Bad habits

[krapzed]

We all agree that our ninjettes are wonderful machines and very forgiving to rider errors, BUT, are we essentially developing, albeit unaware, bad riding habits in the process? Whats your POV?

[Alex]

I think it promotes good habits in just about every riding skill, save for one: smooth throttle control. A rider can get away with doing just about anything silly on a 250 (or 300) throttle, without causing much harm. When jumping to a more powerful machine, not being smooth with the throttle can in fact cause much harm quite quickly (lifting the front, spinning the rear, locking the rear by rolling off, etc.). It's good to keep in the back of ones mind when they do hop onto a more full-powered sportbike for the first time.

[NevadaWolf]

Or any motorcycle that is more powerful. Amazing how fast a cruiser will jump from zero to speeding with the same twist of the throttle that only gets you up to 25 on the Ninja.

Not sure if I am developing bad habits in my riding. I can get from point A to B without crashing and without being in pain so rarely look beyond that. Its only when I am made aware of a problem that I can acknowledge it and work on it, until then, its out of sight out of mind.


As far as my POV, it tends to be first person. Why? What's yours? I'd love a third person POV!

[alex.s]

if you set your throttle pull throw to only about 15 degrees it will teach you to be smooth on the throttle too.

[csmith12]

The pro's outweigh the cons by miles....

[corksil]

Originally Posted by alex.s

if you set your throttle pull throw to only about 15 degrees it will teach you to be smooth on the throttle too.

How do you do that?

I stuck a few cable ties inside my throttle cable tube channel, but is there something else that would give a more pronounced effect?

[alex.s]

change to a better throttle

[cbinker]

to be a fast rider on a 250, you have to be doing everything right.

[krapzed]

I practice to be "smooth" during my solo rides (wait, I always ride solo wtf). but as in life, nothing is perfect. sometimes you just wring thant throttle out of boredom or roll-off while in the turn.. both can have disastrous results on a big cc bike, but our 250s can take it. So possibly, I think we shouldnt stick to our beautiful ninjettes after all as by doing so, we will never truly learn! Mix is good! Either get a 2nd bike or upgrade to something new...just my 2 cents.

[csmith12]

You want to be smooth? Ride in the rain.... ride in the rain a lot.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by krapzed

I practice to be "smooth" during my solo rides (wait, I always ride solo wtf). but as in life, nothing is perfect. sometimes you just wring thant throttle out of boredom or roll-off while in the turn.. both can have disastrous results on a big cc bike, but our 250s can take it. So possibly, I think we shouldnt stick to our beautiful ninjettes after all as by doing so, we will never truly learn! Mix is good! Either get a 2nd bike or upgrade to something new...just my 2 cents.

Not true, unless you're shifting gears. I have ridden many a tight course just using second (and maybe third). Works like a charm and causes a rush for the senses.

[alex.s]

http://vimeo.com/97823440

[subxero]

Originally Posted by krapzed

I practice to be "smooth" during my solo rides (wait, I always ride solo wtf). but as in life, nothing is perfect. sometimes you just wring thant throttle out of boredom or roll-off while in the turn.. both can have disastrous results on a big cc bike, but our 250s can take it. So possibly, I think we shouldnt stick to our beautiful ninjettes after all as by doing so, we will never truly learn! Mix is good! Either get a 2nd bike or upgrade to something new...just my 2 cents.

no and no

Never roll off while in the turn with out good reason, and I already have the throttle pinned so I can't really wring it out any further because of boredom.

[Worldtraveller]

Depending on where and how you ride (in terms of track), you might not really get a good feel for hard braking, either.

I know the two tracks I ride at (can't wait to try Thunderhill west), there are only 2 real braking points. Everywhere else, I can just down shift and throw it into the corner. On the 600, I have to focus a lot more on sitting up and easing into the braking rapidly, but smoothly. I haven't even tried real trail braking yet, and things come at me a lot faster on the 600...

[csmith12]

Lane, your in for a treat when you trailbrake to apex for the first time.

At this point, in terms of braking, I have my 250 dialed in the same as my r6. I can just "float" the rear wheel of the 250 in the hard braking zone. It's a feeling like no other, you will know it when it happens.

[ally99]

Originally Posted by krapzed

I practice to be "smooth" during my solo rides (wait, I always ride solo wtf). but as in life, nothing is perfect. sometimes you just wring thant throttle out of boredom or roll-off while in the turn.. both can have disastrous results on a big cc bike, but our 250s can take it. So possibly, I think we shouldnt stick to our beautiful ninjettes after all as by doing so, we will never truly learn! Mix is good! Either get a 2nd bike or upgrade to something new...just my 2 cents.

