Another MSF-er. Went yesterday, today, and return tomorrow.

[Mr.E]

Hey everyone!
Couldnt wait to share my experience at the MSF course today! I'm taking the 3 day course. Yesterday was the class room part and all day today we rode. Class room written test I only missed 1 question and got a 98%. Woot woot.

As for the range... uugghhh. It was raining the whole time (damn florida weather), but you didnt really notice when riding. I did great when in second gear doing the faster turns. Also, when we had to use friction zone control, I was doing amazing with the slow weaving and all that.

My only problems today were I kept stalling the damn bike. It drove me nuts. The clutch was impossible sometimes. As someone who never ridden a bike or drove stick in a car, I didnt know you had to release the clutch with just enough gas so you dont stall but not too much so you dont jerk. When I found out, it was just as hard getting the right amount.

That was another problem. The part where we had to engine brake before the turn and shift to second in the turn or towards the end, Kicked My Ass. I was jerking back and forth like crazy. I was amazed I kept going though. I didnt stop or freak out. There was one time in a turn my bike jerked and scared me, but I got up right quick and slowed down.

The only thing upsetting was the stalling because it happened a lot and people were behind me. I think I stalled the most to be honest. Tomorrow is the last day. Hopefully I do a little better and my clutch hand doesnt get tired as much lol. Well, thanks for reading. Any suggestions about the jerking would be welcomed. I get not to let the clutch out fast, but I also realize you cant have the clutch in for too long when u shift up otherwise it stalls. -_-

-I earned A LOT of respect for riders after today seeing how much work it was.

[Snake]

That is great for you taking the class. The rain may actualy be a good thing because it will give you rea world experience with the confidence of having and instructor there. Proper breaking on a wet surface is a very important skill to learn if your bike doesn't come with ABS.

[Trailerboy531]

It is a lot of work but it all pays off and becomes second nature. We all stalled (at least I did) in the beginning. Not a whole lot, but wait until you're stalling in traffic, now THAT is embarrassing! Just remember you're new and give yourself a break and you'll have it in no time.

When you get a bike, PICS PICS PICS!

[Mr.E]

^^ Most defenantly lol. The only fact about stalling so much that made me get frustraited was because I knew I had riders behind me. Lol. But I hope it happens to a lot of people and not just me.

As for the rain situation, yeah that was nice. I think I'll be a little more confident if/when I'm ever caught in rain. Better start on the range then the real streets lol.

I was also having a problem short braking because I would anticipate the cones and break before. But if I didnt I would break too late. That was a little difficult lol.

[Jiggles]

I didn't stall once at the MSF. But then on the first ride around my neighborhood I stalled when a red light turned green and I fail clutched XD

[jamesio]

Good stuff, bro. I have only been riding for about 3 months. I haven't taken the course yet but I am scheduled to on August 1st-2nd. I was so anxious to get a bike that I kind of did everything backwards. I purchased a bike and the gear but didn't even know how to turn the thing on lol. Luckily I have buddies who ride so they coached me thru the basics and I spent a lot of time practicing what I could.

Don't worry about killing the bike..it happened to me a lot too. I was in the same boat having never driven a manual car or other bike. As with learning anything new, practice is key. Everything is pretty much second nature for me now.

Oh, and remember, the clutch is one of your best friends when riding! Go easy on her, be gentle, "feather" her...lol

[caps]

so when you gonna come ride with us? http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=77916

[Alex]

[Mr.E]

Originally Posted by caps

so when you gonna come ride with us? http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=77916

I was just looking at that, but the whole parts for sale and stuff threw me off and confused me lol. Its a local riding group basically? I wont be until september till I get a bike. And thats assuming I have all my money. If not, I'm considering financing. I'll pay like 3500 straight up and then dish the rest my next pay check or two. (If I dont go used. I know I should go used, but the white calls to me lol.)

And for the clutch, it's my friend until I shift gears lol. Then it's hard because I cant hold it in, but I cant release it fast. But yeah. I'm sure practice will make perfect. Finally feeling the reality of I'm about to get a bike lol.

