Late intro

[Oldenslow]

I signed on here a couple of months or so back but don't believe I ever made an introductory post. I am a 67 year old male, a semi-retired freelance Court Reporter by profession, and live in the Piedmont region of South Carolina. I got hooked on bikes as a young teen and owned a couple up to age 30 or so, but finally realized that with 2 little kids on hand I had more important (and safer) things to do. 30 or so years later, I jumped back in and currently own a 2008 Suzuki Boulevard C50, a 2019 Kawasaki Z650, and a Dongfang DF250RTG.

I bought the 250 in early April as a project to fiddle with during the pandemic lockdown. It's been that and more. The most serious problem I have encountered was a blown rear tube caused by a loose spoke. Fortunately, no damage was done to me or the bike. When I went to check all the spokes, just about all of them on the rear were loose, while all those on the front were as they should be. Speaks to something about QC, but the lesson was learned.

Since then I've replaced a few soft bolts and screws, a couple of blown light bulbs (go ahead and replace all bulbs now -- they are so crude they look like they were built in someone's cowshed, and probably were), added lock nuts to the chain tensioners (the nut-and-lockwasher arrangement provided to both sides wanted to vibrate loose), and numerous other minor items. I replaced the seat with a generic flat replacement seat from eBay and added a small heat shield to the muffler and bar-end mirrors (inexpensive but MUCH nicer than the ones it came with).

In a world of dead-reliable Hondas, Suzukis, Kawasakis, etc., etc., the DF250RTG presents a challenge to the prospective owner/rider, but it is loads of fun and practical leisurely transportation for very little money, and that's worth something right there.

[cheesy]

Hiya. Sounds a lot like my 30 year hiatus.