First day on the bike. Successfully riding it up and down the street, shifting and such...felt like a real winner. Then, however, I proceeded to drop the bike while not even moving! I was having trouble downshifting into first gear, so I was trying to roll it forward and back a little bit to get it into gear. I guess in my attempts to roll it I lost my balance and tipped it over. Then I cried. The end... :rolleyes:

First day on the bike. Successfully riding it up and down the street, shifting and such...felt like a real winner. Then, however, I proceeded to drop the bike while not even moving! I was having trouble downshifting into first gear, so I was trying to roll it forward and back a little bit to get it into gear. I guess in my attempts to roll it I lost my balance and tipped it over. Then I cried. The end... :rolleyes:


:eek:
Oh, so many people have been there! I guess you got it out of the way early. Hope it didn't suffer anything major and glad you didn't get squished.

Try easing out the clutch just a wee bit as you press down to first. Mine makes a nice click when it drops in.

In a month, it will be pretty much second nature to click down into first every time. Once in a while, it won't but that's just the ninjas way of keeping some of us humble...:rolleyes:

:eek:
Oh, so many people have been there! I guess you got it out of the way early. Hope it didn't suffer anything major and glad you didn't get squished.

Try easing out the clutch just a wee bit as you press down to first. Mine makes a nice click when it drops in.

In a month, it will be pretty much second nature to click down into first every time. Once in a while, it won't but that's just the ninjas way of keeping some of us humble...:rolleyes:


Yeah, that's exactly what my boyfriend said to do, and that letting out the clutch a little bit helps shift it down. I just had the clutch pulled in, trying to kick it down repeatedly like an idiot -__-

Not too much damage..I broke the right side indicator and scratched the muffler a little bit but he fixed the turn signal. Got a big scrape on my wrist trying to save it, but again, nothing major.

Sorry for the drop, and glad it sounds like a low-injury event. There's a relevant thread up with a poll in the sticky section of this subforum:

I Have Crashed/Dropped My Ninjette... (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25913)

Yeah, that's exactly what my boyfriend said to do, and that letting out the clutch a little bit helps shift it down. I just had the clutch pulled in, trying to kick it down repeatedly like an idiot -__-

Not too much damage..I broke the right side indicator and scratched the muffler a little bit but he fixed the turn signal. Got a big scrape on my wrist trying to save it, but again, nothing major.

Don't beat yourself up about it, it's all learning. Frustrating sometimes but just remember what all the experienced people here tell us: smoothly. Try to make all your actions smoothly.

And you now have an excuse to buy some awesome full length gloves. Shopping for gear is an addiction! :thumbup:
Handy boyfriend to have fixed that up so fast.

jboyd12: Aww. Sorry to hear about your little accident. I think Firehorse is right: no need to beat yourself up about it. There's so much to learn about: things like this will happen occasionally: that's why so many here rave on about ATGATT... it's a safety net for stuff like this. The important thing is to learn from your mistake, so you don't do the same thing again. Hope you push through this event and get straight back on the bike. So much fun to come!

I've only been riding ~7 months: during that time I've been learning new things almost constantly and loving every moment of it. My bike journeys are usually the best parts of my day... definitely the most consistently enjoyable thing I do. Oh... and I too have dropped my bike once. :rolleyes: I haven't dropped it again since.

You cried? :( At least you are okay? No broken bones :)

You cried? :( At least you are okay? No broken bones :)

She's a female bro!...A compassionate and emotional breed of human beings that aren't afraid to shed tears over, basically, anything. Gotta love 'em ;)

I do lol :eek::o:D:confused:

Glad you're ok and all. I wouldn't cry, but probably create a new language if you know what I mean.

Shifting into first for my bike never clicks, it just clunks in. I can't wait to get a SS, I've yet to ride one that does that.

I cried cause I was super embarrassed and my boyfriend flipped out!! Not even his bike but he got so mad and just made me feel so horrible and stupid for tipping it over haha I normally don't just cry at things like that, I just hate that I disappointed him!

Jen throw some frame sliders on. they are relatively inexpensive and with a slow drop like that they would have totally saved the bike from any damage.

If you come to a complete stop while in second gear, try shifting down. It'll only let you go into neutral, but when you're in neutral, release the clutch lever, and pull it back in. You can now shift into first.

I cried cause I was super embarrassed and my boyfriend flipped out!! Not even his bike but he got so mad and just made me feel so horrible and stupid for tipping it over haha I normally don't just cry at things like that, I just hate that I disappointed him!

As a rider with 43 years of experience and the father of a lovely daughter for 39, it seems to me your boyfriend behaved like an ass when you most needed understanding and support. Reconsider a relationship with anyone that makes you feel "horrible and stupid".

I cried cause I was super embarrassed and my boyfriend flipped out!! Not even his bike but he got so mad and just made me feel so horrible and stupid for tipping it over haha I normally don't just cry at things like that, I just hate that I disappointed him!

