Quote:
Originally Posted by midknight
I subscribe to the idea that if you have good self control you can start on any bike you want to - but I also think starting on a ZX-10, ZX-14, busa, etc. is just crazy talk.
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And so long as a beginner who subscribes to that same philosophy never ends up in a situation that is beyond their control, then great, they can easily start on any bike they want. The problems come when that new rider gets in over their head for whatever reason.
Borrowed from Deadstick -
Although I can handle the bike under normal circumstances, I am no longer confident that I can handle it in all circumstances. I think that is where the idea of a "beginner" bike really lies. It's not that a beginner can't ride it if he/she does everything correctly, it's that he/she should be able to ride it with a margin of safety even if he/she does something wrong or conditions exceed his/her skill level.
The above is my signature from
http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum.php. I saw it in a thread about discussing good starter bikes and I really liked it. Very straightforward and to the point. So I copied into my sig line on that site. It is so easy for people to forget what it is like for a new rider, or a new driver, or a new (insert dangerous hobby here), that they begin to think, "Yeah, I should have just started on that Busa." All one needs to do is find all of the COLOSSAL failures of new or newer riders, or even riders with some experience but poor training, that are posted all over the internet for proof that starting small may not be so bad after all. YouTube is a great place to start.
I've already said it before: You can start on anything you want, probably come out alright, and maybe even be a better rider than someone who started on a 250. It takes training and practice to do so, and in my experience, the people who want to automatically jump to the larger bikes lack the ability for delayed gratification. Which is why, usually, people who start smaller (125cc-650cc, no SS) end up doing better in the long run. Because they invest more in to the sport, part of which is researching and deciding a smaller bike isn't a bad choice as a starter.