[Ducati] New to Ducati

[Rob Allen]

Welcome, Jason, and I'll double-ditto everyone's comments so far on the MSF
thing.  Take the MSF Basic RiderCourse, then ride around for a while to get
comfortable with it, then take the MSF Expert RiderCourse.  When you start
getting really comfortable, head over to the race track in Homestead and do
a track day.  When you do that, take advantage of any on-track instruction
they provide.

In the spirit of being helpful, though, I offer you the following advice:

* ALWAYS wear protective gear, even when it's hot and muggy.  Heat rash
beats road rash.
* ALWAYS ride within your limits -- and a big part of that is knowing you
have limits, especially as a beginner.  Though I wouldn't recommend it, even
a GSX-R 1000 can be managed by a beginner IF they're respectful of their
limits and the performance characteristics of the bike.
* Take personal responsibility for your own safety.  That means: stay alert,
be aware of everyone around you, expect the unexpected, and prepare for it.
Constantly ask yourself things like, "what if that SUV decides to change
lanes into me -- where will I go?"  and "what if that kid's basketball gets
away from him?" and "what if that dark spot in the road is oil or
antifreeze?"
* Know your bike, and always know before you ride it that the brakes are
good, the tires are properly inflated, the lights all work, and so on.  When
you feel comfortable doing so, get familiar with your bike mechanically.
Get a Haynes manual or similar.  The better you know your bike, the more
likely you are to detect problems early.  Mechanical failures on a bike are
inherently more dangerous than on a car for all the obvious reasons.
* Be ready to drop the bike.  It happens, particularly early in your riding
career before you've become familiar with the feel of the bike at slow
speeds.  For your own physical well-being, if it starts going over don't try
to catch it and haul it back up.  You can try to set it down gently, maybe,
but I had to learn the hard way.  It was "only" a 250, but my back and arm
were messed up for weeks.  :(
* Practice, practice, practice -- and don't underestimate the value of
slow-speed exercises.  Anyone can ride a bike fast, in a straight line.
Practice moving the bike in a straight line as slow as you can without
putting a foot down.  (I even knew a guy who could keep the bike upright at
a dead stop for several seconds, though I've never been able to duplicate
that feat.)  Practice slow circles in an empty parking lot.  Practice
braking from 20mph to zero quickly, but without locking up the wheels.
Stuff like that.

Here are some resources for you to check out:

http://ridelikeapro.com/Docs/The%20Practice%20Guide.doc
http://ridelikeapro.com/html/practice/PracticeGuideChart.htm
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/school.htm
http://bcrider.com/startriding.html

-- 
-- Rob Allen
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2001 BMW K1200LTC "BatGirl"
2004 Suzuki DRZ125L
2005 Suzuki DRZ200 Dual Sport
2007 Yamaha TT-R 50 (for the munchkin)
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Be strong enough to stand firm when you're right,
Be humble enough to admit when you're wrong,
And be wise enough to know the difference.