Also, I have all my gear and used their helmet, I think I went a size too small on my helmet. its no where near as comfy as theirs. Mine seems too tight. I think I'll be riding to cycle gear to compare.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

I was just looking at that, but the whole parts for sale and stuff threw me off and confused me lol. Its a local riding group basically? I wont be until september till I get a bike. And thats assuming I have all my money. If not, I'm considering financing. I'll pay like 3500 straight up and then dish the rest my next pay check or two. (If I dont go used. I know I should go used, but the white calls to me lol.)

And for the clutch, it's my friend until I shift gears lol. Then it's hard because I cant hold it in, but I cant release it fast. But yeah. I'm sure practice will make perfect. Finally feeling the reality of I'm about to get a bike lol.

Also, I have all my gear and used their helmet, I think I went a size too small on my helmet. its no where near as comfy as theirs. Mine seems too tight. I think I'll be riding to cycle gear to compare.

White? Everybody knows green is the fastest color.

And yeah what a great reality it is

I remember feeling the same way about the clutch and shifting, to be honest it was something that freaked me out having never used one. especially when I was learning the coordination between my arms and legs to up shift and down shift, as it sounds like you still are.

But now I can say that shifting is one of my favorite aspects about riding...it's like the ultimate connection between rider and motorcycle..it feels great to me I understand now why manuals are way more fun than automatic vehicles

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

I was just looking at that, but the whole parts for sale and stuff threw me off and confused me lol. Its a local riding group basically? I wont be until september till I get a bike. And thats assuming I have all my money. If not, I'm considering financing. I'll pay like 3500 straight up and then dish the rest my next pay check or two. (If I dont go used. I know I should go used, but the white calls to me lol.)

And for the clutch, it's my friend until I shift gears lol. Then it's hard because I cant hold it in, but I cant release it fast. But yeah. I'm sure practice will make perfect. Finally feeling the reality of I'm about to get a bike lol.

Also, I have all my gear and used their helmet, I think I went a size too small on my helmet. its no where near as comfy as theirs. Mine seems too tight. I think I'll be riding to cycle gear to compare.

I bought a new bike because I like new things. However I didn't know that the newgens get significantly worse gas mileage. Had I known that typical mileage on a new ninja would be around 50mpg and a pregen around 70mpg I probably would have gone with a pregen since gas savings were a large factor for me getting a bike (and specifically a 250).

I say get a used pregen even if you want a new one. Get a used one and in 6 months or so when you feel you have mastered it sell it for the same price you bought it for and go to a dealer and pay cash in full.

And if you do drop it you won't feel THAT bad

[caps]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

I was just looking at that, but the whole parts for sale and stuff threw me off and confused me lol. Its a local riding group basically?

lol, yea.

[Mr.E]

Originally Posted by caps

lol, yea.

Then I'm down! Lol. But I need to get my skills up a bit and what not. Central florida I assume?

[Mr.E]

And yeah, I may end up getting a used just because they're cheaper on craigslist, and the resale value is decent.

[caps]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

Then I'm down! Lol. But I need to get my skills up a bit and what not. Central florida I assume?

yup. http://www.meetup.com/250ccsportbikes/

[Mr.E]

Dont know why I didnt enter that in lol. I'll favorite that page and once I get a bike I'll have to meet up sometime

[kkim]

Congrats on the progress, E.

As far as stalling, you could just have a bike that's not setup properly. Regardless, raise the rpms a bit with the throttle (or if the instructors are not looking, raise the idle speed knob by a few hundred rpms ). Smooth with the clutch and drag the rear brake just a bit to work against the revs. use clutch slippage (friction point) and dragging rear brake to control your forward movement and speed.

Dragging the rear brake a bit will help with the jerking, too, at low speeds.

[Mr.E]

Thanks Kelly.
And thanks everyone for all the tips. Here's the run down on how today (the final day) went.

So, it was great. It didn't rain at all. I took all your tips and had no problems. The bike stalled because of me twice, but that was at stand still. It stalled a few other times because it kept over heating (it was in neutral and/or I had the clutch fully in when it stalled those times.)

