Aloha! New Girl Here..

[ninjabeesh]

Hey everyone. New to this site. Just bought me a new, 2012 ninja 250. I'm new to riding and new to bikes, so I'm here to learn and get advice from all of you! First things first, got all my safety gear then went on a few rides. Still got lots to learn, but at least I got all the basics down for now ;-) Look forward to looking through all the forums and such! Aloha and Mahalo! :-)

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[Motofool]

ninjabeesh! Glad to have you aboard...

[crazymadbastard]

Welcome!

[snot]

Welcome

[MauR]

Welcome!!!

[csmith12]

Aloha Sasha!

[CaliGrrl]

Welcome! Lots of us here new to riding.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

[DEFY]

Welcome !!!

[allanoue]

Sasha

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by ninjabeesh

...First things first, got all my safety gear ...

Attachment 40187

Smart Girl (as long as your safety gear isn't shorts and flip flops) It saves @ghost from posting his pictures.

Welcome to the Ninjettes.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

Originally Posted by VaFish

Smart Girl (as long as your safety gear isn't shorts and flip flops) It saves @ghost from posting his pictures.

Welcome to the Ninjettes.

I gotta get some of my pictures from last week. To really piss @ghost off.

(I'm ready for the unhelpful post rating.)

(I had on a helmet, jacket, and shoes, so its not that bad.)

[DEFY]

How much is your life worth, to you?

$1000, cause it will cost less than that for a beginner's setup.

Coolness points, gotta look good for the ladies?, cause this guy is purdy damn cool to me:



Not to mention, no one will be seeing your awesomeness when your buried in a box.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

(I had on a helmet, jacket, and shoes, so its not that bad.)

I hope you were wearing something else.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

Originally Posted by adouglas

I hope you were wearing something else.

Blue jeans, socks, underwear, motocross gloves for warmth, nike running shoes. I had a helmet, and an old mx woods jacket which probbably offers no protection, but it was warm. I had a real helmet on though, so that counts for something. TBH the only real protection I had on was my helmet, and I wouldn't recommend going out there without gear by any stretch.

I am hesitant to buy any of kill boys photos, because being on the hyper instead of the Ninja I wasn't very confident, and was going very slow. (I think the whole trip the only people I passed was cruisers/harleys, one buell, and a white ninja 250 J.) (AKA I was spoding the whole trip.)

[APEmike]

Welcome! Your bike looks brand new.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

I gotta get some of my pictures from last week. To really piss @ghost off.

(I'm ready for the unhelpful post rating.)

(I had on a helmet, jacket, and shoes, so its not that bad.)

I really didn't mean to turn this into another ATGATT arguing thread.

[ninjabeesh]

Originally Posted by APEmike

Welcome! Your bike looks brand new.

It is! :-) not much options for bikes here on this island, but when I saw her I fell in love! Lol

[Abu_Mishary]

Word of advice, never wear your work pants while riding. lol.

Aloha!

[APEmike]

Originally Posted by ninjabeesh

It is! :-) not much options for bikes here on this island, but when I saw her I fell in love! Lol

Awesome! I got my '14 N300 new with 0 miles too. First bike ever, now with 11k. I went into the dealer for a CBR300, but after looking around and dealing with finances, the 300 was the better option for performance and money, and I left that day with a White SE.

Welcome to the forum, and the world of the Ninjette!

Ride safe, and never let people talk you into going faster than you want to go.

[ninjabeesh]

Originally Posted by APEmike

Awesome! I got my '14 N300 new with 0 miles too. First bike ever, now with 11k. I went into the dealer for a CBR300, but after looking around and dealing with finances, the 300 was the better option for performance and money, and I left that day with a White SE.

Welcome to the forum, and the world of the Ninjette!

Ride safe, and never let people talk you into going faster than you want to go.

