frusterated & scared to ride

[Silverstein]

Sorry that you fell, but keep at it Ninja girl, I hope you gain more confidence.

[Dragonhawk]

it does worry me that you have no idea what happened.

I agree. I'm also worried that you're the first person to be distrubed by that.

There's always a reason. Ninja250grl, you need to pay attention more. Be conscious of what you are doing. Watch the road condtions. Think about your control inputs to the bike. Other people have said, "Well, it sounds like you did this..." or maybe "It sounds like you did that..."

Useless. They weren't there. It's all speculation. YOU need to KNOW what you did. Gravel. Oil. Too much throttle. Sure, all of those are possibilities. And they all mean nothing if the cause was something else entirely.

Pay. Attention.

[Brackstone]

it does worry me that you have no idea what happened.

I agree. I'm also worried that you're the first person to be distrubed by that.

There's always a reason. Ninja250grl, you need to pay attention more. Be conscious of what you are doing. Watch the road condtions. Think about your control inputs to the bike. Other people have said, "Well, it sounds like you did this..." or maybe "It sounds like you did that..."

Useless. They weren't there. It's all speculation. YOU need to KNOW what you did. Gravel. Oil. Too much throttle. Sure, all of those are possibilities. And they all mean nothing if the cause was something else entirely.

Pay. Attention.

With the way the internet is and how hard it is to convey emotion things can be quickly and easily misinterpreted. Some of what you say comes out more like a drill sergeant barking orders instead of just some positive reinforcement.

I don't know what kind of person Ninja250grl is personally. But for me when I'm down and out if I have someone yelling at me and/or barking orders it'll just make me give up whatever I was trying to do, or in this situation probably stop coming to the forums.

I know myself included said to make sure you go through what you need to do in a turn so the next time you are prepared. I think that's enough.

Just to wrap it up I'm not saying any of the above is true, just don't want things to be misinterpreted for being hurtful instead of helpful.

[HYPERR]

I some how ended up behind the bike. I did roll a couple times. I'm not sure what I did wrong, it was probably a combination of things.

Did you pull an unintentional wheelie?

[Erg0n]

try riding with someone who's responsible, mature and experienced to help you get over this fear

[Ninja250grl]

thanks brackstone:) and everyone else, I agree I should have been paying more attention. Now that I keep thinking back and having flash backs I remember my handlebars wobbling and I panicked and pulled on the front break which I know you're not supposed to do. I've gotten back on it today actually and have been practicing and I'm gaining a little more confidence. I'm hesitant to shift to a higher gear than 2nd though bc shifting down sometimes causes my bike to jerk. I just bought an 06 ninja with only 700 miles so its barely broken in. The front break is so touchy. Question, when you're in 3rd or a higher gear and are coming up to a turn do you downshift and use the back break at the same time? I'm not sure what is causing my bike to jerk. Probably my engine speed isn't matching my ground speed.

[Brackstone]

Question, when you're in 3rd or a higher gear and are coming up to a turn do you downshift and use the back break at the same time? I'm not sure what is causing my bike to jerk. Probably my engine speed isn't matching my ground speed.

When you are downshifting do you let the clutch out slowly? If not that will cause the bike to jerk forward a lot.

Basically your bike has a powerzone where you get the most out turning the throttle. When you are in that powerzone you can feel it because if you let go of the throttle you will get a lot of engine braking and if you turn the throttle you'll accelerate pretty quickly.

If you are in that "powerzone" and then you downshift into a lower gear that will also cause the bike to jerk forward a lot because the engine is braking a lot.


The rule of thumb I always used for my ninja 250 was every 10 mph is a gear:

1st gear = 0 - 10mph
2nd gear = 20 - 29mph
3rd gear = 30 - 39
etc.
etc.

You can use your brake, or downshift and use engine braking, or both. I advise using the brake at least because if you don't you will not alert drivers behind you that you are slowing down.

Does this all make sense?

[storysunfolding]

The rule of thumb I always used for my ninja 250 was every 10 mph is a gear:

Someone wasn't having enough fun

1st gear = 0 - 10mph
2nd gear = 20 - 29mph
3rd gear = 30 - 39
etc.
etc.

So... did you use neutral for 11-19 mph?

[niterider]

You are going down to a gear that is too low for the speed that the bike is running. That is causing the bike's rear tire to slide on the road. For now just ride the bike and down shift when you have slowed down quite a bit, later that you are used to riding better it will come natural to down shift when the engine calls for it. Hope this helps you.

[Brackstone]

The rule of thumb I always used for my ninja 250 was every 10 mph is a gear:

Someone wasn't having enough fun

1st gear = 0 - 10mph
2nd gear = 20 - 29mph
3rd gear = 30 - 39
etc.
etc.

So... did you use neutral for 11-19 mph?

Haha whoops