Pros and Cons of a 600cc for first bike

Hi,
I've been thinking quiet a bit about what I will get for a first bike. I want a GSX-R600. But I also realize that this is a very powerful bike and may not be suited to a beginner rider. I want something that I won't soon become bored with (as I fear I would if getting a 250cc). What are your thoughts on smaller bikes and if getting a 600cc for first bike, what should I know about that will be harder with the 600? Thank you!
Kevin  

Im not sure of any general experience you may have (i.e. dirtbikes, etc.), nor how old you are, but assuming you are mature and able to control your throttle hand i dont see a problem with starting out with a 600.  My advice to you however is this...Consider a sport touring 600cc bike such as the Kawasaki ZZR600, or Yamaha's YZF600.  I owned a ZZR600 for a little over a year as a first bike.  I was 18 and about 165lbs.  The bike is still very fast and handles well--it was Kawasaki's race bike from 2000-2002 so you know it has the performance.  After that i started riding my friends 750's and 1000's and i was able to handle them because i went through the learning curve with the ZZR600.  Last tid bit of my personal opinion.........Starting out with a companies race bike (GSXR600, ZX6r, R6, CBR600 etc.) will be more challenging due to their torque over the sport touring bikes.  You dont want anything that has the front end coming up on you when you dont want it to (you dont really have to worry about that though after you leave 1st gear, just thought i'd throw that out there though).  Anyways, good luck man.  Whatever you do, get something that you like otherwise your wasting your money.

-Andrew  

Thank you. I have slight experience with dirtbikes and I'm 18. But I also have a respect for bikes (a friend totaled his about a year ago and even with gear was in the hospital) so I want to keep it safe. I hadn't thought of the idea of getting a sport touring bike first, that's a good idea that I'll look into. You made some points that I hadn't thought of.

Thanks!
Anyone else?  

I HAVE JUST PASSED MY TEST AND HAD MY BIKE ON THE ROAD FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY!!
i am 23 and ride a yamaha fz 600 it may be a bit long in the tooth now but its a cracking little bike in great nick and after having passed my test on a much younger nimbler honda 500 i have got used to it quite quickly and so long as you dont get carried away with the throttle and keep a "sensible" head there is no reason why you shouldnt go for a 600 too its amazing how much respect you gain for a machine when you accept it is far more cape-able than you are!
good luck mate whatever you decide
les  

I started riding bikes 40 or so years ago.  I started out with the old Briggs&Stratton 5hp mini-bikes, then to the 175cc trail bikes, then to 400 cc trail bikes, then to 400 cc street bikes.  By that time, I felt comfortable enough to be able to handle any bike on the road.  Maybe not to it's maximum potential, but enough that I wasn't afraid of dropping it.  I've had my share of wrecks and broken bones, so even though I ride a sport bike, I don't ride it to it's full potential.  I believe that you should start small and work your way up to the bigger bikes.  The 600 cc sport bikes these days are faster than the 1100 cc bike that I had in the late 1970s.  Just like when you were learning to walk, it consisted of a lot of falling down, learning to ride a bike is often rather similar.  The main difference is that the falling down tends to hurt a bit more these days.  If you are just learning how to ride on the street, you're going to probably lay your bike down somewhere along the way.  It might be something as minor as just a bit of oil on the road at an intersection after a quick summer shower, it might something as serious as trying to take a curve a bit too fast, or it might be because something jumped / pulled out in front of you and the choice was to either lay it down or go fork first into it.  The end result is that there is a good chance that the bike is going to get scratched up a bit in the process of you learning how to ride.  My suggestion is to find a good deal on an older bike and learn on it.  Once you can go a year or so of steady riding without laying it down, then consider moving up to a bigger bike.  Just remember, those driver in the cars are out to get you.  Those aren't hood ornaments on their cars, they're crosshairs.  

In spring 2006, I bought a brand new GSX-R 600. Youre thinkin, yea, so? Well heres the kicker... it was the first bike Id ever ridden. Yea, a little crazy, but I was REALLY careful and everything was fine. It is possible. Take progress slow, and youll be ok.  

600 SS can work out for some people, not knocking that at all, but i will say that the odds are against it.  you are gonna get what you want, i would say get something small to learn on, resale value is great on the smaller bikes.  its like giving a 16 year old brand new driver a lambo for their first car.  just be safe in whatever you get, thats the big thing.  take a MSF course too  
~2006 CBR 600RR~

the bike only does what you tell it to do, could be the fastest or the mildest bike you,ve ridin, just for sake of constant upgrades cc wise go big, I choose the gsxr 1000 for my 1st street bike 7500 miles later no probs, respect the bike ride within ur limits all should  be well...  

just get the gixxer 600 and maybe talk to your local suzuki dealer about a restrictor/limiter kit, this will prevent you doing something really stupid, but, when you get a little more mature, start to know the bike a litle more, just get it taken off them you will be getting the full force of that suzi engine! have fun!  
HoNdA bOy JeFfErZ!!

get a 93-96 CBR 600 keep it under 2500 RPM's until you get out of second gear.  The front end won't come up unless you clutch it and hammer the RPM's.  You will have more to worry about, cars in your lane, cars behind you, people crossing streets and not seeing you, doors opening ect.......take the course  

i had a 750 nitehawk for my first bike when i was 18. i dropped it a few times in the driveway/parking lots at really slow speeds. after a year and 2000 miles i got a zx7r. i thought i was ready. but as it turns out, i dropped that one too, in a driveway. had a few close calls at mega speeds, and when people say things like "i wont speed" blah blah -the power really is insane. these machines easily break the speed limit in 1st gear. anyways, im almost 30 now. so it can be done. you can live. but the odds are against you.. if i were you i would buy a 3000 dollar whatever in the paper that i wouldnt mind dropping a few times. a nice early to mid 90's 600. that shouldnt bore you, yet it wont be so powerful like todays bikes. good luck  

i am one of those guys who went out and bought an '07 GSXR 600 for my first bike. i have had riding experience on other peoples bikes 600's, 1000's, and dirt bikes. i always thought to my self i will be careful, i wont get nuts with the throttle,ECT.... i got to tell ya that throttle is like crack.it will leave you white knuckled with dirty underwear if you're not ready for it. just be careful and always  respect what your are sitting on top of. it can and will kill you the second you forget that. i have had a couple of hairy moments that made me remember. have fun!!!!  

The key is maturity and don't let peer pressure make you do something you don't want to. Know your limits until you progress. I think a 600 is a great starter bike if you don't push past your limits and learn control.  

Wow. It has been like a year since anyone even seems to have posted anything on this site. Kinda odd. But I figure maybe I will see if anyone has anything to say in 2008. My first sport bike is is the Yamaha R6s. It is very agile and responsive and dyno charts are exellent on the R6s. But I dont feel that it is too much bike for any adult male. Unless you are exceptionally small for a man. It has everything you would want in a beginner sport bike. I can easily ride a wheely or hit speeds over 150 mph. It corners with precision and has an exellent center of gravity. I would recommend it to any one who has a wild streak in them and likes to use the power for the purpose it was made for. But if you are just going to take it for casual riding, go with something a bit less elite and maybe a bit cheaper. Although The Yamaha R6s prices about the same as the Suzuki GSXR600. But over all performance the Yamaha R6s out does the competition.  

One more thing. Listen to advice from experienced riders. TAKE THE RIDERS TRAINING COURSE IN YOUR AREA. Training and knowledge will help keep you alive and intact. Be Safe everyone, and have maximum fun.