That's cool and thanks for the advice. I'm totally new to all of this. Never rode a bike before this, new nothing about bikes or shifting at all just knew that I've always been interested in learning! So j just went out an bought one. Got it for $3200 out the door from a harley dealership, which is pretty good for hawaii. I basically learned majority of what I know from studying to get my permit, which I passed with one wrong! Woohoo lol. And been watching a lot of youtube videos and reading forums for advice. Been wanting to take the riding class to get license and learn from an instructor, but it's hard here because the island is small and they don't really go through with a class unless they can fill it. So it sucks for me cause they already canceled three classes because it couldn't get filled. Another thing, there isn't much straight open CLEAR roads here lol, so not much places to practice without the stress of no traffic. So basically been practicing around my neighborhood (circles for days!! Lol). The longest ride I did, I followed someone, who was riding a little too fast for me, so kinda was out of my comfort zone, speed wise. And on top of that it was super windy that day. Anyways, everyday building the courage to practice a little more. Hopefully I get more comfortable soon. :-) so i appreciate any advice I can get from you all! Aloha!

[crazymadbastard]

check out this video on countersteering:

Link to original page on YouTube.

[crazymadbastard]

Lots of good reading here in the riding skills section.

[ninjabeesh]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Lots of good reading here in the riding skills section.

Thanks for that video! Turning/steering is what I'm having most diffuclty with.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by ninjabeesh

Thanks for that video! Turning/steering is what I'm having most diffuclty with.

Yes, turn bars to the right to go left.

The thing that works is to lean into the turn and push on same side.
I think of it as "bicycle mode" below 7mph and then high speed motorcycle mode where you must lean the bike to turn. I remember when I was a kid
leaning and pushing on the bar to turn the bike at high speeds.

[ninjabeesh]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Yes, turn bars to the right to go left.

The thing that works is to lean into the turn and push on same side.
I think of it as "bicycle mode" below 7mph and then high speed motorcycle mode where you must lean the bike to turn. I remember when I was a kid
leaning and pushing on the bar to turn the bike at high speeds.

That was the confusing part for me, I was like huh? I remember reading that in the study book for the written test and being confused about why that would be! Lol

[HoneyBadgerRy]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Yes, turn bars to the right to go left.

The thing that works is to lean into the turn and push on same side.
I think of it as "bicycle mode" below 7mph and then high speed motorcycle mode where you must lean the bike to turn. I remember when I was a kid
leaning and pushing on the bar to turn the bike at high speeds.

Since when do you not coutersteer at low speeds. I don't want to be that guy again, but im pretty sure the science of riding a motorcycle is that to corner you have to lean, and to lean you need to counter steer.

Im not positive about this, but... Im pretty sure.

Also the science of riding a motorcycle changing at 7mph makes no sense.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

Since when do you not coutersteer at low speeds. I don't want to be that guy again, but im pretty sure the science of riding a motorcycle is that to corner you have to lean, and to lean you need to counter steer.
Im not positive about this, but... Im pretty sure.
Also the science of riding a motorcycle changing at 7mph makes no sense.

Ever try a U turn?

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

Since when do you not coutersteer at low speeds. I don't want to be that guy again, but im pretty sure the science of riding a motorcycle is that to corner you have to lean, and to lean you need to counter steer.

Im not positive about this, but... Im pretty sure.

Also the science of riding a motorcycle changing at 7mph makes no sense.

You are right and you are wrong. The science does not change; however, you can muscle the tire in the right direction at low speeds because there is not much leaning, like a car The more you need to lean, the harder it is to turn without counter steering.

Think of it like this:

You need to get the wheels out of the way so you can lean into the turn.

[crazymadbastard]

I also must add to stabilize the bike you rev the engine and "slip" the clutch and also add some rear brake. Oh and counter balance- move your butt to outside of the turn. Yep, it's complicated. Practice makes you better for sure. **edit this is for slow maneuvers.

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

I also must add to stabilize the bike you rev the engine and "slip" the clutch and also add some rear brake. Oh and counter balance- move your butt to outside of the turn. Yep, it's complicated. Practice makes you better for sure.

n300 has the slipper clutch so no need to think about that yet. Rear brake can wait as well.

One thing at a time. Counter-steer.

Also practiced hard braking in a parking lot.

[ninjabeesh]

Ok now I'm more confused! Lol!

[allanoue]

Don't overthink it, just go to a parking lot and play.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

^^And try not to wreck.
And if you do, wear gear.

