My first bike!

[SVT_Power]

Smooth sailing on the way home. Had to stop once because I forgot to put earplugs in, and I definitely underestimated how loud my exhaust is.

Had one hiccup at a light, misjudged the friction zone like a n00b so ended up having to pull the clutch in and retry the taking off thing. Didn't stall though, all good.

Initial thoughts:

- Some of the reviews I saw said there's no power below like 8k rpm and that the engine really has to be wrung out, it didn't feel like that yesterday but I literally rode it for 10 miles so I can't say exactly yet 
- And speaking of power, I know this is a 300cc/entry level bike but I expected a little more of a woah factor with a WOT 2nd gear pull. I mean before I knew it I was doing like 55mph or whatever the top speed in 2nd is, but because the engine has no torqz it just kind of just wafts to that speed
- I thought I was just a n00b and didn't adjust the mirrors correctly because I can't see shit out of them...nope very commonly mentioned on the Ninja 300 forum
- I gotta keep a better track of what gear I'm in, I tried to shift up from 6th twice in just the 10 mile ride home 

[MX793]

You've got the power/weight of a V6 CamCord.  Acceleration "woah factor" will be about the same.

[SVT_Power]

You've got the power/weight of a V6 CamCord.  Acceleration "woah factor" will be about the same.

The ninja's a little better, 0-60 in the mid/high 5's apparently. I know the Camry V6 SE model at some point had a similar 0-60 time, but I don't think the CamCords are quite that fast right now unless I'm mistaken.

[12,000 RPM]

Naw Camry V6s are low key rockets. They will do a 14 flat on a good day. I got disciplined by an Avalon in the Z at a 2-1 merge once and there is similar Youtube footage available

But yea, a 300 is not going to thrill you with speed, which is the point. Thankfully something as measly as a 650 twin probably will. 4 years later mine still makes me giggle and requires commitment for WOT. I still also look for 7th every now and then. I'm surprised they don't space the gears out more on street bikes.

[SVT_Power]

Also, how often is "normal" to run into the issue where you stop at a point where the bike doesn't want to go into 1st/neutral? I mean it could just be bad luck, but I ran into this issue twice on my ride in this morning. Stopped at light, kicked down as far as it'd go, then realize I'm still in 2nd when I'm trying to take off. Obviously as soon as I roll the bike a little, it has no issues going into first.

[MX793]

Also, how often is "normal" to run into the issue where you stop at a point where the bike doesn't want to go into 1st/neutral? I mean it could just be bad luck, but I ran into this issue twice on my ride in this morning. Stopped at light, kicked down as far as it'd go, then realize I'm still in 2nd when I'm trying to take off. Obviously as soon as I roll the bike a little, it has no issues going into first.

Not uncommon.  I almost always run down through the gears and engine brake when coming to a stop rather than pulling in the clutch and tapping down through the gears after stopping, so I don't run into gear lockout often as a byproduct of that behavior.

[SVT_Power]

Not uncommon.  I almost always run down through the gears and engine brake when coming to a stop rather than pulling in the clutch and tapping down through the gears after stopping, so I don't run into gear lockout often as a byproduct of that behavior.

I ended up doing engine braking when I had a lot of room to stop and just grabbing the brake and tapping down when I had to stop at a changing light or something. Can't brake and downshift yet 

[12,000 RPM]

4 years in I can't brake + downshift either

I'm not sure how it is with other bikes but the engine braking on my bike is so strong I only really use the brakes when coming to a stop or if I have to slow down in a hurry. W/quasi panic stops the gear you are in doesn't really matter... just make sure to get into the right gear before you start moving again

[SVT_Power]

4 years in I can't brake + downshift either

I'm not sure how it is with other bikes but the engine braking on my bike is so strong I only really use the brakes when coming to a stop or if I have to slow down in a hurry. W/quasi panic stops the gear you are in doesn't really matter... just make sure to get into the right gear before you start moving again

I did notice the bike has noticeable engine braking, I pretty only much have to use the actual brakes at the very end to come to a standstill. It's actually almost annoying when I start downshifting a few car lengths back and the engine braking slows me down way faster than expected. Guess I just gotta downshift later

[MX793]

I frequently will lightly drag one of the brakes when engine braking just so my brake light is on to let people behind me know I'm slowing.