Um, no. Wrong. All of it.

[krapzed]

Originally Posted by ally99

Um, no. Wrong. All of it.

or perhaps im such an ignorant noob! Thanks for your input guys.

[ally99]

Originally Posted by krapzed

or perhaps im such an ignorant noob! Thanks for your input guys.

It's all good. We all were at one time or another. Read from experts, take the MSF class if you haven't already, and practice, practice, practice.

Oh, and gear up!

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by krapzed

I practice to be "smooth" during my solo rides (wait, I always ride solo wtf). but as in life, nothing is perfect. sometimes you just wring thant throttle out of boredom or roll-off while in the turn.. both can have disastrous results on a big cc bike, but our 250s can take it. So possibly, I think we shouldnt stick to our beautiful ninjettes after all as by doing so, we will never truly learn! Mix is good! Either get a 2nd bike or upgrade to something new...just my 2 cents.

have you ever rung the neck of a higher CC bike?

[CycleCam303]

I don't think there are bad habits that you can learn by riding a less capable machine. Throttle control is a skill that is used on both a 250 and a 1000. There are experiences a rider will have to get used to. For me it was hard braking. It's a completely different experience coming into turn 14 at thunderhill on the 848 compared to the little ninja. It took me a few laps to really trust clamping down on the brakes hard to get slowed for the hairpin.

[krapzed]

Originally Posted by cbinker

have you ever rung the neck of a higher CC bike?

not yet but im sure am asking for trouble if i do given my still limited experience.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by krapzed

not yet but im sure am asking for trouble if i do given my still limited experience.

It's something that grows on you. As your balls get bigger (I mean your experience) it is less intimidating and more thrilling than it is freaking you out.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by krapzed

not yet but im sure am asking for trouble if i do given my still limited experience.

may want to keep that in mind before making assumptions. Learning throttle control, slow and smooth on a 250 translates over to the same technique on a bigger displacement bike. the wow factor is the only thing that changes.

[Rifleman]

I've ridden both, took my daughters 250 to work the last two days, on the 600 today and the TLR when I'm feeling totally badazzzzzz.

the word you are looking for is "forgiving"... the 250 is more forgiving then the 600, which is more forgiving then the 1000cc TLR... which i'm sure is more forgiving then the Busa or ZX-14R...

I've gotten the rear of the 250 to step out... I had to be really ham-fisted and leaned, but I could get it to slip... do the same with the TLR and i'm laying on my side with the bike spinning around on the frame slider.

the 250 is lighter, more agile, more able to be made to do something, the TLR is a tank, over powered, heavy... deadly.

so, yes, you can learn to be a little less minute' in your throttle or brake operations, your bar inputs, your maneuvers.

this only means you would need to learn how to treat a new bigger bike, not that flogging the 250 is wrong, only different.

[Finesse]

I respected the **** out of my pregen and babied it and did everything super smoothly and carefully... so when I hopped on a Ducati 696 scared shitless that I was gonna do something jerky and newby and upset the bike and have way too much to handle - I was perfectly fine. There's no reason to be jerky enough on the throttle that that habit would screw you if you got on a bigger bike. Isn't it best to just ALWAYS ride as smoothly as you possibly can? Only bad habit I could think of is popping the clutch on the 250, you can pretty much just let go of it and nothing is gonna happen, but if you do that on a bigger bike you might get a surprise.

[subxero]

I have a bad habit...I'm on the 5 step program


explicit lyrics

Link to original page on YouTube.

[krapzed]

Originally Posted by Finesse

I respected the **** out of my pregen and babied it and did everything super smoothly and carefully... so when I hopped on a Ducati 696 scared shitless that I was gonna do something jerky and newby and upset the bike and have way too much to handle - I was perfectly fine. There's no reason to be jerky enough on the throttle that that habit would screw you if you got on a bigger bike. Isn't it best to just ALWAYS ride as smoothly as you possibly can? Only bad habit I could think of is popping the clutch on the 250, you can pretty much just let go of it and nothing is gonna happen, but if you do that on a bigger bike you might get a surprise.

i had the 250 for quite some time so i am used to opening it up or as you said popping the clutch as, in the back of mind - nothing will happen- its a F*** 250.

im taking it slow with the 636.. i.e. back to the vacant parking lots and re-visiting my msf stuff like emergency stops, stopping while in a curve etc... so far so good.

so i guess, if one is moving fr a small to big bike. you should be on the right mindset and be mindful of your skill level.

[sandman889]

I have a lot of bad habits.