the dirt bike idea is good, but most don't have the funds to get both, but then again you could buy a dirt bike, learn, then sell it once your ready for a street bike, but i think getting a older street bike would be better so that you can ride it on the street and parking lots legally... i wouldn't suggest a R6 if someone asked me, but if someone has their mind set on one it wouldn't say hell no either... you just need to respect it and take your time... i personally bought a old 80's honda 450 street bike with a friend that wanted to get into riding for a couple hundred bucks, we got the very basics down on that as we had never ridden dirt or anything in our lives and then picked up sub-$3,000 mid 90's street bikes to get our 1st season experience in on something that if we wrecked it we wouldn't be still paying for 3 years down the road

 

I was thinking aout that too! afterall my first car was a beater then I step up to a faster car. that should be the way to go.

 

My humble advice is sort of along the same lines as others.............but Del La Sol is the closest!!!!

Buy something old, cheap, easy to fix, and won't look bad if you add some scratches to it!!!! Then after a good year of riding sell it for what you bought it for and buy the sportbike of your dreams!!!!!

An R6 is by no means a "starter" bike. If you just have to have newer, and it just has to be a sportbike I would highly reccomend the Katana 600. If you can go the standard route jump on the GS500.

I started with a 1977 CB750. That was back in 92. I've since owned four "standard" style Hondas in between that CB750 and my current F4. So I basically had about ten years of riding experience before I stepped up to a sportbike.

The MSF course is a MUST!

Good luck with whatever decision you go with!!!!

 

the new GS500's are fully faired, so that might be another option..

GS500 is lighter than the katana, and the katana has quite a long wheelbase..

if you go that route my advice would be to get a Kawasaki Ninja 500r, same idea, but its water cooled, and lighter than both mentioned above.. The others havent been updated in years..