Today we did have two fellow learners drop their bikes, but they got right back up and fixed it. I took my turns in 2nd gear great, and speaking of 2nd gear, I did not jerk the bike at all today. I took what you guys said, and slowly let the clutch out and I actually was smiling at how smooth it was. Lol.

For the figure 8/U-turn part that everyone complains about, I didn't get it once when practicing. I always went out the box. But during the test I did pretty good. A lady who was learning with us said she was watching me on that because she knew I never made it in practice, and said I did really good because in the test I did it perfect and stayed exactly in the lines. I was happy lol.

Over all, all but 1 passed. I felt bad for the guy too. I think he was just shaken up because he was one of the 2 who dropped their bikes. He gets another chance to take it so I hope he passes. At the end when he left our coach told us while we were getting our "certificate" that she was really impressed with us. She said our class was rare because with usually everyone in or the majority of a class gets double digit points, but every one of us stayed single digit.

I was the only one who asked how many points I got. I got 9. 1 for the swerve (which is not bad at all) and 8 for the short stop. I kept anticipating which we're not supposed to, so she told me its 15 points on the test if we anticipate as a secret. So the test came and I said I'll ride through and just stop farther. (I had trouble knowing where the cones were). But thats fine with me. For someone who's never even touched a bike, 9 points is great. She said so her self.

Uh oh. I got motorcycle fever. All I want to do now is get a bike lol. Well sorry for such a long post. Thanks for reading if you did. x-)

[Honko]

Woooo nice job!

[Mr.E]

^^ thanks x-)

[caps]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

Uh oh. I got motorcycle fever. All I want to do now is get a bike lol. Well sorry for such a long post. Thanks for reading if you did. x-)

we can fix that

[gatito]

Op i know you want to be on a bike but take it easy you ain't ready for the street yet.. if you do get a bike.. go to a parking space where it's empty and practice everything you can remember from the msf course stopping and going stopping and going how to brake. contracts on the course and ride safe

[Mr.E]

Originally Posted by caps

we can fix that

Lol I looked but nothing called to me. I know I shouldnt, but Im leaning for a new white one.

@Kelvin, Yeah. I'll only practice around the neighborhood for a while Im sure of that. I always wonder how people manage to get to a parking lot to practice lol.

[Honko]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

Lol I looked but nothing called to me. I know I shouldnt, but Im leaning for a new white one.

@Kelvin, Yeah. I'll only practice around the neighborhood for a while Im sure of that. I always wonder how people manage to get to a parking lot to practice lol.

Nothing like having a bike so fast that all the color is stripped off it.

I just got back from parking lot practice Spent about 2 hours practicing emergency stops (a lot different stopping from 40 mph as opposed to the 18 mph from the msf ), swerving, and tight u-turns. Was fun!

[caps]

shop around for it, dont be afraid to travel to get your bike if the price is right

[phEight]

Truth about not being ready for the street just yet. The white one called to me too, and I found a use one but I still payed 4k for it (all the dealers were asking 5k otd in texas, and that was just too much since I wanted $ left over for gear (which costs me almost $800 itself.. bought 2 snell approved helmets (one for my girl) and some gloves for her as well)).

Take it easy when you get the bike. Get it delivered to your house if you can, it won't cost much. The dealer I bought it from said they'd just charge for gas. I dropped my bike when I thought I was ready for the street and wasn't. Was taking a left a turn, I wasn't smooth with the clutch yet as it was my first day on the new bike... and because of my lack of smoothness, the power came on a bit jerky right when I was went over a patch of oil that I could hardly noticed... instantly the bike fish tailed and I had no experience whatsoever to control that... I went down within seconds after that slide... shoulder felt banged up a bit.. but most damage was psychological. I was so distraught after dropping it. Luckily my gf was there (she said she was shaking cause she saw it all go down in front of her eyes, she was following me in her car).

I couldn't believe I had dropped my 1800 mile (basically brand new) 2011 white ninja 250... the bike that, like you said, called to me. It's got some battle scars now. She's still beautiful, but man, did I wish I had the bike delivered.

