Hello :)

I finally bought my 1st bike last week, I'd been pining away for one for years. Is it weird that I bought all my gear months before the bike? :o Got a 2012 250R. So far I've made circles in the driveway and managed to make it down the street to an empty parking lot. And awkwardly struggle to not fall on my face while the neighbors snicker :D I got my permit the day after buying it (a friend was kind enough to bring it home in his truck) and I'm signed up for the MSF course in August.

So far I have 4 questions for anyone here who is patient enough to read my ramblings: :p

1. I've practiced a few hours doing slow speed circles in the driveway (by slow I mean I'm not even touching the throttle, just letting the clutch out until I start moving forward) and surprisingly I feel pretty comfortable & balanced doing that. I also feel fairly comfortable going down the street and shifting into second.
But I'm struggling a lot when going around the parking lot in 1st gear. I can't keep a smooth speed to save my life, it's very jerky no matter how much I'm trying to keep the throttle & clutch steady. How do I smooth that out?:confused:

2. I don't understand downshifting yet, and I'm pretty sure I'm doing it totally wrong. Anyone have tips? The best I've come up with is pulling in the clutch when I'm braking & when I'm about to stop just pushing back down to first. Which I'm guessing is not as big of a deal when I'm only coming down from 2nd gear, but would that be an issue when I've gotten to higher speeds?

3. Has anyone used plasti dip to paint your bike? I'd like to paint the red parts of my bike black, but I'm not able to put too much money into it right now. The tank is also red so I'm wondering if anyone's had success painting the tank. If I understand correctly plasti dip peels off if you want to remove it later?

4. Can anyone recommend a slip on exhaust that is not extremely obnoxiously loud? Are their even varying degrees to how they sound? My stock exhaust sounds like a kitten purring, so I'd like something louder, but I also have neighbors that I don't want to hate me too much. Suggestions?

Welcome Jess!

Sign up for the MSF BRC when you can, it will help you get started. :)
1st gear is incredibly jerky, once you get moving, shift to 2nd and try your skills. (this will change when you can utilize the friction zone to your advantage)
Do a search on plasti dip here, there are plenty of riders who have used it.

Welcome, here are just a few things to think about,

1.Get trained and licensed MSF Courses (http://msf-usa.org/students.aspx#brc-brc)

2.ALWAYS Wear protective gear -- ATGATT All The Gear, All The Time -- including a helmet manufactured to the standards set by a government agency.

3.ALWAYS Ride unimpaired by alcohol or other drugs

4.ALWAYS Ride within your own skill limits

5.Be a lifelong learner by taking refresher rider courses, and advanced rider course A.R.C (http://msf-usa.org/students.aspx#expanded-arc)

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=218237

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showpost.php?p=987938&postcount=26

A.T.G.A.T.T. so I may ride another day.

Welcome, the MSF will teach you everything to get you started.

Several people here have used plasti dip.

There are tons of options on exhaust, check out you tube for sounds.
Just know changing the exhaust changes the air mixture and in most cases the bike will need other adjustments.

Welcome!

Stay in the parking lot and practice all you want in first gear. Bikes behave wayyyyyy differently than you expect beyond 7 miles per hour.

Take the MSF course please, it will save your life.

............. and I'm signed up for the MSF course in August............

Welcome, Jess !!! :grouphug:

Is it that the earlier they can do for you?

If so, you should find some experienced person willing to use some time teaching you the basics.

Visit the MSF website, read riding books and check our Riding Skills section.

Start by mastering balance, then stopping and then swerving before attempting increasing speed or merging into traffic.

Hello :)

I finally bought my 1st bike last week, I'd been pining away for one for years. Is it weird that I bought all my gear months before the bike? :o Got a 2012 250R. So far I've made circles in the driveway and managed to make it down the street to an empty parking lot. And awkwardly struggle to not fall on my face while the neighbors snicker :D I got my permit the day after buying it (a friend was kind enough to bring it home in his truck) and I'm signed up for the MSF course in August.

So far I have 4 questions for anyone here who is patient enough to read my ramblings: :p

1. I've practiced a few hours doing slow speed circles in the driveway (by slow I mean I'm not even touching the throttle, just letting the clutch out until I start moving forward) and surprisingly I feel pretty comfortable & balanced doing that. I also feel fairly comfortable going down the street and shifting into second.
But I'm struggling a lot when going around the parking lot in 1st gear. I can't keep a smooth speed to save my life, it's very jerky no matter how much I'm trying to keep the throttle & clutch steady. How do I smooth that out?:confused:

2. I don't understand downshifting yet, and I'm pretty sure I'm doing it totally wrong. Anyone have tips? The best I've come up with is pulling in the clutch when I'm braking & when I'm about to stop just pushing back down to first. Which I'm guessing is not as big of a deal when I'm only coming down from 2nd gear, but would that be an issue when I've gotten to higher speeds?

