kiwi
Well-known member
I usually watch that at the beginning of every spring.. And also the SMIDSY video
Not starting on a 600cc supersport has nothing to do with the horsepower and everything to do with the unforgiving (to the novice) brakes, suspension, and riding position...all of which are designed for track performance and stopping/turning at triple digit speeds.
People who suggest you just need "will power" would be better riders if they had learned on a machine that allows you to become confident (through initial ease-of-use) with the brakes and steering.
If you plan on white-knuckling it everywhere and never learning to ride properly - by all means, buy yourself a 600 class supersport as your first bike.
+1 to confundo. It's not about self control. It's about a noob not having the experience when faced with a bad situation and either grabbing too much throttle or something. Even within 600s there are differences. I had a Katana 600, a YZF600R and a Gixxer 600. All different power characteristics. The Katana is a good mid range step up bike. The YZF is plenty on the street and can get you into trouble easily enough and the Gixxer a lot more so.