- This topic has 11 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by Munch.
First Ride…
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August 13, 2009 at 3:42 am #3289zipperZeeParticipant
So my ’08 250R arrived today, glanced around to make sure no one was watching (felt like such a poser in my full gear) and started it up.
After trying to figure out how the clutch worked (I stalled like 10 times, how do people stop at red lights???) I rode out of the driveway and took a spin around the block.
I couldn’t stop laughing the whole way.
Mind you, I was in first the whole time…I would probably fall if I tried messing around with the gearbox and, more importantly, there was some light traffic around, I drove back and parked it.
My goodness that was an enlightening experience, I’m still smiling.
Some questions though, I was skimming the manual and it states like twenty or so daily checks I have to go through before riding every day.
I didn’t even know what half the the terms meant (“Make sure it has little to no play…rrriiiggghhhttttt”) do I have to take this seriously? I mean I’d have to spend an hour everyday going through that list.
MSF course starts Thursday…can’t wait!
August 13, 2009 at 3:45 am #21563zeppelinfromledParticipantThey’ll teach you this stuff in the MSF course.
I’m assuming that when you ask “how do people stop at red lights” you mean because starting again is the hard part. The stopping part is easy.
As for the daily check, some of it’s important. They’ll go through a basic checklist at MSF for what you should do before riding. I’m pretty lazy about it though. I check the important things like the tires and sometimes the oil, but a lot of it I can determine if it’s good or not on my way out of the place where I park.
August 16, 2009 at 3:15 am #21633zipperZeeParticipant1st class of real riding…and boy it gets hot in the parking lot with all your gear on.
We’ve went over everything up to basic shifting…the tight slalom was annoying as heck…until the instructor told me to use the back brake.
The back brake provides, I found at least, the seem slowing/stopping power as engaging the clutch…its really forgiving. Really useful for the tighter slalom’s (which I hope I won’t fail at the MSA…really worried)
One thing I found out…it REALLY doesn’t matter what a bike looks like or even how much power it has, you can have fun either way.
I used an old beat-up Rebel 250, and it was still the most fun I’ve had all summer.
Question about maintenance though, there seems to be a lot of different opinions on how often to take it into the shop for a routine check, some say at least once a year, some say do a self-check every week…I asked the instructor and he recommended me not touch anything vital (such as the brake fluid) as if you screw that up it could really dangerous (riding along…squeeze the brakes…oh what do you know! they do not work…now how do I slow down from 80…)
I want to take good care of my bike, but I don’t think a mode transportation should request a full check-up EVERYDAY. A little bit unreasonable.
Any thoughts/advice?
P.S. sorry for the long post
August 16, 2009 at 3:55 am #21634MunchParticipantCongrats. The maintenance schedule will be in your MoM (manu owner manual). As far as daily checks…. signals, tires, cables, hydraulic fluid, visual leak look… general walk through that they teach you in class. A lot of things also depends on the person and the ride. You are entering into a very diverse community where some only get to ride for short months… week end warriors… or some that ride full year round. So it really is going to depend on what your riding times are. Get your MoM or a copy of it, or better yet call a local dealer.
August 16, 2009 at 7:59 pm #21646RabParticipantThis is not gospel, it’s just what I do (I ride a minimum of 300 miles a week).
You should check the tires every riding day for nails, glass, cuts, bulges, etc. Check that the tire pressure is as it should be and that the tires have not worn beyond their acceptable limits. You should only measure tire pressures when the tires are cold (i.e. when the bike has not been ridden in the last few hours).
I only check my tires once a week as I have tubeless tires which are less prone to quick-deflation punctures than tubed tires and I also have “Ride-on TPS” in my tires.
Check the oil level every riding day (or before every ride). Check all your lights and brakes before every ride and after filling up with gas.
Clean and lubricate your chain every 300-600 miles (check your owner’s manual) and also lubricate after riding in the rain, or any time you can touch the edges of the chain plates (e.g. on the rear sprocket) and your finger isn’t “oily”. You might get away with cleaning every other time you lube it (depends on how dirty it is and how much you ride). When cleaning/lubing the chain, check the chain tension and adjust if necessary.