Most importantly, don't over think it, that can't be stressed enough about motorcycles.

[SLOWn60]

Welcome Sasha.
There are two really simple things to practice that will help you learn to control your motorcycle:

1; Find an empty parking lot (Industrial yard? Walmart etc?) and do gentle figure 8's. You don't have to go fast but try to go smoothly & consistently. You can change the speed or circle diameters whenever you want but try to be smooth & consistent. Also; you don't want to be looking straight in front of you. You want to turn your head so you are looking about 45 degrees or more to where you want to go! It's a bad habit if you find yourself looking head down, 10 feet in Front of your tire! To do U turns; you should swivel your head as far as possible and keep looking at where you want to go. That's the goal and it makes turning solo much easier & safer.

2; Practice braking in a straight line. Again; on an empty road or parking lot. You don't want to over brake and lock up your front wheel but eventually that is exactly what you want to do so you know what it feels like and how to release it instinctively and quickly so you don't crash. Most the braking force is from the front brake.
I'll see if I can find a good video that clearly teaches what do do. @Motofool might have one in his bag of tricks.
You're just starting and haven't had the benefit of a good instructor so be extra cautious and take your time. I can't say this loud enough: at this stage of your experience; NEVER try to keep up with someone else!!!!!! The expression we use is "Ride your OWN ride!" It will likely save you from a serious crash!

[crazymadbastard]

More reading:

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Category:Riding_Techniques

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by ninjabeesh

Ok now I'm more confused! Lol!

Confusion is a natural thing at this stage of your career as a motorcyclist.
If you are really curious and enjoy riding as you progress, you can become a proficient motorcyclist.
Maybe not the one that wins racing trophies, but the one that can ride safely for many niles and years.

It is important that you understand that street riding is very dangerous, much more than the eventual fall during the time that you practice to develop the control of the machine.
It is also important that you learn that these bikes are not the most powerful, heavy or fast, but they can hurt a rider pretty badly if that driver is not committed to have full control over the machine at all times.

Based on the above, your first steps should be practicing control inputs and evasive maneuvers while staying away from traffic.
Lacking a local school, an experienced rider who personally teaches you the basics of control and balance, would be the best second option.
He/she can save you learning time and discouraging falls that could damage your bike and hurt you.

You will be very vulnerable during your first weeks of riding in traffic.
Dangerous traffic situations can develop in a couple of seconds, and your cool reasoning and speed of reaction and precision of maneuvering, will determine the outcome.
When a moment like that arrives, you cannot be thinking what control does what, simply because your brain will become overwhelmed and you will not react safely.
By then, you can not afford to be confused; your daily practice should have made the control of the machine something as automatic and natural as walking for you.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114372

Riding a motorcycle is not natural to humans; learning it requires many hours of persistent and focused practice.
Even after all that practice, if our minds reach the point of panic during what we recognize as a threatening situation (it can be real or imaginary: riding too fast, not enough room to turn or brake, a car blocking our path, etc.), the natural reactions are what the experts call survival reactions.
The huge problem is that those survival reactions, or SR's, are exactly the opposite to the proper reactions to properly control the motorcycle and to ride out of that situation.

While you work on achieving that level of control, you should learn from books and our Riding Skills section, the riding strategies to recognize danger and to put distance and time between you and it: your visual and mental skills.
Those strategies will be your first line of defense, avoiding reaching a panic point and the subsequent SR's by simply avoiding riding into trouble.

This is an excellent book:
Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well (Second edition) by David L. Hough

In our Riding Skills section, the threads that show a green circle with a black arrow, are dedicated to street riding.
Read those and ask us questions.

[ninjabeesh]

Thanks for all the input everyone

[ninjabeesh]

I am going through all links and resources you've provided. Thanks for taking the time to help me out! Greatly appreciated!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by SLOWn60

.......... so you know what it feels like and how to release it instinctively and quickly so you don't crash. Most the braking force is from the front brake.
I'll see if I can find a good video that clearly teaches what do do. @Motofool might have one in his bag of tricks.
........

This is a good group of videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CaptCrashIdaho/videos

You are welcome

Link to original page on YouTube.