I'll be honest and say I'm glad I dropped it in the environment and style that I did, it was a very in your face learning experience, and I'm no longer as tense and afraid of falling on the bike (I'm sure that could have came with taking it easy in the parking lot for the first week I had my bike instead of that coming from a wreck).

I'm just letting you know because the feeling of having the bike wreck, when you just get it, is very burdensome on the mind (at least for the couple hours after the wreck). After I figured out the bike was fine and these 2 really kind guys took my bike to my apartment on their truck (they just asked I fill up gas in the truck... which to me was beyond generous). I was excited again to sit on it and felt so much looser and relaxed in the apartment parking lot.

The ninja 250, though tame, is a completely different beast compared to the other 250's they have on the range at the MSF course. The high compression engine has a real big difference in how it feels.

Welcome to the world of motorcycles. I got my bike a little over a month ago, and recently have taken it on the freeways and gone about 70 mph. Still getting used to that.. but I'm a million times better than I was the first week I had my bike. During that first week, when I thought i was going 50 mph, I was only going 30, lol. Now I look down at the speedo and sometimes need to slow down cause I'm like **** I'm going 55-60 in a 45!

Please don't take it on the street, no matter how comfortable you felt during MSF (I was so stoked after the MSF course...) for the first week or so. You'll have a blast in the parking lot anyway. And you'll know when your ready for the streets. Be vigilant, attentive, and proactive. Don't trust any cagers, but don't be afraid of them either. Pick up some books on riding from amazon.com, you'll learn so many good things. I personally got both:

http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-...0390294&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Riding-T...0390325&sr=1-1

Well worth the money, and the latter link has an urban riding section that is extremely useful. Both offer excellent advice, but if you had to pick up one, I would probably choose the latter for street riding purposes. Both books have great pictures, glossy colorful pages and are very enjoyable to read. Every time I read either, I learn something new after having had some time on the road.

Sorry for the long post... you just reminded me of me so much (including the stalling and having trouble with the clutch, and WANTING the white one no matter what anyone says, lol), I had to share my story. I've been wanting to but never got the chance.

Good luck!

[Mr.E]

No problem about the long post. I read it all and it was good reading lol. I'll most likely have the bike delivered, (maybe they can even bring it day of because i live litterally 3 minutes away, only 1 traffic light down lol.). As for streets, the only streets I would take it to are my neighborhood because it'd require me taking it to local streets to get to a parking lot and I really wont feel comfortable getting to there. Lol.

I actually asked and the Kawasaki store near me has the white 250 x-) I'm so excited I'm going to check it out tomorrow and hopefully bring it home thursday. Wish me luck lol

[YORCHI]

You did so much better than I did at the MSF course.

I took mine about a month ago and it was pouring rain half the time during the riding portion. Since it was my very first time on a bike I was way too nervous and scared during any of the the turns, especially the low speed ones. I had no problems shifting or getting it going and I did fine there. I dropped it a few times for stupid reasons, mainly for braking too hard with the front brake during the quick stops and it leaning over to the right too much lol

For the test portion I got 19 points I had to put my foot down in the box and my sharp turns weren't very smooth. Then I messed up on the quick stop because I thought I had to stop at the second cone and later I found out that was the max distance allowed and I was supposed to stop much sooner than that. I could have done better on that portion but it was my fault for not asking beforehand.

Congrats on passing. I'm not taking my bike on the streets anytime soon. I plan on just riding around this empty parking lot right across from me. I'm gonna use some sidewalk chalk and draw out some of the courses from the MSF course to practice on. It'll be a good while before I feel really comfortable. I'm gonna take it like a recovering alcoholic does...one day at a time lol

[caps]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

I actually asked and the Kawasaki store near me has the white 250 x-) I'm so excited I'm going to check it out tomorrow and hopefully bring it home thursday. Wish me luck lol

[Honko]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

No problem about the long post. I read it all and it was good reading lol. I'll most likely have the bike delivered, (maybe they can even bring it day of because i live litterally 3 minutes away, only 1 traffic light down lol.). As for streets, the only streets I would take it to are my neighborhood because it'd require me taking it to local streets to get to a parking lot and I really wont feel comfortable getting to there. Lol.

