New Biker - Close Call

[Addyarb]

Hey all, finally jumped through all the hoops to get myself licensed and on a motorcycle!

I'm a total novice, with 7 hours of personal training and a few hours of street riding, I'm very new to the experience.

I'm handling it well so far, taking it very slow and being very cautious and punctual about my shifting, turning, etc.
I did encounter a strange and somewhat frightful situation 2 days back as I was crossing the Williamsburg bridge (NYC)
I finally got the guts to cross the bridge that day. It was light traffic, and it was my first time going into 6th gear basically.

As I shifted from 5 to 6, the bike behaved very strangely. I'm not sure if maybe I didn't pull in the clutch all the way or what, but
the throttle had way too much play in it, to the point where it would only accelerate as I pulled it almost all the way back.
I figured maybe I was stuck between gears or something, so I pulled in the clutch and kicked down once,
which lead to the back wheel locking up and me fish-tailing

on a road with no shoulder at all. I managed to shift my weight forward and gain control, shifting it down to first and then starting again. The scariest part about this is that I don't know exactly what happened, or what I can do (or not do) to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I understand that shifting down when you're at high speeds will lock up the back wheel, but the whole play in the throttle thing really threw me off. Any advice on what to do when this happens, (or what noob mistake I made in the process that the vets are chuckling at while they read this)?

'07 Ninja 250 w/300mi on it.

[jstark47]

You're saying the throttle wouldn't react at all? By any chance did you hit the kill switch by accident with your right thumb?

[Wrider]

Either that or it sounds possible the throttle stuck open for some reason.
I'm going with JStark on this though. Sounds to me like you accidentally hit the kill switch.

[Addyarb]

Thanks for the quick replies!

The throttle would react, but only when I pulled it almost all
Of the way. It's tough to explain. If I had hit the kill switch, wouldn't
I of had to hit it again to continue riding? Would that cause rear wheel
Locking as mentioned?

The only thing I can come up with is maybe I was in too high of a gear
But that wouldn't explain the wheel locking when I downshifted

[pchast]

Do you have any idea what the RPM was when you shifted?

[High_Side]

First off - it's great that you didn't get hurt however, not knowing what happened is really concerning. You need to first (with the engine off) twist the throttle wide open and observe if it returns immediately to closed with the spring. It should not hesitate or bind. Next - do the same thing with the handlebars turned both directions at full lock and everywhere in between. If there is any binding have someone take a look at it that knows what they are doing, as sometimes cables can be improperly routed from the factory.

Next: Was your engine cold and the choke on? This will cause the engine to race when cold, and bog or stall when warm. I known a couple of people who did not understand this and experienced the same kind thing that you have without knowing. It's your first ride, and there would be no shame in having gotten it wrong.

If it all goes south on you and the engine races pull in the clutch, and pull over to the edge of the road hitting the kill switch with the clutch still held to prevent your engine from over-revving. If you can't immediately pull over, don't worry about the engine, just modulate the clutch to move forward in a controlled sway until you can safely stop.