As a rider with 43 years of experience and the father of a lovely daughter for 39, it seems to me your boyfriend behaved like an ass when you most needed understanding and support. Reconsider a relationship with anyone that makes you feel "horrible and stupid".

Holy fek, just saw that. Yup, totally agree with Zola. Put some sliders on the current BF and slide him away. My words, not Zolas!
YOU are allowed to do whatever the hell you like and YOU are allowed to make mistakes like the rest of the human race, we all do and we all deserve respect first and foremost. Stuff like this freaks me out.

I'm speaking from experience so I'm not trying to tell another human how to live your life but I've been there and no one changes their instincts, nasty people or naturally kind people. Get yourself out with other riders every chance you get and get yourself a safety valve, just in case the BF doesn't work out as well as you deserve.
Everyone here is all behind you for support and there's tons of great advice for us newbies.
And don't hesitate to PM if you get frustrated and want to have a nice rant to another female rider. :thumbup: My PM doors are open anytime.

Ride safe and take care of #1! :thumbup:

Jen throw some frame sliders on. they are relatively inexpensive and with a slow drop like that they would have totally saved the bike from any damage.

I agree completely, luckily I bought and installed sliders the first week I got the bike. I've dropped my bike before, when putting it up onto the rear stand. I've done it a million times, even on uneven and less than desirable conditions without ever a problem. One day while in my garage with a nice smooth floor I was propping it up and the stand flexed and dropped the bike. It happens to all of us, I just looked at my fallen girl in disbelief, picked her up, and not a scratch on her.

My brother (who has been riding for years longer than me) dropped his bike once, after a long day at work when he got home he forgot to put the kickstand down, leaned to the left and dropped. More embarrassment than anything, but it happens :)

That's some very sweet pep talk right there Firehorse! ;)

Bummers but at least you're okay. Have you adjusted the shift levers to fit your boots correctly? It makes shifting easier on the ankles. Also, there's nothing wrong with stomping on the shifter a little harder to make sure you're in 1st.

Keep practicing! Soon enough you'll be the one telling all the newbies this exact experience.

That's some very sweet pep talk right there Firehorse! ;)

Sometimes we need to know we're supported :thumbup:

When I first had someone make fun of me because I only had 27kms on my bike because it kept stalling and I couldn't get out of the driveway into the really fast and heavy traffic, it was some really awesome people that kept me from giving up. Saved me in a way. :) I could never thank them enough.

Sometimes we need to know we're supported :thumbup:

When I first had someone make fun of me because I only had 27kms on my bike because it kept stalling and I couldn't get out of the driveway into the really fast and heavy traffic, it was some really awesome people that kept me from giving up. Saved me in a way. :) I could never thank them enough.

Aww! Glad you made it through. It's a kinda scary/tough hobbie to get into. This place made a big difference to my initial months of riding. Glad I chose the ninjette and glad I found this place.

I cried cause I was super embarrassed and my boyfriend flipped out!! Not even his bike but he got so mad and just made me feel so horrible and stupid for tipping it over haha I normally don't just cry at things like that, I just hate that I disappointed him!

Great bike. Keep it. Bad boyfriend. Lose him.

NNNNnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

My BF is the one who found this 2010 for only 1900 bucks after months of searching he drove a hour in the rain to pick it up and ride it home... He did pay for it and planned on flipping it, but was generous enough to sell it to me so I could ride it. He has paid for and performed all the maintenance the bike has required and i do store the bike at his house as my parents don't know i have it. He did flip out because if anything did happen to me from me being stupid on it my parents would likely look at him as if he was responsible. The drop also shattered the right side turn signal in a few pieces and he was able to plastic weld it on the inside and piece it back together and saved me the money from buying a new one and it looks like new.

Funny how everyone advised you to dump the guy. Like they even know you...or him for that matter.

Anyways, everyone falls at least once. Consider yourself lucky. Now you instilled fear within and will be extra careful next time.

Nice bike btw. I have the same one. Love the white on it!

That sucks to drop it on the first day, but that's a likely time for it to happen. I had similar issues when I first took my bike out to practice. If I stopped and I wasn't in first, it was hard to get it into first. I found that if I let out the clutch just a tiny bit while still holding the front brake, it's a lot easier to shift into first. As others have said, ideally you'll get down to first as you're stopping. That will come with time. Get back on the horse and keep at it!

Funny how everyone advised you to dump the guy. Like they even know you...or him for that matter.


You're right but most women know the results of a boyfriend who yells first and apologizes later. I hope to heck the BF was acting out of character too. I was glad to see people speak up. Any form of abuse including verbal abuse is usually a taboo subject. I would advise any stranger to run from someone who acts in anger instead of supporting them. She said:

got so mad and just made me feel so horrible and stupid
That ain't right no matter how you look at it.

Let's all just hope for the best and support the lady in her new found riding career. :thumbup::thumbup:

If I was wrong - GOOD! :thumbup::thumbup:I hope he's a sweety that treats her with respect and lots of cuddles.:D

Wonder how she's doing since I was here last. Time to take a look around..