Hi from Toronto!

Timpani · July 20th, 2009, 04:54 PM

Hi all! My bike's not here for a few more days and while the wait is tough, the wait to say hello on these forums was even tougher - I hope you guys don't mind if I jump the gun a bit.

In any case, it's my first bike and with my heart set on a green 2009 Ninja after completing my riding course two weeks ago, I made a number of calls around town until I finally found a dealer that said he just "happened to find two more" in his warehouse (the bulk of them said I'd have to wait until 2010 for a green one, though plenty of reds were available...). While I'm sure that was more of a sales tactic more than anything else, I'm still happy to have snagged it! I'm not confident enough in my riding proficiency, however, to ride the bike home so I asked if they could truck it to my garage on Thursday night.

So! A few more days to go! Hope to meet each of you guys around the forums!

Alex · July 20th, 2009, 04:58 PM

Nemy · July 20th, 2009, 05:07 PM

Welcome Tim! Great name and great choice in color!

Great minds think alike!

woohoo beat blueraven!

You'll find a bunch of us GTA people also over at gtamotorcycle.com and a link to our 250/125 weekly ride:
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...ad.php?t=86324

noche_caliente · July 20th, 2009, 05:25 PM

welcome Tim!

KJohnson21 · July 20th, 2009, 05:32 PM

kkim · July 20th, 2009, 06:02 PM

Aloha and welcome, Tim.

Smart man waiting for a green bike and for also having them deliver it. Take your time, learn at your own pace and have fun.

Pics when you get it.

BlueRaven · July 20th, 2009, 06:50 PM

lol@Nemy...been busy

lockie · July 20th, 2009, 06:51 PM

Welcome aboard

Timpani · July 20th, 2009, 06:59 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemy

You'll find a bunch of us GTA people also over at gtamotorcycle.com and a link to our 250/125 weekly ride:
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...ad.php?t=86324

I'll certainly look you guys up when my M1 rolls over next month - I trust I'll have advanced out of the GO train parking lot by then!

miks · July 20th, 2009, 11:10 PM

Welcome mate

ironglory · July 20th, 2009, 11:40 PM

Welcome to the boards. Enjoy the bike & take it easy. Good luck!

ATGATT

komohana · July 21st, 2009, 12:40 AM

aloha tim

good on ya for getting your course completion. x2 for being patient enuff to have them truck yer fresh ride home for you. gear up always, take your time and enjoy!!

Chamus57 · July 21st, 2009, 01:55 AM

Welcome!!!

gizmogamez · July 21st, 2009, 05:10 AM

WELCOME! great colour choice

Flashmonkey · July 21st, 2009, 05:31 AM

Hey welcome! Hopefully I'll see you out on the roads of T.O!

Snake · July 22nd, 2009, 12:24 PM

Welcome.

BlueTyke · July 22nd, 2009, 12:47 PM

Welcome to the boards!

OldGuy · July 22nd, 2009, 12:52 PM

Welcome to the board Tim. Great color choice and smart decision to learn at your pace. Pictures and first impressions when you can.

tjkamper · July 22nd, 2009, 01:24 PM

Welcome to the world of motorcycles. Your going to learn a lot in the first few months. Be sure you learn your own abilities before you try and push the envelope.
If you ever have any questions or need advise let us know. The only dumb question is the one that is never asked. Keep your us informed and have fun. Gear Up!

Timpani · July 23rd, 2009, 07:15 PM

Hi again~

The bike arrived! I didn't think my (thankfully) uneventful two-mile maiden voyage deserved a thread, but perhaps a celebratory bump of this one is in order! The first thing I did was take a couple of pictures, a document of when the bike was new and shiny just in case it....I won't finish the thought.

Then the doggy decided to join in the fun - ATGATT, I know, but she refused to put on the helmet..

Soon after flipping through the manual and fully gearing up, I sat in my driveway and familiarized myself with the clutch. Compared to that of the CBR125 in the MSF course, I found it much more forgiving and incredibly easy to notice when it 'bit'. Emboldened by the experience, I decided to take a short ride around the neighbourhood. There, I encountered a number of things I need to work on before I'd feel comfortable taking the bike on the road, most of them having to do with how street riding deviates from the closed environment of the MSF lot.

Turn signals - They didn't have these in class! Half the time I forgot to signal and the other half, I left the blinkers on. I also hit the horn once trying to turn off the blinker.
Gears - There's more than just first and second?! (The course topped out at mid-second gear). Never having driven standard, it's been something of a rough transition but it's going well. I just find myself rather apprehensive when downshifting (I locked the tires several times in class...).
Throttle - Though I never went over 40km/h or 5000rpm, it was slightly shocking to notice that going 40 'felt' like 25 on the CBR in class. This made me glad I started with a smaller bike as I can only imagine how easy it would be to get carried away on a 600cc when, even if you were to "respect the machine", you're hitting 60+km/h before you were to feel it thanks to how smoothly the bike operates.

