Ducati Monster Forum

Sadly, it's only a Kawasaki EX250. I've been lusting after a Monster for ever. I took the MSF course last year, but other than that had never ridden a motorcycle (I'm almost 40!). I swallowed my pride and went with the 250 to start. Rode it approx 25 miles home last night through a twisty canyon rd & busy street (Ventura Bl, LA). It may sound funny to some of you guys, but I thought the lil 250 was plenty quick and kinda glad I started out small. The plan is to keep this for 6 months then trade up to an S2R800.

One thing I caught myself doing was locking my arms and having a death grip on the bars. I had to conciously remind myself to keep relaxed. It was fun & kinda nervy at the same time. Anyway, I welcome any riding tips you wanna throw my way, and I hope to be a Ducatista in the very near future. ;D

That's the bike i started on.

I wish I never sold it [laugh]

I moved to an M900 after probably 6 months or so.

What I recommend is that now that you have take the MSF, take a track school.  By that I mean get with a track day organization that has a beginner group with instruction.

I can't tell you how much you will learn and how much better a rider you will be sooner in your riding career. 

I'm an ok rider.  Fast B group rider/ Slow A rider (at the track and on the street)  It took a while to be at the comfort level I'm at.

Had I take the track school, I'd have been here sooner, and made fewer mistakes on the street.

The most important thing is to have fun.

It's why we do this ;)

I think some of the arms locking and death grip also comes from the nervousness or fear, as you are fairly new?. I used to have that problem too . I did accesorise my bike a little with handle bar and all that, but I think one of the "key" thing also was now I have more confidence so without even thinking I hold my handle bar like holding a twinkie.
Except for when in traffic.

Have fun  [Dolph]

Thx. Yeah, I am planning on doing a track day soon. The nervy part I was referring to is that with the skinny 130 rear tire, the back end moves around a little bit when going over tar strips or cracks in the road. Just gotta remember that the bike will right itself and to keep calm.

Every bike I've owned squiggled over tar strips ;)

congrats on the bike!  [beer]

and don't feel bad about starting on a 250; IMO you're doing this the right way

If you're anxious about a track day, you can sign up for total control class from lee parks after you bust out some miles. It'll help your confidence in cornering a lot and it's relatively inexpensive. Made a big difference in my riding and was a great stepping stone to hitting the track. YMMV.

That's how old I was when I started riding 2 years ago. You WON'T regret it! [Dolph]

Lost your virginity, good job [thumbsup] post pics of the bike.

Congrats.  What year 250?

+1 to this.  I started on a 250 as well.  It was a good choice.  Now I'm on a 675, and I can actually maneuver it without feeling like I'm about to break a several-thousand-dollar toy. 

+1 more.

Welcome aboard  [thumbsup]

Folk will prolly flame the shit outta me for this but I really wish we had an incremental style of licensing like most other countries do.  I personally think a lot of folk out there need to actually learn how to ride before they get on the latest greatest out there.  I know that a demonstration of self control will keep newbies outta harms way for the most part but helping that along could be the fact that they aren't connected to a throttle on a bike that will seriously hurt you. 


Ok...off soap box
end thread jack

PUT UP PICS OR IT AIN'T REAL!!!!! And congrats on joining the wonderful world of motorcycling!!!! The track is were it's at!!!

Not me.. I've said the same.

And yes -pix or shens!

No pride swallowing necessary, you did the smart thing.

Any stupid moron can learn to go fast in a straight line on a fast bike.

But if you can't go fast in the curves, you got no business going fast in a straight line.

And a small bike is the best way to learn how to be fast in the curves.

Besides, it can be a blast to embarass someone in the curves on a smaller bike.

Thanks for all the positive advice. Really enjoying this forum & hope to learn a lot from you guys. Not sure how to post a pic as I don't seem to have the "attachment" option enabled.
Haha, no shenanigans here! For now I will attach the pic as my avatar until I figure out how to do it properly.  [beer]

No attachments. You'll need to host the photos on some other service like photobucket, flickr etc.

06

I started this nonsense when I was 45.  Its amazing what the bike will do if you just relax and let it do what it was designed for.  HAVE FUN!!!!!   I have !

