I think it's finally coming...

[calibellus]

Back in June, my brother-in-law informed me that he'd got hold of a 2002 Skorpion Tour that's essentially brand new (24 miles, never registered, still has the dealer MOS, 50 state legal) and that he could get it for me for a price comparable or below that of a new Ninja 250.

And it's blue.

Well, heck. I can go for that. I signed up for MSF, got gear, passed MSF, got my license...

And waited. And waited. And waited. Augh.

Today I was given a shipping number, a cost to ship, and a date of delivery. Finally, it's coming. I'm stoked. With any luck, SF Moto will find it in good working order, and within two weeks, I'll have myself a bike.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

IF IT ONLY RUNS 50% AS GOOD AS MY RT125 YOU WILL LOVE IT


IF ANY ONE WANT A TRAVLER I KNOW WHERE THERE IS A 1997

NOS 1 MILE ON IT BUT THE DEALER WANTS $7000 plus for it

[Whysub]

Not had mine on the road long (and it broke the clutch cable in the middle of rush hour near Liverpool Street station in London, but rode the 60 miles home only having to stop twice!!!).

It's great, and I got it purely to see what I could do to it as a project. So far I have obtained, but not yet fitted:

Peter Gibson down pipes (oh, so light!) and 1 carbon endcan (1 more needed)
3 Over cams, of various lifts
99% of an Over gearbox
99% of a TMR 40 carb
a scruffy (but undamaged and complete) race fairing
an unknown bore diameter barrell & piston (possibly 727cc, but needs overhaul)

So far, it has proved a quick B-road bike-light and flickable. Fairly comfy, even after a 200 mile non stop trip (excellent tank range).

The only downside (so far!) is a totally useless headlight, which is proving difficult to replace with something else. And finding the time to get a clutch cable.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

get 2 cables while your at it
i have poped the end off 2 on my saxon tour
in 2500 miles
i always carry a clutch cable and gas cable in the saddle bag
and a chain with extra master links
it's no fun hunting in the weeds beside the road for one that came off

been there done that
spent almost a whole sunday afternoon with a metal dector looking
for a almost new o-ring chain that came off on sat nite
it was over a hill almost 80 feet from the road


and dont forget the end nipples that get dropped and lost

[Whysub]

Thanks for the tip about the cables. However, a friend has a Magura hydraulic clutch conversion on his XTZ powered racer-says it was about £125 all in. Reports that it workds well, but he only does about 10 races a year, plus testing, so doubt it runs for more that about 15 hours in total (that's about a weeks worth of commuting for me).

Anyone tried one of these on the road? Considering one for both my Skorpion and Baghira.

[calibellus]

Today I was given a shipping number, a cost to ship, and a date of delivery. Finally, it's coming. I'm stoked. With any luck, SF Moto will find it in good working order, and within two weeks, I'll have myself a bike.

And finally, it came! Went into SF to drop off the paperwork and have a look at the bike. It's better looking in person than I'd thought. My car being blue as well, I've named the bike 'No. 2 Blue' until I think of something better or it sticks.

At first glance, the bike's in great shape for something that's been sitting for the last two years. It has 25 miles on the odometer, one minor paint ding, one minor rubbing mark, and the 'Skorpion' decal on the right rear is missing the 'ion'. I can live with that, particularly since I still want to put saddlebags on it. The seat leather looks a bit dry, since it's been stored in an extremely dry climate, so if anyone has a good suggestion for conditioning it, I'm all ears.

The bike has some nice extras that I wasn't expecting. Nicest of all: a real centerstand. It also has an external link for a battery charger, so no dismounting the battery to attach a tender. I'm now thinking of adding a scottoiler to make it as low maintenance as possible.

So far the SF Moto guys have been great. They had the bike sitting out in the middle of the shop next to a 125SX and a Baggy. The 125SX looked a bit odd (bright not-quite Kawasaki green) but was very comfortable when I threw a leg over it. Might try out the Baggy when I go in on Saturday. Turns out they sell only the 125SX and SM in California, not the RT, which I wanted to try. Next to the other MZs, my Skorpion looked great, and the shop guys seemed to like it. ("Great bike." "Wish they still made 'em." "Perfect bike for San Francisco. The thumper pulls like a tractor up the hills.") Eric, the shop owner, was very helpful with the paperwork.

SF Moto's going to prep the bike tomorrow, and assuming nothing's wrong with it, I take delivery Saturday. Fortunately, I have a friend with a lot more biking experience than I have to ride it back over the Bay Bridge to Berkeley. Otherwise, I think I'd have to ride it the long way round the bay, and that might take a while.