Keep the bike clean as far as possible for in the act of cleaning it, you might come across loose bolts, loose or broken spokes, etc.
Every now and again, specifically check that all bolts are tight (not by snicking them up a little tighter though, ‘coz eventually you’ll strip them doing that). Lube the cables occasionally, check hydraulic levels (clutch and brake if hydraulic) and brake pads (linings) now and then too.
That’s the routine stuff, other than that a bike needs serviced every 3000-6000 miles (depending on the bike); you should have this done by the dealer unless you’re confident of what you’re doing.
Read your bike’s handbook (owner’s manual) where this should all be outlined. Failing that, there are a few books on the market that go into it in a general way.
I suggest reading the “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles” which is a great primer on all things motorcycyle and includes basic servicing. You can usually pick up earlier versions of this book really cheaply if you look around.
August 16, 2009 at 8:40 pm #21648SafetyFirstParticipantVery true, Rab.
I had a a piece of metal coming out of my tire, and the only reason I noticed it was lubing my chain and noticing it on the rear tire. It gave me a good excuse to get a set of Pirelli Sport Demons. (BTW, those are really good tires for the Ninja 250 if you care to spend the ~$300 on getting them. The reviews are right — they have a lot more traction than the stock Dunlaps and I’m actually glad I had to replace them to be completely honest.) If I hadn’t have lubed the chain, I wouldn’t have had a clue the tire was bad!
Check that tire pressure as much as you can before riding. Low tire pressure is a major cause of most tire problems, and when you only have two wheels, you want to keep them both working while you’re riding. 28 front / 32 rear is the lowest you should see. Again, measure it cold. The Ninja 250 FAQ website goes into the debate over what pressure to use.
Checking the oil level on the 250 is going to be something new for you. There’s no dipstick, just a little window that gazes into the engine. If you park outside, on a hot day baking in the direct sun it should show a good level. If it’s not baking hot outside, you should see at least some oil, even if it’s below the low line. After you’ve rode a bit and it’s nice and warm, you can check it more accurately. Now, the trick is to look at it while the engine is upright, not on the kickstand. The 08 and newer don’t have a centerstand, so you’re gonna need a stand or a buddy to hold the bike up for you while you look.
Most of this stuff and more is covered on the Ninja 250 FAQ site: http://faq.ninja250.org
August 16, 2009 at 8:51 pm #21651MunchParticipantSmall tip: I know Kawi’s are famous for the no dipstick/sight glass and usually in a place where you can’t see it. Oh yea and the bike has to be up right. If you don’t have a center stand or a buddy available (my 900 is this way, cruisers as I know of them have no center stand and my nearest neighbor is 5+acres across field from me) you can buy a simple telescoping mirror from any car parts store.
August 18, 2009 at 7:07 am #21753zipperZeeParticipantThanks for all the maintenance tips…will put them into effect.
I think I`ll just go through a full check (following the manual) once a week. Seems reasonable…I don`t think taking off the fairings and covers to check the chain EVERYDAY seems necessary…
Passed my MSA…it wasn`t too bad…really nervous through it all.
Went on the highway for the first time too…and wow 100kph on a bike and 100kph in a car are two entirely different beings.
Problem though, I was trying to check the oil level and I don`t see anything at all (the bike is upright and has been warmed). The view screen is all black…am I doing something wrong or does it just mean that the engine oil is maxed out.
And any good recommendations for engine oil brands…lube and greaseÉ Might as well stocking up now…
I`m still a bit hesitant about messing with my chain and brake fluids…mainly because if I mess up I`d probably end up on the pavement.
Which would probably hurt. A lot.
Thanks again for all the advice thus far
P.S. Any tips on shifting. I suck major at it. Specially from 1st to 2nd…which is a problem going through intersections.