Ah, know those bikes well.  I've crashed a ton of them.   ;D  This was my first.  <sniffle>

(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6172840361_d28883668b_b.jpg)

Great first bike.  You'll find that after you a bit more comfy on the bike, you'll want to keep the revs up.  I'd guess that you're probably riding around too low right now.  There's little power below 8k (and not a lot above that), so if you're in the twisties, make sure you're ringing its neck.  It'll redline around 14k give or take, so 8-12 is a good place to ride it.  It'll feel like it wants to explode.  That's ok.  Edit:  that's for riding the twisties.  Feel free to keep it more sedate for street riding, but don't be afraid to wind it up.

I don't know how comfy you are with working on bikes, but one the biggest improvements you can make is to switch brake pads.  Buy EBC (the brand) HH (the type) pads for the front for $25 or $30.  You can order them online or most Cyclegears will have them in stock.  Totally worth it.  I can walk you through the steps.  There are a bunch of other things you can do to the bike, but let's leave that alone for now.

Ninja250.org has great FAQs for the bike.  

I've got at least 3 250s (or the parts equivalent thereof) in my garage so if you're looking for a part or upgrades, gimme a holler.  I don't have street partes like fairings, but I've got most everything else -- gixxer shocks, fork emulators, spare wheels, cables, swingarms,rolling chasis,  etc.

Spare neck brace in that stock pile?

;D


;)

Congrats!  I loved learning on a 250, especially in hairy commuting traffic.  Relax your arms, grip the tank with your knees, and pick your line as far ahead as you can through crappy road surfaces.  You're going to have a blast!  [thumbsup]


Here's how to post pics on the forum:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=109.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=109.0)
 


[laugh] [laugh]

The 250 is a starter bike so you did the right thing. When feel that you can't get any more performance out of the thing and it seems too slow then it's time to get something bigger. But for now it should be exactly what you want.

When I started, I made the Jump from a trail 70 to a 125. The 125 was too big for me and I was scared of it on anything but fairly level ground. (I was 12) I then got a DT100 and it was just right. I learned a lot on that 100. Rode it for almost 2 years before I bought another 125.

I learned much faster on a smaller bike than on a larger bike that I was afraid of, and you will too.

You probably would have had to look long and hard to find a better first bike for the street.

Take it easy, learn everything you can about safety, and get some skills that would make Napoleon Dynamite bust out into a dance.

 [Dolph]

Thanks for all the great advice guys.

Spidey, yeah I went for a quick blast last night and getting it in to the 8k + rpm range makes a difference. I am going out tomorrow morning with a couple friends that have been riding for a while so I will be watching what they do to try to pick up some tips to improve my skills.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good shop in the SFV? I want to keep the bike in tip top shape for the short time I have it.

Cheers!

I find that my bikes squirm a lot less on tar strips and other pavement irregularities if the tires are properly inflated.  So it's worth checking the tire pressure every week or so.  Proper tire pressure makes a big difference.

My first bike ever was a 60hp Monster750.

It scared the crap outta me for the first few months, but I took classes and rode with people better than me.  By following them, studying their lines, trying to emulate their braking points, etc... I became a better rider. I did a track day or two, I put clip-ons on, upgraded the suspension and then started scaring the crap outta those same friends, because I had outgrown the bike, and was over- riding it on the street for what it had been designed for.

So, after 3 1/2 years I decided to get a track only bike...  A 9hp (that's right, nine) YSR50.  A great little two-stroke.  I learned more about riding a motorcycle properly in one weekend thrashing that thing around a go-kart track than I did in all the time I spent on the Monster. A smaller bike will teach you how to use your brakes properly, carry cornerspeed, be in the proper gear, etc... because you don't have the torque or horsepower to make up for your mistakes.

Congrats on your 250!  I hope you enjoy the Hell out of it!  [thumbsup]

For the record, I sold the Monster and now ride a 999.   [evil]



 [bacon]

I second Junkie, my first was an S2R1K I was scared of it for the first month. I immediadtely wanted to sell it and get a smaller bike wasn't my best decision but I don't regret it. My adivice is just to have fun man.

My first bike was a '68 Honda CL350 Scrambler.  I was 14 and scared to death.  The thing made far more power that I could handle.  Going slow at the beginning is vitally important imo.