Hello everyone. My name is Art and I am a new rider. I just bought a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250r about 2 and a half weeks ago and before then have never been on any kind of motorcycle. Unfortunately, I managed to do what I'm sure all new riders end up doing and layed down the bike. Didn't even have 30 miles on it. Just a nice scratch and cracked fairing... did it while practicing U turns and figure 8s in my neighborhood, and yes I'm quite embarrassed about it lol.

I had been thinking about learning to ride and buying a bike for some time. When I finally decided to go take a LOOK at some bikes at a local dealership, I ended up walking out with a new 250r. At first I was looking at the 600s, but am very glad I did not do so since I am a new rider. That, and the price difference was unaffordable. I knew it would be scary at first and that once I learned to ride, I would really enjoy it. Well... I love it. I had friends ask me if i wanted to ride their bike but I did not want to drop their bike... nor did I want to kill myself on a 600/1000. I think I went the right route with the 250r. Great learner bike.

One of the main reasons for getting a bike was to save gas, and enjoy going place to place. I work across town and drive an 04 Nissan Titan... gas guzzler. The price I paid in gas in two weeks would make a payment on my new bike.. so it was a no brainer.

I absolutely love my bike. I would love to learn more about riding and am open to any comments from fellow riders especially more experienced ones.

Welcome! I just bought a 2012 today myself hehe. I've been riding around all day and I'm definitely having a blast. I'm new to "riding" but I've ridden bikes before (friend's bikes etc..) so it wasn't a big surprise. That sucks you layed your bike down already. My suggestion is to practice on an open parking lot so you won't have to worry about avoiding anything. One thing that I've noticed is people tend to lay their bikes down during lower speeds trying to avoid hitting the curb, or a car etc.

Do you have pictures of the damage?

Don't have pics yet... but will post some up. The left side has a few nice scratches and a crack in the fairing just above the Ninja decal. I washed it the other day and buffed out alot of the scratches with some compound so it doesn't looks so bad. Later on I will replace the fairings when i'm more experienced lol. Even with the damage, people come up to me everyday and comment on the bike

Sorry to hear you laid your bike down, don't forget to invest in frame sliders!!!
Best of luck picking it up and being a good rider; congrats on the bike


Sent from my Motorcycle iPhone app

best investment is a riders training course

yup did the same thing here with a new 2012 but i did a wheelie and got lucky no cracked fairing no nothing just a scratch i buffed out but it happens...did to me lol and my mileage was 187 lol maybe that was a sign...naww....still riding strong just wont do that again lol im also from glendale maybe we should get a ride going im mean one new ninja is nice but two is even better

As for riding, I'm no expert, but have survived on the street for 43 years (since 69) and was a MSF instructor for 8 years. (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). Here's a 1 minute version of an 8-hour Experienced Riders Course: 50% of bike wrecks involve alcohol. Don't drink and drive (or do any drugs, legal or illegal). Remember the car that hits you might have a drunk driver too. Riders (experienced or new) have problems turning, stopping, and swerving. This is what the course emphasizes. So practice in a parking lot empty of people and cars. Practice stopping quickly from 20 and 30 mph. Slowly at first, quicker later. Practice swerving with out breaking. Then practice swerving (as though changing lanes) and then stop. Example: Go straight, swerve right one lane width, stop. Do the same thing to the left. Practice turning. Slowly at first, faster later. The tire contact patch with the road is VERY small, a little over an inch. Without "traction" a bike won't stand up (you can verify this by trying to ride on pure ice in the winter). So remember, especially when leaning over traction is very important. Water, ice, oil, sand, dirt, dead squirrels, etc, all limit traction. The less traction, the greater the possibility of a crash. Do you know what countersteering is? Ride the bike in a straight line at 20 mph in a deserted, paved parking lot. Loosen your grip on the handlebars. Push on the right bar handle. Which way does the bike go? If you're pushing the right handlebar, you'd think the bike would go left? But in reality it will go to the right. This is called countersteering. Push right, go right. Push left, go left. The harder you push the more the bike will lean and turn in the direction your pushing. Why? Because both of your wheels/tires even at 20 mph act like gyroscopes. Gyroscopes don't like to be knocked off there axis. So if you push the right handle bar the bike will lean to the right because you're trying to push it to the left. It "falls" in the oposite direction of the push. So this will give you some things to think about and practice. Also remember the front brake is the hardest to control, but the MOST IMPORTANT. You can get up to 100% of braking power from the front tire (a "brakey" where the rear tire comes off the ground!). If you have questions, ask?

Something else. Beginners usually are scared when the start riding. That's good. After 6 months your confidence increases and you might not be as careful as you used to be. That's bad. Old, fat, grey haired guys like me can be over confident, not pay attention, and get in a wreck, and possible die. Just because we're experienced doesn't mean we're exempt. Everyday is a new day. A day to enjoy on a bike ....or die. Everyone has to pay attention at all times when riding a bike (newbies, or oldies). When I ride no matter what my clothes are (like high-viz yellow) I ASSUME every car on the road is going to try to hit me. I ASSUME that every car will run every stop sign or stop light. I ASSUME no car ever see's me no matter what I wear. Also I assume that if a car run's a stop sign or stop light and hit's me that it's MY FAULT. I should have expected the car to do that. That's the way you survive on a bike for a long time. Ride paranoid and pessimistic and you'll probably do fine! I love bikes, they're alot of fun. I road on the German autobahn for 5 years. I road on the left side of the road in England for 3 years. I've crossed America and Canada 12 times. I road a 750 Suzuki Katana in Alaska. < Alaska has a different kind of motorcyle hazard....MOOSE! You don't want to hit a 1,500 lb moose. But everyday is a new day and I have to be careful and assume everyone on the road is out to get me. My goal is to not let them!