Rev matched downshifts while braking can be tricky (akin to heel-toe in a car), but if you're smooth with the clutch release you don't have to rev match.  Bike wet clutches are made to hold up to slipping more than a dry clutch in a car.  Gear spacing is close enough that you are unlikely to upset anything as long as you are in the lower 1/4 of the Rev range even if you aren't that smooth with the clutch release.

[SVT_Power]

So 25 miles into this motorcycling thing, I feel almost a little disappointed in a way.

I waited literally 10 years to get a motorcycle, and I think I built up so much expectation and what not over the years that I'm a little let down by the bike so far. I know I literally just got the bike yesterday and I've just been riding slowly in the city going to work/home. But I thought I'd be a little giddy and feel like a kid again as soon as I got it. Maybe I'm just too old now, or maybe I just lost my sense of fun...I barely felt anything flooring a CTS-V through the gears until I was doing 150 mph so it might be me.

I'm sure going up to some curvy roads soon might change how I feel, but for now my initial feelings on the bike aren't as great as I thought it'd be.

[SVT_Power]

I frequently will lightly drag one of the brakes when engine braking just so my brake light is on to let people behind me know I'm slowing.

Rev matched downshifts while braking can be tricky (akin to heel-toe in a car), but if you're smooth with the clutch release you don't have to rev match.  Bike wet clutches are made to hold up to slopping more than a dry clutch in a car.  Gear spacing is close enough that you are unlikely to upset anything as long as you are in the lower 1/4 of the Rev range.

That and I have a slipper clutch to save my n00b ass 

[Cookie Monster]

Also, how often is "normal" to run into the issue where you stop at a point where the bike doesn't want to go into 1st/neutral? I mean it could just be bad luck, but I ran into this issue twice on my ride in this morning. Stopped at light, kicked down as far as it'd go, then realize I'm still in 2nd when I'm trying to take off. Obviously as soon as I roll the bike a little, it has no issues going into first.

Hmm. I've heard of this issue but haven't experienced it (yet) on either of my bikes. Although the Nighthawk might have had that problem. All bikes do clunk into first gear, though, and I remember sometimes the CBR would be pretty balky trying to go from first to neutral.

4 years in I can't brake + downshift either

I'm not sure how it is with other bikes but the engine braking on my bike is so strong I only really use the brakes when coming to a stop or if I have to slow down in a hurry. W/quasi panic stops the gear you are in doesn't really matter... just make sure to get into the right gear before you start moving again

OK I'm not trying to be a dick, but how do you not know how to downshift and brake on a bike? To me it was one of the easier things to pick up and took considerably less effort to learn than heel-toeing a car, since the clutch, front brake and throttle are all controlled by your hands, which have much more dexterity and control than your feet.

What is it that is stopping you from doing it? Maybe adjusting your brake lever (if possible) to be closer to the grip so you can roll your wrist a bit easier to blip the gas?

So 25 miles into this motorcycling thing, I feel almost a little disappointed in a way.

I waited literally 10 years to get a motorcycle, and I think I built up so much expectation and what not over the years that I'm a little let down by the bike so far. I know I literally just got the bike yesterday and I've just been riding slowly in the city going to work/home. But I thought I'd be a little giddy and feel like a kid again as soon as I got it. Maybe I'm just too old now, or maybe I just lost my sense of fun...I barely felt anything flooring a CTS-V through the gears until I was doing 150 mph so it might be me.

I'm sure going up to some curvy roads soon might change how I feel, but for now my initial feelings on the bike aren't as great as I thought it'd be.

Well from what you've said, it sounds like you live in a flat area with no twisties, so for that I can definitely see how a 300 would be underwhelming. There is definitely a visceral rush on a powerful bike, even going in a straight line, so I think once you upgrade you'd enjoy it more. I do think that you made a great choice by going with the 300 first though and you'll definitely enjoy it in the twisties. I thought my friend's Ninja 300 was a ton of fun in the twisties since it's so damn flickable and light.

Hell, I haven't even gone WOT on my bike in the first three gears in A-mode because it's so brutal. Definitely would stomp pretty much any 600 off the line (I think).

