I for one never understood the point of starting "small" then working your way up. Unless you have a bunch of disposable income, which in that case go for it, but most people don't. So what happens when in a year or so (prob sooner) you want something bigger? You go out, sell the bike, lose some cash & have to buy another? Doesn't make sense in my book. It's all dependent on the rider, of course. Myself, given the option, would start off on the bike I wanted, not what some feel I should "start" on. I agree with the statement above, if you're going to do something dumb that'll hurt you, you'll do it just as easily on a 600 as you would on a 1000. Get the bike you want.