Well, I’m perhaps the most conservative voice on here, so I’ve got to say “well, I am”. I think the 650s are unnecessarily big for beginners, and I’m vocal about that.
And you know what? I’m pleased to be that way.
I’m a very quick learner when it comes to mental things (I’m usually the geek throwing out the math around here), but when it comes to physical skills, I require a lot of practice. I’m a very strong intermediate freeride mountainbiker and snowboarder. Both skills took me several years of practice. Consequently, I still remember how hard those skills are to learn. I’m a very good instructor for those reasons. Too often instructors, even professional ones, forget just how hard some basic skills are for people with no similar experience. Too often skilled instructors forget their own early mistakes and moments of panic.
And if the guys who are paid to teach you in those times forget what it is like, how good is the advice from joe schmo who has been riding for years on a more powerful bike? To him things like clutch control aren’t just common sense, they are muscle memory. They are so easy *now* that he never needs to think about them. Thus his thought that anyone can do it without issue. But he only got to that stage with experience.
I’m the voice of the guy who hasn’t forgotten the learning experience, the guy who has to work to learn to ride properly and safely. Where other guys talk about speeding tickets and “having to pay to play”, I’m the guy that will probably never get a speeding ticket on a motorcycle. And you know what? I don’t care. Because when I get out there, I’m having a blast. I’m having fun, and I’m enjoying the world around me. And you can’t quantify happiness in cubic centimeters.