New to riding new to everything motorcycle/sport bike

[A.J.]

Hello! 35 years old and just now bought my first sport bike. Got a 2001 Ninja 250 with for $100! She rides and runs great after a carb rebuild new ignition and new gas tank.

I want to start by saying that this is the most fun I've had in my life. I grew up in a little farm town riding four wheelers and dirt bikes but never made it to sport bikes. As you get older you start to find that there aren't many hobbies in life that actually entertain you. This bike has been a god send and she's all I can think about

I've only been riding in town. All signed up for a safety course. My plan in the next few weeks is to eventually ride her to and from work and school. Basically everywhere. I have a Ford Expedition so the gas money i will save is incredible! The commute will mostly be city roads and highway but will have to get her on the interstate for about 5 miles a day.

Anyway I just wanted to say hello I live about 2hrs from Chicago IL. Super thrilled to be riding and I am taking it slow and being very cautious for my safety and those around me. If anyone can offer any tips on highway and interstate riding I would really appreciate it as I'm soon going to take the plunge. Glad to be a part of the forums and hope to meet some really cool people.
Thanks,
-AJ

[taz]

WELCOME

[Flying]

Aw jeez, I was just visting Lake County a while ago. I don't know how you people make it over there in cars, much less motorcycles!
Anyways, the key takeaway from motorcycle safety is that you cannot be at anything less than peak situational awareness (you tired? you sick? is the weather going to distract in any way? take the ford) and you must always treat riding as if every driver on the road is intentionally trying to kill you.


If you plan to commute, definitely figure out how you are going to secure your motorcycle when parking, and get a tank bag that doubles as a backpack.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by A.J.

Hello! 35 years old and just now bought my first sport bike. Got a 2005 Ninja 250 with 21k mi for $900. She rides and runs great. A few minor cosmetic issues I plan to take care of over the next few weeks. I'll upload pics later.

I want to start by saying that this is the most fun I've had in my life. I grew up in a little farm town riding four wheelers and dirt bikes but never made it to sport bikes. As you get older you start to find that there aren't many hobbies in life that actually entertain you. This bike has been a god send and she's all I can think about

I've only been riding in town. All signed up for a safety course. My plan in the next few weeks is to eventually ride her to and from work and school. Basically everywhere. I have a Ford Expedition so the gas money i will save is incredible! The commute will mostly be city roads and highway but will have to get her on the interstate for about 5 miles a day.

Anyway I just wanted to say hello I live about 2hrs from Chicago IL. Super thrilled to be riding and I am taking it slow and being very cautious for my safety and those around me. If anyone can offer any tips on highway and interstate riding I would really appreciate it as I'm soon going to take the plunge. Glad to be a part of the forums and hope to meet some really cool people.
Thanks,
-AJ

Do a search for posts that @Motofool made. A large number of posts he made are about riding skills.

That'd be a great place to start.

After you've done that look for video posts @akima has made. She posts a lot of crash videos that spark great discussion about the hows and whys of a crash.

Then once you've done that do a search for posts by @adouglas and include "ATGATT" and "belt grinder" in the search terms and you'll find one of his posts on his wearing gear.

Once you've done all that you'll get a feel for some of who the other resources are on the boards that offer great riding advice (@csmith, @Misti) and great technical/mechanical advice.

[allanoue]

Read

https://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Mo...ficient+riding

Read and watch

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...=1LSCG8X1WJ2L0

[A.J.]

Thanks Panda and everyone else who chimed in!

["A"]

Do not believe anyone telling you that Ninja 250 is too small.
Pre-gen Ninja 250 (1994-2007 models) are cheap to purchase/insure/repair, easy to work on and plenty of juice if you know how to use it.

After more than two decades of riding motorcycles, ridden over 60+ different motorcycles, Ninja 250 is still one of my favorite, able to keep up and more among any other motorcycles.

[Ghostt]

The Ninja is a very competent bike, the best bang of the buck is upgrade the suspension, once it's dialed into liking it will hang with the big boys in the twisties.

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

1.Get trained and licensed MSF Courses

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 and road conditions.

5.Be a lifelong learner by taking refresher rider courses, and advanced rider course A.R.C.

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

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/show...8&postcount=26

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

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.
Notice how the right shoulder seemed to tear?

[CaliGrrl]

Welcome!

[A.J.]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate everything I really do. I have so much to learn and I know it's a never ending process but it has to be one of the most self fulfilling, mind opening experiences of my life. I can't stop riding and find myself going down roads I've never cared to go down before. And I would never take safety lightly. Bought the helmet the same day as the bike. I honestly understand why people ride without them but I'm just not going to risk it. Thanks again!

[CaliGrrl]

I crashed on my mountain bike once, slow speed, from the height of a bike, and had a concussion (a minor one, but still, that's what it was), and that was while wearing a bike helmet. That's about as "gentle" a crash as a person can expect.

Crashing off my motorcycle will be a heavier impact than that. No way am I going without a helmet. There may be a feeling of freedom, but it's not enough to risk it. I see people riding without helmets and I find it kind of jarring.

[A.J.]

Originally Posted by CaliGrrl

I crashed on my mountain bike once, slow speed, from the height of a bike, and had a concussion (a minor one, but still, that's what it was), and that was while wearing a bike helmet. That's about as "gentle" a crash as a person can expect.

Crashing off my motorcycle will be a heavier impact than that. No way am I going without a helmet. There may be a feeling of freedom, but it's not enough to risk it. I see people riding without helmets and I find it kind of jarring.

Yeah one of my best friends has always ridden without one. We finally got him to promise that he will start wearing one this season. I'm not sure what company he said it is but they're making a new helmet that is super lightweight. Has a heavy $400 price tag but whatever gets him wearing one.

[CaliGrrl]

Better than a brain injury....

[Misti]

Welcome!! Along with reading and asking great questions on forums I'd suggest looking into some further rider training. I'm a coach with the California Superbike School so please feel free to ask me anything about rider training, our school or riding tech in general! I wish you all the best with your new found passion. It's addictive!!

[A.J.]

Originally Posted by Misti

Welcome!! Along with reading and asking great questions on forums I'd suggest looking into some further rider training. I'm a coach with the California Superbike School so please feel free to ask me anything about rider training, our school or riding tech in general! I wish you all the best with your new found passion. It's addictive!!

Excellent thanks for making yourself available! I'm sure I'll be buggin ya!
And yes, loving my addiction!

[Misti]

Originally Posted by A.J.

Excellent thanks for making yourself available! I'm sure I'll be buggin ya!
And yes, loving my addiction!

Yes do!