[SVT_Power]

Well from what you've said, it sounds like you live in a flat area with no twisties, so for that I can definitely see how a 300 would be underwhelming. There is definitely a visceral rush on a powerful bike, even going in a straight line, so I think once you upgrade you'd enjoy it more. I do think that you made a great choice by going with the 300 first though and you'll definitely enjoy it in the twisties. I thought my friend's Ninja 300 was a ton of fun in the twisties since it's so damn flickable and light.

Hell, I haven't even gone WOT on my bike in the first three gears in A-mode because it's so brutal. Definitely would stomp pretty much any 600 off the line (I think).

Here's a map of the region:



Just for scale, from Toronto to Newmarket (north of Toronto, near the edge of this map) is about 40 miles. So safe to say there's nothing but straight, grid roads within an hour of Toronto

[12,000 RPM]

OK I'm not trying to be a dick, but how do you not know how to downshift and brake on a bike? To me it was one of the easier things to pick up and took considerably less effort to learn than heel-toeing a car, since the clutch, front brake and throttle are all controlled by your hands, which have much more dexterity and control than your feet.

What is it that is stopping you from doing it? Maybe adjusting your brake lever (if possible) to be closer to the grip so you can roll your wrist a bit easier to blip the gas?

Blipping the throttle and holding onto the brake is kind of tough. My bike has stock levers which are pretty huge so it makes the grip awkward. Plus on the street I've never found it to be necessary- most of the time I can just engine brake to slow down enough for a turn, and if I'm slowing down to stop there's no need to keep the engine speed up. If I wind up not stopping I just blip up before letting the clutch out

I think the biggie is the levers. Mine are just shit. I'm also overdue for a brake flush as my lever is pretty soggy and makes for holding and blipping awkward. It's no biggie though, not really a critical technique off the track. Hell, people who do a ton of track time just get slipper clutches anyway. It's not as critical to know on a bike as it is for cars.

[Cookie Monster]

Blipping the throttle and holding onto the brake is kind of tough. My bike has stock levers which are pretty huge so it makes the grip awkward. Plus on the street I've never found it to be necessary- most of the time I can just engine brake to slow down enough for a turn, and if I'm slowing down to stop there's no need to keep the engine speed up. If I wind up not stopping I just blip up before letting the clutch out

I think the biggie is the levers. Mine are just shit. I'm also overdue for a brake flush as my lever is pretty soggy and makes for holding and blipping awkward. It's no biggie though, not really a critical technique off the track.

Hmm, I have big hands so I guess it's easier for me to blip and hold the brake. It's just a habit for me to do since I heel-toe while stopping in the car as well. Plus, the Akrapovic sounds orgasmic on decel, especially since it's untuned and pops like crazy.

[CaminoRacer]

Gently use the back brake while you're blipping.

[Cookie Monster]

Gently use the back brake while you're blipping.

That doesn't work so well when you want to actually stop...

[CaminoRacer]

That doesn't work so well when you want to actually stop...

Well if you want to stop quickly you should probably just use the brakes and keep the clutch disengaged. (But keep the trans in the correct gear as you slow down, in case you want to accelerate)

[Cookie Monster]

Well if you want to stop quickly you should probably just use the brakes and keep the clutch disengaged. (But keep the trans in the correct gear as you slow down, in case you want to accelerate)

I'm confused. Under what circumstance would you only use the rear brake?

I can see dragging the rear brake gently to scrub a bit of speed in a corner so you don't wash out the front (rear is easier to modulate due to having less power than the fronts, which can be grabby), but otherwise I always use the front brake to slow down. That's where you get 70%+ of your braking power.

Under normal situations I will downshift and revmatch while braking. I think it's important to do so so you're in the right gear to take off if needed. If I'm slamming on my brakes in an emergency stop, I'll pull the clutch in and just focus on braking so as to not hit the thing I'm trying to avoid, then worry about finding the right gear to accelerate.

[Cookie Monster]

Smooth sailing on the way home. Had to stop once because I forgot to put earplugs in, and I definitely underestimated how loud my exhaust is.

Had one hiccup at a light, misjudged the friction zone like a n00b so ended up having to pull the clutch in and retry the taking off thing. Didn't stall though, all good.

