If you can't afford full leather gear you can't afford the motorcycle. Buy the gear before you buy the bike and be careful. yes a 600RR is too much bike for a starter I would suggest at least a early 00' 600 if you must.

 

Upgrade the Rider before the bike, Take the Motorcycle Safety Course and then take a track day. Those two things will not only make you a safer rider but a faster and more fun one. Waaaayy cheaper then most mods too both together shouldnt cost more then 400 bucks

 

i started on a cbr 600 but i rode lots of other things my whole life. a 600 is alot of bike and can be faster on a track than a liter bike if conditions are right. i'm not saying go out and buy a 1000 but i like the fact that the 1k has alot smoother power delivery and seems to bo more managable untill u crank it 7000 rpms and above. just be carefull on a 600 because they still capable of 140 + and just dont get ichy to get on a straight road and crank it

 

Don't worry about the bike, first mods should definitely be good full gear! If you are only riding on the street you will not come anywhere close to using the full potential of the bike. I have an '08 and you can do 60mph+ in first gear, and it's a very rare occasion that I take it above 10k RPM even during spirited canyon riding. It's my two cents that more performance for a street machine will just get you over the speed limit and into trouble that much faster. Also I've had older bikes until I bought the '08, and I quickly realized that for sure the limit of riding was now myself and not the machine, it'll do whatever I ask it to and still have plenty left to spare.

 

+1 gear first! nice helmet/jacket/glove/boots

 

Honestly it's up to you.. whether or not you have the respect for your bike and the safety for yourself. If you think you can then yeah sure, but if you can't then i'd start off with something smaller.. get full gear.

 

i agree with most people on this forum, if you want a 600 then buy one. I was in your position a month ago, im 19 and people keept telling me to get a 250 to learn on. But i always said why buy something that i dont want/like, i wont take care of it, and if i learn on a 250 then og to a 600 the power is going to be way diffrent and ill be learning again. i went out and bought a 05 600rr. rode it in a parking lot for like 2 hours got ust to the clutch brakes etc. But even to this day i am still learning alot. If you disrespect the power of the 600 then youll get hurt quick. just be smart when riding and you'll be just fine. and oh yeah get gloves and a helment boots if you think you need um.

 

I had experience on 2 wheels before getting my F3. It was 20 years in the past and on 250s. First thing my F3 tried to do was toss me off the back end. And even with a mile wide flat spot, it cruised along at 75 mph. The whole time I coulda sworn I was doing 40 (the speedo was broke)

Starting on a 600 with 0 experience on 2 wheels isn't the greatest idea. A person can have all the respect in the world for the bike and its power. But they don't have any experience with a motorcycle's throttle. Most 1st time riders' experience with a vehicle is in an automatic transmission car. Most of those cars you can floor the gas and the car will think for 2-3 secs before it decides to go. Versus a 600's throttle where if the rider opens it too fast just to 1/4th throttle the front end will start to come up.

You're not quite an anomaly since in the US it's a PITA to find a 250 sport bike. So many people start on 600s and most do so safely. But you'd have learned a lot faster on a 250 than you are on your 600. Even 1 season on a 250 would have built a solid foundation so when you bought the 600 the next year, you'd likely only have to acclimate to the weight and the throttle response.

Oh and that last line is kinda offensive. A new rider shouldn't "think" he needs gloves, helmet and boots. They need that, and a jacket, period

 

See this is what new riders n older thick heads dont realize, new riders have zero control, have no clue wtf to do in a panic situation. Jam on the brakes on any modern 600 and you will do one of too things, a face plant followed by a bike to the back of the head or if its the rear brake, it locks up n they learn what its like to be superman. Learning how to be a good RIDER is what should be priority, but its not, its I want to look cool, I wanna get laid, I dont wanna get laughed at by all my bigger is better squid friends with chicken strips the size of the grand canyon.

A 250 is forgiving, learning on one will make you a BETTER RIDER.

And yea sure lots of ppl start out on 600s, but only like 1 in 10 do so w/o crashing!!!

Gear is a must too, good boots, good gloves, a good jacket, and I highly suggest good pants too!!!

 

im happy to be 1 out of the 10. well i started on a f3 and not a rr so thats different but just be as safe as you can and have fun