So, despite few mishaps (one slightly hurried take-off on a left-turn, and once noticing just in time that my kickstand was only halfway down as I dismounted), there are a number of things I still need to work on before riding to the nearby parking lot to practice slow-speed maneuvers. At the moment, none of the abilities I need to employ on the road feel natural and were there proper lane markings in my neighbourhood, I'm sure I would have crossed them a few times as I fumbled to remember shifting, turn signals and head checks. For lack of a legal comparison (and this is strictly hypothetical! Honest, officer!), it feels like I'm driving a car and texting at the same time as all these thoughts create a constant distraction while simply biking down the block. A few more rides though, I think, and I'm sure it'll be much more comfortable.

The good news is, I think I'll enjoy this.

kkim · July 23rd, 2009, 07:24 PM

Congrats, Tim.

Now find a big open parking lot and go practice, practice, practice those fundamentals.

have fun, ride safe.

tjkamper · July 24th, 2009, 05:40 AM

Way to go.

Keep practicing. My recommendation is to put as much time on the bike as you can in the next few weeks. Every day after work go out an practice.

Remember that the turn box in the MSF course will not save your life, but braking and swerving will. Focus on acceleration (shifting) and braking. Then learn how to take turns at speed by riding around the lot and practice making your turns tighter and tighter. Then once you are comfortable doing that, then practice the turn box.

July 20th, 2009, 04:54 PM	#1
Timpani ninjette.org newbie Name: Tim Location: Toronto Join Date: Jul 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: 4	Hi from Toronto! Hi all! My bike's not here for a few more days and while the wait is tough, the wait to say hello on these forums was even tougher - I hope you guys don't mind if I jump the gun a bit. In any case, it's my first bike and with my heart set on a green 2009 Ninja after completing my riding course two weeks ago, I made a number of calls around town until I finally found a dealer that said he just "happened to find two more" in his warehouse (the bulk of them said I'd have to wait until 2010 for a green one, though plenty of reds were available...). While I'm sure that was more of a sales tactic more than anything else, I'm still happy to have snagged it! I'm not confident enough in my riding proficiency, however, to ride the bike home so I asked if they could truck it to my garage on Thursday night. So! A few more days to go! Hope to meet each of you guys around the forums!

July 20th, 2009, 04:58 PM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	__________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

July 20th, 2009, 05:25 PM	#4
noche_caliente ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Kim Location: mundo de ensueño Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 250 Posts: A lot.	welcome Tim! __________________________________________________ Progrip tank pad, blue rim stripes, blue Pazzos, Roaring Toyz lowering kit, Puig DB in dark smoke, Cortech sport tail, super mini tank, and saddlebags, OES swingarm spools and Intuitive frame sliders

July 20th, 2009, 05:32 PM	#5
KJohnson21 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ken Location: Indio, CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	__________________________________________________ < ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name?

July 20th, 2009, 06:50 PM	#7
BlueRaven ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Lil One Location: NB Canada Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250 Black Posts: A lot.	lol@Nemy...been busy __________________________________________________ I'm not small, I'm fun sized

July 20th, 2009, 05:07 PM	#3
Nemy ninjette.org sage Name: Tim Location: Portland, OR Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2009 SE Ninja 250R Posts: 796	Welcome Tim! Great name and great choice in color! Great minds think alike! woohoo beat blueraven! You'll find a bunch of us GTA people also over at gtamotorcycle.com and a link to our 250/125 weekly ride: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...ad.php?t=86324

July 20th, 2009, 06:02 PM	#6
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Aloha and welcome, Tim. Smart man waiting for a green bike and for also having them deliver it. Take your time, learn at your own pace and have fun. Pics when you get it.

July 20th, 2009, 06:51 PM	#8
lockie ninjette.org sage Name: don Location: Port Elgin NB Canada Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 blue ninja 250R Posts: 742	Welcome aboard

July 20th, 2009, 11:10 PM	#10
miks I'm lovin' it. Name: Mike Location: Melb, Australia Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): '09 Black 250R Posts: A lot.	Welcome mate __________________________________________________ Son: When I grow up I want to ride a motorbike. Father: You can't do both son.

July 20th, 2009, 11:40 PM	#11
ironglory ninjette.org member Name: Mhilz Location: Earth Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ZZR600 Midnight Blue Posts: 114	Welcome to the boards. Enjoy the bike & take it easy. Good luck! ATGATT __________________________________________________ A mind is like a parachute, open it up & enjoy the view.

July 21st, 2009, 12:40 AM	#12
komohana ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Steve Location: Kekaha, Kauai HI Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 GSX-R 600 2003 EX250: Woodcraft Bars, Levers, Mirrors, Shim'd Mixture, Synthetic, '08 Rear Shock Posts: A lot.	aloha tim good on ya for getting your course completion. x2 for being patient enuff to have them truck yer fresh ride home for you. gear up always, take your time and enjoy!! __________________________________________________ Remember when sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous?

