So I have new (scrubbed) wheels on my bike, which is also new to me.

Right now I ride as much as possible, and I mean as MUCH as possible. Unless it's pouring, I ride, and that's including in 20 degree weather. I really just want to know my bike.

However, a lot of the time, even though I having no problems in the MSF course, I feel like I can't lean as far in real life situations.

My reasoning is this.. I live in Pittsburgh, and the roads are crap. There are teeny tiny black pebbles on the road, seemingly especially in turns, as well as a plethora of potholes and cocktails of cracks. I'm always freaking worried that ..

1: my tires are just going to slide out on me naturally if I'm going "too fast"

2: my tires are just going to slide out on me because of the debris

3: I'll hit a little crack or bump and spill out

What ends up happening is I'm taking tighter turns REALLY slowly; slower than I would in my freaking sedan. Worst of all, I'm panicking into lower gears (before the turn) and chugging through the turns a lot of the times because of the anemic carb response in 1st and 2nd. I know I shouldn't need to be going this slow, and I'm doing all of the moves I was taught, but I still get freaked out. There was even one time I kinda wiggled mid turn and almost dropped the darn thing..

Now in any other scenario, any other aspect of riding, I'm more than fine. I've been loving the bike and riding itself, but for tighter turns, I'm just freaked out over those things. Is this something that everyone goes through and I'll just work it out? Should I just suck it up and put a little more gas and oomph into my turns? Just lean harder and do it?

Any tips/suggestions are really appreciated. I don't want to hamper my fun and safety while riding because I can't seem to nail what motorcycles are best at (agility)

Sedans can go really fast, you know... :D

I think you should try this sticky (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13547)

There is a lot of collected wisdom from ninjette.org members there, and information about popular and useful ride technique books. Also, go through this riding skills section, there are number of threads which are not listed in the sticky but are still very good read.

You will loose the fear in time.

edit:
Books are worth it. They are covering all your problems, and teach you of the problems you knew nothing about. What is maybe even more important, is that knowledge in there is well organized, so you are dealing with the individual problem without neglecting the whole.

If the road conditions warrant a slower speed by all means...do it. There's no set in stone rule that says you should be taking every corner at knee dragging angles with a bunch of speed.

As a new rider, on sketchy road conditions...pushing too far beyond the limits too soon will likely bite you.

This being said, there are healthy fears, and unhealthy fears. The healthy fears are respect for the road and your bike. The unhealthy fears are second guessing your decisions.

Dont worry about it, it takes time to get comfortable on the bike. The good news is that the 250r is much more forgiving of a mistake than a supersport would be. So when you do make a mistake, the bike most likely will give you feedback letting you know, instead of dumping you on the ground...unless you're completely ignoring common sense.

Try to find some clean roads, and ride them to build your confidence in the bike and yourself. Push slowly, and work your way into it. You're learning...it takes time. Be patient.

Ah yes...that trust. It's easy to lose confidence in your tires, especially if you're unaware of exactly how far over you can lean. I think most of us newer riders fall into that category. I still second guess myself when it's wet out and I'm about to dive into a corner.

There's nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution. Naturally your confidence will increase the more you ride, but I'd say the best solution would be to get some track time when you can, especially if you see a supersport in your future. It's on my to-do list :thumbup:

This is your first bike, and you haven't been riding long, right? Just give it time. Different for everyone, but you'll gradually grow more comfortable and find yourself taking corners at higher speeds.

I'm amazed at how tight and tense I am on the bike after I first get out riding in the spring again. Even after 10 years, it still takes a bit of time before I'm back in the groove following a long winter break.

I'm always freaking worried that ..

1: my tires are just going to slide out on me naturally if I'm going "too fast"

2: my tires are just going to slide out on me because of the debris

3: I'll hit a little crack or bump and spill out

Any tips/suggestions are really appreciated. I don't want to hamper my fun and safety while riding because I can't seem to nail what motorcycles are best at (agility)

My suggestion to you would be to take a good look at the above things you are concerned about and break them down further so that you really understand where your fears are coming from and what you can do to make you a better rider in these specific situations.

1. Are your tires just going to slide out from underneath you naturally because you are going too fast or are there other reasons that you lose traction. What are they?

2. Are your tires naturally going to slide out from underneath you if you hit some debris or is it something you DO as a rider that will cause them to slide?

3. If you hit a crack or a bump will you just automatically spill out?

What is the one specific riding skill/technique that will help you in each of these situations?

Misti

...and chugging through the turns a lot of the times because of the anemic carb response in 1st and 2nd.

This makes me think you'd benefit from shimming your carb needles. Some Ninjettes have really terrible throttle response at low rpms and it can really get in the way of riding smoothly. There's a big thread about it in the tech section if you search for it.
That said, it sounds like you need to keep your speed up a little bit and keep your revs up so the engine stays more in the power band. A little power to the rear wheel will go a long way towards keeping you upright. Don't go overboard, just use what they call "maintenance throttle" through the turn.
Get yourself a copy of "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough. Great book.

This may seem weird but I'm new to motorcycles as well, and everything (minus the carb problem) is exactly how I've felt. If I go into a wide open parking lot (we have one that's about 4 city blocks in size), I can push myself a lot more than if I say go to the nearby twisty road that has various gravel, dirt, rocks, etc from the spring weather.

It comes down to knowing yourself, your bike, and your surroundings. I may not be the best person to direct your questions to, but I've been reading a whole lot and practicing too.

When I started taking the nearby twisty road, I was a bit more prepared for it from taking it a lot in my WRX. I knew every inch of the roadway and then some. Problem is this made me a little too prepared and made me think the small cracks, bumps, and imperfections were going to cause me to lose traction causing a wipe out. On a bike most of the road problems can be avoided. You have a full lane, by all means use it. If you have a nearby road that you can drive daily, then do it. This will give you a sort of home court advantage knowing the road. Then start playing with it from there. Slowly push yourself into the road imperfections at safe speeds and see how the bike reacts. As others have mentioned the bike will give you signs, learn to read them, I know I still am.

One thing you mentioned I have yet to master is seeing gravel in the middle of a turn. I don't quite feel comfortable enough to push my bike when seeing this and I slow way down and try to stay as upright as possible. Obviously I don't think this is the best way to handle it, but that's where other people's experience can come in.