I actually asked and the Kawasaki store near me has the white 250 x-) I'm so excited I'm going to check it out tomorrow and hopefully bring it home thursday. Wish me luck lol

Good luck on getting the bike!

[Mr.E]

@Caps Looks like I may be riding with you guys sooner then I thought lol. Going back tomorrow and if approved I'm taking that bike home! Lol.

@Hyon Thanks! We shall see if the luck comes in tomorrow lol.

@Jorge That sucks, but atleast you passed and didnt drop it during the actual test. Also, +1 on knowing why you got the points. I was the only one in my class who wanted to know why I got points. Lol. The quick stop was the hardest for me. During practice I always anticipated. Its hard to see those little cones with my peripherals. :-\ So I ended up passing the point and stopping later then I knew I can just to make sure I didnt anticipate. If you anticipate, its 15 points which I was determined not to have lol. Do you have a bike yet?

[caps]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

@Caps Looks like I may be riding with you guys sooner then I thought lol. Going back tomorrow and if approved I'm taking that bike home! Lol.

we have a big meet this sunday, I know its kind of a drive for you but their will be 3 members coming from orlando and i know 2 of them drive like little old ladies

[Mr.E]

I think that would be too soon to go out on the streets for me to be honest. Also I work 12 hour shifts over nights on weekends sadly. x-( Otherwise I would have lol. Perhaps if one is schedualed in 2 or 3 weeks and I feel confident (assuming i get the bike) then I will x-) I'll keep looking at the meet up page

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

@Caps Looks like I may be riding with you guys sooner then I thought lol. Going back tomorrow and if approved I'm taking that bike home! Lol.

@Hyon Thanks! We shall see if the luck comes in tomorrow lol.

@Jorge That sucks, but atleast you passed and didnt drop it during the actual test. Also, +1 on knowing why you got the points. I was the only one in my class who wanted to know why I got points. Lol. The quick stop was the hardest for me. During practice I always anticipated. Its hard to see those little cones with my peripherals. :-\ So I ended up passing the point and stopping later then I knew I can just to make sure I didnt anticipate. If you anticipate, its 15 points which I was determined not to have lol. Do you have a bike yet?

yeah I just got my 250 delivered today. It's sitting at home in my parking spot waiting for me. But I won't be able to practice with it until later this week when my helmet comes in. The dealer I got everything from didn't have the flat black helmet in stock or the riding boots so they had to order all of that which could take a few days.

So now I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas just staring at all the gifts under the tree

[Mr.E]

^^ Lol. But +1000000 on not riding without gear. Most people would just say "Ohh well its just down the street soo.." and go for a ride lol

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

^^ Lol. But +1000000 on not riding without gear. Most people would just say "Ohh well its just down the street soo.." and go for a ride lol

like I said somewhere else...I like having skin on my body and I really like having a fully functional head so will try my best to never ride without all of my gear on...it's just not worth it to me, I don't care how not cool I look...I'm already losing bad ass points by riding a 250 lol

[Mr.E]

Lol you're right. My dad today questioned me on if a 250 was fast enough. -_- Lol. But, seeing it next to a 600, you can barely tell the difference if you're not a motorcyclist or have an untrained eye. Here's a thread I just posted to explain. Read the comments and they explain the main thing u can tell is by the tire for the most obvious part lol.

So, you could tell them its a 600 and hope they dont know the difference :P

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by Mr.E

Lol you're right. My dad today questioned me on if a 250 was fast enough. -_- Lol. But, seeing it next to a 600, you can barely tell the difference if you're not a motorcyclist or have an untrained eye. Here's a thread I just posted to explain. Read the comments and they explain the main thing u can tell is by the tire for the most obvious part lol.

So, you could tell them its a 600 and hope they dont know the difference :P

nah, I have no shame in my bike, it's mine and I liked it so that's why I bought it. I plan on keeping it even if I ever upgrade so I didn't see a need to buy it used.

[Mr.E]

^^Thats what I plan on doing too. I hear most people regret getting rid of their 250s