that. The FZ6R though, above the others at least in aesthetics, really appealed to me. :brow: So a couple weeks ago, I spotted a couple FZ6 models and was going to look at them. However all of a sudden I stumbled upon this bright yellow "Seca II" at a nearby dealership.
Lo and behold, it's more or less a predecessor to the FZ6! So, a cheaper point of entry into the riding world, but still an overall design I like. Hmm! :drapheus: So it began. I discovered this forum, read up as much as I could, and started talking with the salesman. He wasn't able to come down much on the price, but did a bit so I put a downpayment on it, this past Saturday. I arranged for a coworker to come last night, and.......well you know that part!
So, I'm planning to get my riding permit tomorrow if all goes well (which in PA allows for daytime riding only, with no backseat rider - fine by me), and in a few weeks, my wife and I will go take the safety course for licensing. She's been talking about getting a scooter for years, after riding one in Viet Nam in 2002 when she went there for three weeks. :moped: We took an awesome scooter tour with http://www.strasburgscooters.com last year (about an hour east of us), on just 49cc rides but it was a BLAST. She's nervous now that the Seca is in the garage, but I think she'll love the two-wheeled life once she gets acclimated.
So, that's my story. You'll soon find out that I tend to write a lot. I'm an old hat on car forums, as member and Mod, but this is my first turn as a member of a bike forum.
Thanks!
=S2= (Chris)
Here's a couple shots at the dealership, http://www.yamahaofcamphill.com which was a good experience.
Technically, I didn't bring it home - a coworker/friend did, as I do not have my permit or license yet. Here he is, pulling it in my driveway last evening. He said, "Take my picture, I've never been on a yellow bike before!" :laughter:
And after I'd put it in its spot in my garage:
(Yes I need a cover!)
My friend's opinion was that it rode well, he didn't have any complaints really. It's a VERY clean bike, the dealership is a 5-star Yamaha facility and their techs seem very good. No fork seal issues, no engine leaks, no stripped bolts or anything, no funky idle/running noises. They put a new rear tire on it, and the front is good. New oil change, and PA state inspection.
A little history on me! I am 37, and grew up around bikes in New Hampshire. My father's been riding since he was in his 20s in the 1960s, on Triumphs and Harleys (he owns a Fat Boy 1200cc these days). The Laconia Rally happens up there in June every year, so I was used to attending that, and had several friends who rode. I spent every winter on snowmobiles for over 25 years, so I'm used to the open air life, I just never made the transition to street. My mother (divorced parents) hated motorcycles, because her nephew was killed on one, a year or two before I was born. Though, frankly, he was drunk at the time and it definitely was not the bike's fault. Still, the stigma stuck so I never rode while I was home.
After that, well life got busy, no time, no money, no storage, or any combination of those three until recently. In the past year I started doing some research on styles, and individual models. Sport-standard struck a chord with me, so I discovered the Gladius, FZ6/R, Honda's new CB500 line, Ducati Monster and all of that. The FZ6R though, above the others at least in aesthetics, really appealed to me. :brow: So a couple weeks ago, I spotted a couple FZ6 models and was going to look at them. However all of a sudden I stumbled upon this bright yellow "Seca II" at a nearby dealership.
Lo and behold, it's more or less a predecessor to the FZ6! So, a cheaper point of entry into the riding world, but still an overall design I like. Hmm! :drapheus: So it began. I discovered this forum, read up as much as I could, and started talking with the salesman. He wasn't able to come down much on the price, but did a bit so I put a downpayment on it, this past Saturday. I arranged for a coworker to come last night, and.......well you know that part!
So, I'm planning to get my riding permit tomorrow if all goes well (which in PA allows for daytime riding only, with no backseat rider - fine by me), and in a few weeks, my wife and I will go take the safety course for licensing. She's been talking about getting a scooter for years, after riding one in Viet Nam in 2002 when she went there for three weeks. :moped: We took an awesome scooter tour with http://www.strasburgscooters.com last year (about an hour east of us), on just 49cc rides but it was a BLAST. She's nervous now that the Seca is in the garage, but I think she'll love the two-wheeled life once she gets acclimated.
So, that's my story. You'll soon find out that I tend to write a lot. I'm an old hat on car forums, as member and Mod, but this is my first turn as a member of a bike forum.
Thanks!
=S2= (Chris)