First bike

i am looking to buying my first bike. i was just wondering would it be bad to start at a 1000cc. my brother owns a 07 gsxr 1000cc and is in the navy. he was deployed for about 2 years and left the bike for me to watch before he left he showed me how to ride it safely and what to do if things did go wrong. while he was gone he wanted me to start the bike or ride it if i wanted so the engine wouldnt be sitting for 2 years. after he left i would take the bike out and ride at least once a month. after doing this for 2 years would it still be bad to start at 1000. after my brother came back i asked him and he said if thats what i want go for it, but then my uncle who taught my brother how to ride told me i need to start at a 250.  

I'm new here but I'll take this one.  Almost all of the posters here will tell you that starting with a 1000cc sportbike is a very poor and dangerous choice.  There are several reasons for this.  First of all the dramatically increased power of a 1000cc sportbike compared to smaller displacement bikes means that you will have to would have to be extremely carefull with your throttle control to avoid loosing control of the bike.  Also, an 1000cc sportbike will pull the front wheel up into the air in the first few gears under hard acceleration; don't you want to be able to run your first bike a little hard after you get used to it without being thrown onto your back?  The best case scenario for you if you do start with an 1000 is that you restrain yourself enough to baby it around while learning some basic skills that develop much slower than if you had purchased a machine that you could come closer to handeling.  Additionally, you need to realize that you are only human; as much as you say you are going to go out there on your bike and always ride slow, as you progress you will want to ride faster and a 1000cc bike is just to powerful for a beginner.  It would be like giving your sixteen year old daughter a high end Ferrari for her first car.  I am not saying that you should absolutely start on a 250, but certainly nothing over a 600.  Additionally, the supersport type of bike that you describe, the gsx-r 1000, is not really the best type of bike to start on.  It would be better for you to get a bike with a more relaxed seating position, like a SV650, Katana, GSX-F, etc.  It would be best to avoid the non forgiving super sport race replica bikes for a first ride.  Those include ZXs, GSX-Rs, R1s and R6s, and CBRrrs.  I have a Katana 600 for my first bike and I love it.  Whatever you decide be safe and respect the bike, after all any modern 600cc sportbike can out-accelerate a Corvette up to 100mph so be carefull.  Also, there is a plethora of information on this site for new riders that I found both interesting and helpfull to read.  Good luck, have fun, and be carefull.  

Well, it all depends. Can your frontal lobes control your throttle hand ? Sure, you'll learn the basics on a smaller bike, but chances are that you'll (God Forbid), have more chances of landing on your back on a Litrebike. I learned the basics on a 100 *** dual purpose back in the late '70s & graduated to a 175 *** dual purpose in a years' time. I learnt a lot of stuff on my own, since all I knew & loved were motorcycles. After a 10 year hiatus, I bought a Honda RVT 1000R in 2002, but made sure I took track lessons at Freddie Spencer's Riding School. It taught me how to handle Sportbikes properly, but at the same time, I made sure I did not do anything foolish. The 2 times I ran from the cops does not count because the first time I was 25 MPH over the limit on a 2 lane country road & the other time I was 'filtering' through traffic at over the posted limit. I guess I forgot I was in Houston, TX. & not L.A. (!).
Well, there you have it. One man's experience over 30+ years of riding. And so far, I haven't crashed on the road or track. I guess if you're old enough & mature enough to guarantee that you'd not do something foolhardy on the road, I'd say go ahead & buy the bike you like, but make sure it's for the right reasons & not because it's the biggest bad boy out there. Sounds like you're a grounded person. Just be careful whenever you get on that bike of yours. It's not worth doing something that'll dent your pride & joy & certainly not worth getting maimed or killed over (God Forbid).
Take Care & Ride Safe,
Regards,
Dr. Rahi.  

That's quite a jump from a 175 dual purpose to a 1000cc sportbike.  I am glad that you were mature enough to be responsible after making such a jump in power.  You have to realize that not everone will be able to act so responsibly.  Also, that RVT 1000r is a sweet bike however it makes 136 hp and 75 lbs of torque from stock which is certainly powerful however when you compare that to the 2007 Gixxer that we are discussing that makes 185 horsepower and 113 lbs of torque it kinda makes you realize how much of a jump in power literbikes have experienced in recent years.  I would not even reccomend an older literbike for a beginner and certainly not a newer one considering how much faster they have become.  Bikes retain their value better than almost anything (unwrecked ), so why not start with a smaller bike like a 500 or 600 and trade in a few years later.  I love my 600 and never plan on selling it, even if I do get a newer bike.  I do reccomend that you look for a bike that has fuel injection and a liquid cooling system.  Being carborated and air cooled are the only negative aspects I have found about my bike.  Also, it seems like it would be helpful to have a gear indicator, which my bike lacks, especially for a beginner.  Have fun and ride safe.  Live to ride, ride to live.