I agree with his article to a certain degree...I do believe there should be a cc restriction based on the AGE and DRIVING EXPERIENCE of the new rider.
Having said that, I started on a Ninja 500 as my first bike when I was 22 and loved it. I'm 5'11" at 180lbs and I've pretty much stayed at that weight until now (I'll be 28 in Feb). I drove for 4 years before that...and drove standard which I think is VERY IMPORTANT! I quickly moved to a gixxer600 the second season, but I will honestly tell you that I got bored of the Ninja after a month and tried out my friends' R6, gixxer750 and even Ducati749 that same starting season and had no problem with them whatsoever. I have however stayed at the 600cc supersport level ever since simply b/c I don't see the need for anything bigger (esp. with the new insurance rates).
I guess what I'm trying to say, is that given enough regular driving experience, a certain level of maturity and mechanical inclination, I wouldn't put it past someone to start off on a USED 600cc sport bike (I say used b/c even if you don't drop it while riding, you WILL drop it at a gas station etc...and you'll feel like poo dropping a brand new bike).
My $0.02,
~Paul.
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