Right. Been looking at picking up a bike for a couple of years now. Finally dove in and pickup up a really clean blue 2007 Ninja 250r. I have a friend that recommended a small light weight bike such as this as my first bike. He's owned quite a few bikes over the years (now a 2004 R6), but had owned one of these a number of years back and loved the way it handled. Said it was a pretty fun bike to ride. So, here I am.
I originally wanted a faster bike. I didn't want something akin to the power of a scooter/moped ;>_>. Not that I'm going to race or 'hot rod' around, but it's nice to know you have the power when you need it. Though having never actually ridden before, I thought it best to follow his and other's suggestions for a first bike. That, and the initial purchase wasn't too expensive ($1700 for the bike)... in case I change my mind some time down the road.
I live in lower Arizona and plan to ride the bike year round. It'll be my primary method of transportation (other than a work vehicle... for work).
Right. Been looking at picking up a bike for a couple of years now. Finally dove in and pickup up a really clean blue 2007 Ninja 250r. I have a friend that recommended a small light weight bike such as this as my first bike. He's owned quite a few bikes over the years (now a 2004 R6), but had owned one of these a number of years back and loved the way it handled. Said it was a pretty fun bike to ride. So, here I am.
I originally wanted a faster bike. I didn't want something akin to the power of a scooter/moped ;>_>. Not that I'm going to race or 'hot rod' around, but it's nice to know you have the power when you need it. Though having never actually ridden before, I thought it best to follow his and other's suggestions for a first bike. That, and the initial purchase wasn't too expensive ($1700 for the bike)... in case I change my mind some time down the road.
I live in lower Arizona and plan to ride the bike year round. It'll be my primary method of transportation (other than a work vehicle... for work).
Much better.
You made a good choice with getting the 250R. They're really fun bikes; you can push it to it's limit, whereas on a supersport, you're really only using around 30% of it capabilities on the street.
Get the MSF course done. It's worth every penny.
-Will
__________________ KEEP CALM AND CHIVE ON "Trust me; I'm a pilot."
I took the bike out for my first ride ever, yesterday. Spent a good 2 hours riding around the neighborhood (all 25 mph zones, no traffic lights, almost no traffic). Got used to the clutch take off, shifting and turning. Turning was the hardest part to get used to, but I eventually got it down (both from a stop and slowing to turn off to another street). I took little/light traffic streets (35phm streets with traffic lights) around my area once I got comfortable enough (to use the turn signals and all of that) for another 2 hours.
Took the bike around town today for about 4 hours with a rider friend. Definitely got more comfortable riding in traffic. Downshifting in traffic is almost second nature ( I don't have to really think about it). Also got to see how my friend, who road in front of me, handles himself around other cars. It was a good day. Went to the cycle shop and picked up a riders backpack and some full ankle boots, too.
Also had my first close call. A car in front of me was tailgating another car. The car ahead had stopped short and the tailgater slammed on his breaks (smoke every where) and the car started to spin. He stopped a few inches from hitting the other car. Meanwhile I was right behind them. Oh shit! I pulled in the clutch and downshifted while breaking hard and maneuvering to the left of the car in case I had to squeeze by. I stopped just short of the car side.
Edit: Also wanted to say, I love the way this bike handles. And it's plenty fast. Waaaaaay faster than I thought it was going to be. I'm very happy with this bike.
So far you're doing OK and your friend is smarter than a lot of new rider's friends.
Take a training course. There's a lot more to the clutch than just pulling away and shifting, and a lot you can learn about how to use your brakes. You might think that as a lot of this is exercises at very slow speeds it doesn't matter, but you learn real skills that translate to street riding.
Sounds like you've already learned about the need to ride defensively. Don't let yourself get overconfident though.
New to riding..
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