Get your down votes ready.

I was riding for about 6 months when I purchased my s1000rr. I did so for a variety of reasons. It really is a safe bike if you ride it safely. If you ride like someone that is trying to prove a point, regardless of the size of the engine, you're going to get yourself into trouble. In addition, no matter what the safety features are of a bike, if you do things that you really shouldn't, you're going to probably go down. A RR is a serious bike. It is a real responsibility. If you think that there are only two positions on the throttle - 0, and 100%, then this is not the bike for you.

What I will say, is that Keith Code says that this is the best bike for training on:

"The brand new BMW S1000RR has taken the industry by surprise. While it has a class leading 193+ horsepower, it is the easiest bike to ride on the market. In short it is the perfect training bike on the market today. With its industry leading electronic aids, a student can select the level of aid appropriate to their skills." per http://superbikeschool.com/machinery/bmws1000rr.php

I know that "training" doesn't mean learning on the street, but that doesn't nullify everything else - I think that it still applies. Also, if you treat the street like a track, then I don't care what you ride, you're a f***, and you have it coming.

I love the bike. It is great. While it has several safety features, I make it a point to not push beyond myself to try to test them. I don't have a point to prove. I bought the bike because I wanted it, liked it, felt good on it when I test-rode it, and I regret zero percent of the purchase.

I will say this - it is a really pricey bike to lose if you go down...

So, I'll wrap up and summarize with this:

1.) If you're wanting to push the limit, don't. Don't do this right now. This is a great bike to ramp up as far as you want to go, but if you ramp up too steep, you're going to have a bad time.

2.) You need to be able to afford to lose this bike. This isn't a piece of crap you can just toss out on most budgets.

3.) Ride the bike - you can test ride one at any BMW dealership; they're cool like that. See if it fits you and if you really like it. They make you sign a paper at the dealership when you take it out that you accept full responsibility for your actions and the bike. If you're not comfortable with that, then you should hold off.

4.) Don't listen to a bunch of people who have read the specs on the bike and think that it is wrong for you. They've never touched one and have no idea what they're talking about. This isn't an R1, an H2, or a GSX-R 1000. It is a totally different bike when you want it to be. It is both tamer and more gentle, and far more harsh and furious depending on how you ride it. Keep it under 8k for a while.

Cheers.

So there it is. Neg away you big bunch of cynical self-loathing pseudo-brotherhood of haters.