3. Has anyone used plasti dip to paint your bike? I'd like to paint the red parts of my bike black, but I'm not able to put too much money into it right now. The tank is also red so I'm wondering if anyone's had success painting the tank. If I understand correctly plasti dip peels off if you want to remove it later?

4. Can anyone recommend a slip on exhaust that is not extremely obnoxiously loud? Are their even varying degrees to how they sound? My stock exhaust sounds like a kitten purring, so I'd like something louder, but I also have neighbors that I don't want to hate me too much. Suggestions?

1- Look where you want to go and ride the rear brake while you do the slowest figure 8's possible, until you can turn In a road width.

2- you don't need to go back to first to stop,
as above, if you can control a bike slow, you can control it fast.
Book a riding instructor if possible, before you get too far on your own.

3- Learn to love the red for now, buy a Black one for your next bike.

4- Learn to hear the Kitten purr,
Nobody wants to hear a Ninja with an aftermarket exhaust,
they sound absolutely horrible., worst engine to ever put a pipe on,
even you will grow to hate it.
other riders will disown you, and cute kittens will die.
The good thing is you are aware of your neighbors.

Good luck :)

Welcome !!!

MSF is a good place to start. First gear comes down to mostly using the friction zone of the clutch but as csmith12 said 2nd gear is much smoother. As for down shifting, when it comes to complete stop then yes it is more simple to pull the clutch in and then shift full down to 1st. Issue you have then is when you have to shift down in normal slowing conditions, up hill is a good point for this. Mostly I listen to how the engine is responding, your hear when the revs are high and you need to shift up and your also notice when the engine seems like it is starving and unable to pull you, then you need to shift down. Hills are good practice for getting a good feel for when you need to shift down, just don't do anything too steep till you get the hang of it.

http://mcneillelementarypto.digitalpto.com/files/2013/10/welcome_hey.jpg Jess
Now is the most exciting time of your motorcycling life.
Enjoy, have fun, and be safe.

Welcome!

Re Plastidip... I painted my track fairings using it. It makes for a good 20-foot paint job. Maybe 10-footer if you're careful. At 5 feet you'll see it for what it is.

Gasoline dissolves Plastidip. So if you do your tank you're likely to have problems after a few fuel stops when you get the odd drop of fuel on the finish.

Next time I'm going to use real paint.

Welcome Jess! As others have siad, the MSF course will help you a lot. For smooth down-shifting you need to rev-match your engine speed so that you don't lock up your rear wheel as you quickly downshift into a lower gearing. You need to give a small blip of the throttle as when you pull in the clutch , downshift, then let out the clutch. Keep practicing and learning and you will improve. :thumbup:

BRC course in August? I'm guessing they are all full? You should try to call them a day or two before each scheduled class to see if anyone cancelled. If they did, you can jump in their spot.

Thanks for all the responses, advice & the welcome guys!! :)

Unfortunately the class in August was the soonest available one in my area. :( They fill up so incredibly fast, there are only a few left now before the whole year's classes are sold out.

Part of me is a little relieved to have at least some practice in the driveway & parking lot before going to the course, so it won't be quite as intimidating. I guess I just have to accept that I'm going to look pretty stupid for awhile. My BIL just offered to help teach me, I'll have to take him up on the offer soon as he can. He's been riding forever, so that should help.

One last question about the paint again, has anyone gotten fairings/tank professionally painted? Is that a total waste of effort to look into?

I'll just keep to myself the DIY fender eliminating I've already done. Probably not helping the resale value but I'm happy with it :rolleyes:

Welcome and hello! I don't know if this helps it's video of me downshifting.
https://youtu.be/AFfASbKzuKc

As a recent n00b: beware of learning bad habits and learning from non-professionals. Statistically, more riders die who learned from a friend or relative than those who learned on their own, and both much, much more than those who learned in a professional environment. As somebody mentioned, there's enough people who cancel classes, to warrant regular calls so they may squeeze you in.

My 2¢,

I myself have been riding for almost 40, being a father of 3 whom are old enough to drive, when they asked me to teach them I said no!

I told them I have developed not only my own style, but bad habits as well, as we have done.

I told them I would be more than happy to pay for their MSF course, if they wanted to learn. So far no takers, and no they don't ride. I don't encourage, or discourage their decision, just let them know the offer is always on the table.