I don`t even know how to drive a manual car before this…so maybe just more practiceÉ Only been learning for the last 4 days…
I was so bad at it my instructor told me to ride as his passenger to see how he shifts…he just feathers the clutch like once (a split second MAYBE) and the bike upshifts smoothly…jealous of his skills.August 19, 2009 at 1:47 am #21779eternal05ParticipantOne of the most important discoveries on a bike (as opposed to a car) is that shifting REALLY fast makes for smooth upshifts. The super-simplified reason is this: when you’re in a lower gear, the engine will be spinning faster than it needs to in the higher gear. In a car this sometimes means you need to wait a bit to get a smooth shift. On a motorcycle, the engine spins down so much faster that you need to be very quick to catch the engine before it revs down too much.
To make this more concrete, let’s suppose that you’re going from first to second, and the bike is currently going 12 mph. In first gear on a Ninja 250R, that puts you somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-6K rpms…let’s choose 5,500rpm to make it really clear. Now suppose that, to go 12 mph, you need to get the engine to 4,500rpm in 2nd gear (the engine will spin SLOWER in a higher gear at the SAME ground speed). That means that you have from 5,500rpm to 4,500rpm to clutch in, shift up, and clutch out. The problem is that the engine revs down that much in about half a second, so that’s all the time you have. If you go too fast, the bike will jump forward a bit when you get the clutch re-engaged (because the engine is going too fast). Usually, however, and especially when you’re learning, you go too slow because you’re not used to motions yet. When you let out the clutch (especially if you dump it), it’s as if you’re applying the brake…sometimes really forcefully.
I’m thinking of writing a more in-depth explanation of this…we’ll see if I get around to it.
August 19, 2009 at 4:04 am #21783RabParticipant“Problem though, I was trying to check the oil level and I don`t see anything at all (the bike is upright and has been warmed). The view screen is all black…am I doing something wrong or does it just mean that the engine oil is maxed out”
If it’s a used bike and the oil level viewing window is all black, I’m guessing that it’s full of oil but the oil may be dirty
Look at the window when the bike is on the sidestand. It should appear empty or at least less than full (assuming that the window is on the right-hand side of the engine).
Whatever, if it’s a used bike, get the oil and filter changed anyway unless you have service records to prove that it was changed at the most recent service interval. It is VERY important to ensure that there is enough oil in the bike as if there isn’t, the engine could seize and you could very likely be thrown to your death. Too much oil isn’t good either, but not so potentially dangerous.
BTW: you shouldn’t need to take anything off the bike to clean, lubricate or check the chain tension.
August 20, 2009 at 11:15 pm #21827zipperZeeParticipantGot a bit better at shifting now…you really just have to keep practicing it ’till it becomes natural and quick.
I still don’t know when exactly to shift…I go mostly by the sound and try to keep the rev’s at around the 6k mark, if I know I’m going to speed up I roll the throttle for a split second than shift.
Moreover, I’m starting to go by sound rather than glancing at the gauge to know when to shift…would that be dangerous?
Is revving the engine in the higher grand’s a bad habit/poor for the engine? I’m always tempted to break the 10k rpm’s just to see what it sounds like.
Also, a strange extremely high-pitched whine (although it is very faint aka quiet) sound emits at the oddest intervals. It doesn’t seem to be anything with the clutch and/or brakes because even after I turn off everything it emits the sound for a few seconds. Anyone have any idea what it could be?
I also don’t really know when to pull the clutch in when I stop, do I full stop pull in shift to 1st foot down, or shift to 1st prior brake THAN pull the clutch in…right now I usually do the former cause that’s how I usually downshift (while braking).
Sorry for all the questions, I don’t know anybody in my neighborhood who rides so…not much places to ask questions. I usually just drop by the dealer whenever I have the time.
Great Forum this site’s got though…thanks for all the advice!
P.S. Any noobies like me around the Greater Vancouver, BC area? Would love to find a riding buddy (or two!)
August 21, 2009 at 12:28 am #21829MunchParticipantbraking and clutching to a stop… thats situational and preferrence. If I know I will come to a complete stop I got ahead and clutch in drop all the way to first as I brake. If your not sure about the full stop…..shift your way down, just incase you gotta turn and burn again.
Riding and shifting via engine rev is going to be the natural way to go. It is also much safer then trying to stare at your tach. It’s not like a video game where you have to hit in the green area before it goes red or anything. You’ll get the feel of it from practice. -
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