:facepalm:
the fact that everyone is saying you CAN start on a 54 should slap you in the face telling that that it is possible to start on one but wouldnt be the best choice. this argument can go on forever and people with thick heads wont ever change their opinion because they have started on one and turned out fine so they think all is fine for everyone else.
OP: do as you please.... actually go get it because thats more potential opportunities for the rest of us on here for spare parts to buy and sell to you if u go down.

um,you can totally handle it man.... just "take it easy" and of course you "wont speed, especially when u first get it". silly us for suggesting the safe proper way to learn to ride!

 

ya, and i dont want to come off too d!ck!sh

but if you're trying to find ways around sweat (which believe me, as a motorcyclist, thats one of the smallest inconvieniences you're going to encounter), it just leads me to believe that you're not interested in riding for RIDING, but just to look cool or try something new, or you haven't decided if ridings really for you yet.

compound that with the fact that you're going to get a 954, you have no expirience (riding your friend's bike once or twice doesnt count for anything), you havent really made your mind up about what you're going to do about gear...

your odds aren't good...

 

yea and i think people dont realize the purpose for starting on a smaller bike isnt just the fact that its not as fast, but its more FORGIVING in unexpected situations. i think someone said before not to blame it on the bike and that its operator error if something happens........ well a smaller bike reduces that potential operator error.

 

BULLSH!T!!! My 954 and all other 954's are lighter than some 600's and less than most 1000's
as a matter a fact my brothers 06 600rr feels bigger. i look at my bike and it looks like a damn matchbox.....not to mention when it comes to brakin the bike has a set of massive 330's up front. dont think i can name another bike with bigger than 320's

 

Smaller as in engine displacement.

No offense but if you think length and weight are what this discussion is about, you're nowhere near qualified to give advice

 

You're all wrong. This discussion is about what to look for when buying a motorcycle, not whether or not the 954 is okay to start on.

 

Would any of us let our 18+ yr old ride a 954 as a first bike? 99.8% of us would say "NO".My son would not even sit on it a first.Taught him on a older 600 and still had fun.

 

Did you forget u were on a F4I? how are you gonna give any input about the 954?????? Your topic is further up the page on the main page.......ur dip'n a lil low......

And this topic started as "thinking of getting my first bike" but after all the negativity about the 954 being a bad starter bike it went were it went.......

 

but pimpin, every time you say something, you prove another one of OUR points. you talk about big brakes up front, well, if any new rider grabs too much front brake, their instinct is they freeze and pull harder on the lever causing them to endo the bike and land on their head.

 

Nobody was bashing the 954 as a bike. We're all stating a simple fact: the larger the engine of the sport bike, the more difficult and unwise it is to begin riding on it. Substitute ANY bike with a larger engine.

And yeah I ride a F4i. If it weren't for the time I had on scooters and 250s back in my teens AND the time on my F3, I'd prolly would've had a major wreck. The throttle response of just the measily little F4i can surprise someone with NO experience with it and NO throttle control.

And that's what gets new riders hurt and killed: they have no throttle control because that's a skill that must be LEARNED. Being unable to maintain an even throttle while leaned down in a turn when they hit a bump and accidently open / shut the throttle. On a 250: prolly won't even notice. On a 600: you'll feel the bike destabilize but prolly can ride thru it. Go bigger: they're in real danger of losing the rear. Same goes with manhole covers, gravel, water, painted crosswalks and any condition where the traction changes suddenly.