It’s not a criticism or an insult; it’s a friendly word of caution. Anthony, I hate to be the broken record here, but a 600cc supersport just isn’t a beginner bike. It doesn’t matter if you’ve ridden on dirt; the low power of the bikes (was that 125cc 2-stroke or 4-stroke?) and the loose terrain will mask a lot of the learning issues you run into on pavement. You’ll probably learn faster than somebody with no experience at all, but you still shouldn’t take unnecessary risks.
I’ve said it 1000 times on this forum, but it’s the same question again and again each of our new members, so here’s my response…AGAIN (sorry to all the people who have to read this every time):
I own a GSX-R600. I wanted it from day one. I’d dream about it. I had friends that had them. But somehow I got talked into a different direction, and my first bike was a Ninja 250R. It’s a damn good thing that it was. I learned to ride faster, better, and safer than I ever could have on a gixxer. I still have that bike, and ride it fairly often, despite the fact that it’s one of three that I now own.
If we’re honest, you and I, we’ll have to admit that a large factor in the decision making process to get a sportbike revolves around either the LOOK of a sportsbike, or the desire to own an authentic race machine. It’s no surprise. If Ferraris cost $11-13K a piece, a lot of dumb teenagers (not to say you are one, but I sure was back in the day…hopefully have learned a bit since then) would buy them too. But just as a Ferrari is a terrible first car, and totally impractical to drive around the city, a sportbike is a terrible first bike, and just as impractical anywhere but on a track or a spirited ride through some twisty backroads. If you really want to get to the point where you can really ride a sportbike the way it was meant to be ridden, get good at just riding a normal bike first. Just trust me. You don’t have to get a 250, but there are a ton of decidedly beginner-friendly bikes of all styles out there, all the way up to 650cc. Walk before you run, look before you leap, blah blah blah you know the drill.