Initial thoughts:

- Some of the reviews I saw said there's no power below like 8k rpm and that the engine really has to be wrung out, it didn't feel like that yesterday but I literally rode it for 10 miles so I can't say exactly yet 
- And speaking of power, I know this is a 300cc/entry level bike but I expected a little more of a woah factor with a WOT 2nd gear pull. I mean before I knew it I was doing like 55mph or whatever the top speed in 2nd is, but because the engine has no torqz it just kind of just wafts to that speed
- I thought I was just a n00b and didn't adjust the mirrors correctly because I can't see shit out of them...nope very commonly mentioned on the Ninja 300 forum
- I gotta keep a better track of what gear I'm in, I tried to shift up from 6th twice in just the 10 mile ride home 

Oh, regarding the gear you're in - it doesn't really matter what gear you're in, since if you want to go faster, you can downshift and if you want to bring the revs down, you upshift. If you don't want to keep upshifting after hitting 6th, just find a set speed and RPM in 6th and memorize it. For example, on the F4i, 75 mph in 6th gear was 6000 RPM, so once I hit 75 and saw I was spinning at 6k I knew I was in the top gear.

The FJ-09 has spoiled me, though. It has a giant gear indicator.

[12,000 RPM]

I will have to see what I do next time I ride. I feel like I either give myself so much room I can just engine brake until I'm down to like 2nd gear, or I just pull the clutch in and brake. I think being able to downshift and brake at the same time is a good skill to have, but not really necessary on a street bike. I can only think of 2 places on my commute where that would come in handy, and in both cases there's gotta be no traffic. Otherwise just being in the right gear is enough

Speaking of being in the right gear, I mainly just go by sound and feel. Bike gets completely choked at like 8500 and I usually calibrate my ears for the tone associated with a certain speed. So like on back roads where the limit is 55 I will go to 65, listen to what it sounds like and then not go higher than that sound. I use sound to gauge how/when to downshift as well

[Cookie Monster]

Maybe I'll upload a short video of me doing it. Again, half the reason to do it is just that amazing exhaust note.

[CaminoRacer]

I'm confused. Under what circumstance would you only use the rear brake?

I can see dragging the rear brake gently to scrub a bit of speed in a corner so you don't wash out the front (rear is easier to modulate due to having less power than the fronts, which can be grabby), but otherwise I always use the front brake to slow down. That's where you get 70%+ of your braking power.

Under normal situations I will downshift and revmatch while braking. I think it's important to do so so you're in the right gear to take off if needed. If I'm slamming on my brakes in an emergency stop, I'll pull the clutch in and just focus on braking so as to not hit the thing I'm trying to avoid, then worry about finding the right gear to accelerate.

I didn't mean only use the rear brake the entire time, just while blipping the throttle if you have crappy levers or just haven't practiced enough to be able to front brake and blip at the same time.

[Speed_Racer]

Initial thoughts:

- And speaking of power, I know this is a 300cc/entry level bike but I expected a little more of a woah factor with a WOT 2nd gear pull. I mean before I knew it I was doing like 55mph or whatever the top speed in 2nd is, but because the engine has no torqz it just kind of just wafts to that speed

My Ninja 500 was the same way, it never felt fast by the seat of my pants but it was still quick enough 0-60 if I timed it. Maybe it's a parallel-twin thing?

[12,000 RPM]

Engines with peaky torque bands feel faster. 300/500 twins take what little torque they have and spread it as thin/efficiently as possible, so there's not that on cam "hit". So the job gets done, but it doesn't feel like it. This is why I dislike DOHC VTEC engines. The torque "curve" is just 2 straight lines with a step at the VTEC crossover. Feels a lot slower than it is.

Flip side, my bike's engine is a little too peaky. From idle to like 7000 it's a beast. I don't know if there are many cars that can touch it from 0-30. But after 8K or so it falls on its face, FAST, and just makes a lot of noise. Again not to hijack but the SV doesn't.

[shp4man]

I rarely downshift to use engine braking to slow down. Once I run out of 5th or 4th slowing down, it gets kicked into neutral. Of course, my bike has a tractor engine. It'll take off in 2nd gear without much complaint, but that causes clutch wear.

[MX793]

I can take off in 2nd on my bike without much clutch slipping.  My Bandit would take off in 2nd as easily as in 1st.  That thing had so much grunt, there's a video from one of the major cycle mags showing them taking off in 4th without abusing the clutch.

[SVT_Power]

Naked Ninja?

[CaminoRacer]

That was fast