Another course you might consider taking if you don't have previous dirtbike riding experience, is the beginner dirt bike riding course offered by http://dirtbiketech.com/ .

They provide bikes if you don't have one and do a great job of teaching basic low speed and low traction riding skills.

Alright I'll look into it. Only had the bike 3 days but I'm getting much more comfortable on it. Drove it to work today, and my upshifting is much much smoother than the first day.. no longer jerking and lurching around. Haven't really been in much traffic yet and don't really want to for a couple of weeks. Kinda just waiting til the MSF comes around.

Welcome. Yes all great advice. I'll be down for riding this week send me a message if you want to meet up.

Would love to once I get a bit more experience and am comfortable riding out in traffic on main roads. Just got the bike 2 days ago, and started going on some main roads yesterday. Shouldnt be too long I hope.

Congrats on getting your first bike. Welcome to the forum.

The statistics are heavily against you as a first year rider. First year riders are heavily over represented in accidents and fatalities, so it is the year that makes or breaks literally and figuratively many riders. If you haven't already, you probably want to sign up for the MSF BRC and ERC courses, and some ZARS days.

I signed up for an MSF course 2 months ago! Unfortunately the earliest they offer it is April 14th. I just got my bike 2 days ago, and have just been riding around the neighborhood. Went onto a 40mph main road earlier when not too many cars were out, with my dad driving in a car behind me just to watch. Went pretty good. Need to work on smoother shifting. Got all the gear and am taking it slow though. I want to enjoy riding for many years to come.

Hey guys. Just bought my first bike, 2012 Ninja 650, should be here by Tues/Weds. Can't wait to get into riding . I'm a junior at the U of M and got spring break this next week so hopefully I can get some miles on the bike.