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some questions from a relative novice...



Hello all...

	I have been lurking for a while, and would like to ask everybodies
general opinion about the Sprints....I am looking to purchase a new
motorcycle in the spring (will be graduating law school/starting real
job), and am trying to decide what is/is not appropriate.

	I am 27 years old; When I turned 16 I immediately took the MSF
course and Ohio driving test, got licensed, and went and bought a brand
new Honda Helix.  (I am assuming most people are familiar with them, but
to jog anyone's memory, the Helix is a large 250cc "super-scooter.") 
Well, I proceeded to ride that Helix all over for two years, and then when
I moved to Oregon for college I didn't take it with me.  I let my mc
endorsement slip, and have not been licensed on a motorcycle sice 1991.

	What this means is that I am 10 years out of practice, and even
when I did ride I never rode anything  larger than a 250 (the helix and,
occasionally, borrowed dual-sports).  Also on the negative side, because
of the nfact that the Helix was automatic I never had to get comfortable
with a standard motorcycle transmission.  On the plus side, the helix was
quite long and heavy (close to 400ib), so I was used to moving some bulk
around.  I also drive an old manual-transmission Karmann Ghia ('68 coupe),
so I am at least familiar/comfortable with the concept of clutches, etc...

	I should also probably tell you that I weigh
about 270 pounds.  Insofar as it matters, I believe I have good
self
control, and I am not looking to play boy racer...also, if I am in the
position to buy this bike at all, money will be little of an issue; I am
not concerned with the cost of repairing fairing damage from parking-lot
tipovers, for example.

	Now I have gone and fallen in love with the sprints...my local
shop has an eclipse blue rs that I am smitten with, and the british racing
green st[1] looks mighty good in pictures (not to mention having hard
bags, a m ajor plus).  My question is....would I be incredibly stupid to
buy either of these bikes?  I had been intending on starting a bit farther
down the food chain to ease my way back in (looking at, among other
things, a ducati M600, or a MuZ), but I know myself, and I
will simply not trade up anytime soon- this decision is one I will have to
live with for a few years.  0

	Complicating things, I can't just buy a junker to get my feet wet
now because I live in the middle of San Francisco with no  parking
availability...also, I am intending to take MSF again, but the soonest
open opportunity I have found is in January.  Moreover, no-one in the Bay
area will rent anything smaller than a 750, so I can't practice that way.

	I want to do the reasonable thing here, but I want to buy what I
want too...anybody have an opinon?

	Sincerely,

	Justin Otto Sceva

	[1] - as an aside, could anyone who has been the green sprint tell
me what the color is like in person?  Specifically, I am trying to figure
out how metallic it is...is it more like the Trophy green, which I
dislike, or like the old sprint green, which i love? If anyone could just
tell me where to see one in the SF bay area, that would also be greatly
appreciated.



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