July 21st, 2009, 01:55 AM	#13
Chamus57 ninjette.org member Name: Lee Location: Alabama Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250r se Posts: 169	Welcome!!!

July 21st, 2009, 05:10 AM	#14
gizmogamez ninjette.org member Name: Mike Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R SE Green Posts: 217	WELCOME! great colour choice

July 21st, 2009, 05:31 AM	#15
Flashmonkey Professional belly dancer Name: James Location: Toronto Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 1992 GSX-R 750 Posts: A lot.	Hey welcome! Hopefully I'll see you out on the roads of T.O!

July 22nd, 2009, 12:24 PM	#16
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	Welcome.

July 22nd, 2009, 12:47 PM	#17
BlueTyke So slow I'm first! Name: Sunny Location: San Jose, CA Join Date: Oct 2008 Motorcycle(s): 06 Kawasaki Ninja EX250 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 10	Welcome to the boards! __________________________________________________ Learn from the mistakes of others, you cannot make them all yourself. Save yourself the trouble and Learn.

July 22nd, 2009, 12:52 PM	#18
OldGuy Live Life Name: Don Location: Lincoln, NE Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Green SE Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.	Welcome to the board Tim. Great color choice and smart decision to learn at your pace. Pictures and first impressions when you can. __________________________________________________ - ATGATT - Scorpion EX700 Hi-Vis Helmet, First Gear MeshTek 3.0 Jacket, TourMaster Transition 2 Jacket and Flex Pants, Sidi Doha boots

July 22nd, 2009, 01:24 PM	#19
tjkamper ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Travis Location: Warwick, RI Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	Welcome to the world of motorcycles. Your going to learn a lot in the first few months. Be sure you learn your own abilities before you try and push the envelope. If you ever have any questions or need advise let us know. The only dumb question is the one that is never asked. Keep your us informed and have fun. Gear Up! __________________________________________________ Addicted to anything that has an engine and rolls.

July 23rd, 2009, 07:15 PM	#20
Timpani ninjette.org newbie Name: Tim Location: Toronto Join Date: Jul 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: 4	Hi again~ The bike arrived! I didn't think my (thankfully) uneventful two-mile maiden voyage deserved a thread, but perhaps a celebratory bump of this one is in order! The first thing I did was take a couple of pictures, a document of when the bike was new and shiny just in case it....I won't finish the thought. Then the doggy decided to join in the fun - ATGATT, I know, but she refused to put on the helmet.. Soon after flipping through the manual and fully gearing up, I sat in my driveway and familiarized myself with the clutch. Compared to that of the CBR125 in the MSF course, I found it much more forgiving and incredibly easy to notice when it 'bit'. Emboldened by the experience, I decided to take a short ride around the neighbourhood. There, I encountered a number of things I need to work on before I'd feel comfortable taking the bike on the road, most of them having to do with how street riding deviates from the closed environment of the MSF lot. Turn signals - They didn't have these in class! Half the time I forgot to signal and the other half, I left the blinkers on. I also hit the horn once trying to turn off the blinker. Gears - There's more than just first and second?! (The course topped out at mid-second gear). Never having driven standard, it's been something of a rough transition but it's going well. I just find myself rather apprehensive when downshifting (I locked the tires several times in class...). Throttle - Though I never went over 40km/h or 5000rpm, it was slightly shocking to notice that going 40 'felt' like 25 on the CBR in class. This made me glad I started with a smaller bike as I can only imagine how easy it would be to get carried away on a 600cc when, even if you were to "respect the machine", you're hitting 60+km/h before you were to feel it thanks to how smoothly the bike operates. So, despite few mishaps (one slightly hurried take-off on a left-turn, and once noticing just in time that my kickstand was only halfway down as I dismounted), there are a number of things I still need to work on before riding to the nearby parking lot to practice slow-speed maneuvers. At the moment, none of the abilities I need to employ on the road feel natural and were there proper lane markings in my neighbourhood, I'm sure I would have crossed them a few times as I fumbled to remember shifting, turn signals and head checks. For lack of a legal comparison (and this is strictly hypothetical! Honest, officer!), it feels like I'm driving a car and texting at the same time as all these thoughts create a constant distraction while simply biking down the block. A few more rides though, I think, and I'm sure it'll be much more comfortable. The good news is, I think I'll enjoy this.

July 23rd, 2009, 07:24 PM	#21
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Congrats, Tim. Now find a big open parking lot and go practice, practice, practice those fundamentals. have fun, ride safe.

July 24th, 2009, 05:40 AM	#22
tjkamper ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Travis Location: Warwick, RI Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	Way to go. Keep practicing. My recommendation is to put as much time on the bike as you can in the next few weeks. Every day after work go out an practice. Remember that the turn box in the MSF course will not save your life, but braking and swerving will. Focus on acceleration (shifting) and braking. Then learn how to take turns at speed by riding around the lot and practice making your turns tighter and tighter. Then once you are comfortable doing that, then practice the turn box. __________________________________________________ Addicted to anything that has an engine and rolls.

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