Here's the honest truth about 300's vs 600's as starter bikes. Just to give you an idea of my credibility...

My first bike was a 2011 GSXR 600. My second bike was a 2014 YZF-R6. My current bike is a 2015 YZF-R3.... Yeah, I went from riding 600's to a 300 and it was actually awesome. I love my R3 far more than my R6, but not as much as my GSXR 600. Why? It's leaps and bounds more comfortable than the R6, it has better amenities that my 2014 R6 didn't have (gear indicator, gas gauge, etc.), and you have power through every gear (if I'm on the highway and I'm riding in 6th gear on the R6 and rip the throttle all the way, I'm not going anywhere because there is absolutely no power in 6th gear. With the R3, I can be in 6th gear and not have to shift down if I need to accelerate).

Honestly, when I'm by myself I don't miss the power at all, but when I'm riding with friends, I absolutely miss the power I had with my 600's. No matter who you're riding with, if they are riding 600cc's or higher, they will leave you in the dust. I ride with my buddy who has a Harley Custom (not sure on the displacement, but definitely over 1000cc) and when we get on the highway, I have so much trouble keeping up with him. Another buddy of mine rides an FZ-07 and I have trouble keeping up with him as well. If you're on local roads there's absolutely no problem with keeping up, but once you get to highway speeds you'll notice the massive difference in power.

So here's my final thoughts.

Reasons you should consider starting on a 300:

- 300cc bikes will be more forgiving when you mess up (bad throttle control, bad clutch control, bad shifting, stalling, etc.)

- 300cc bikes are lighter (so you're less likely to drop it)

- You have the perfect amount of power (if you're riding around town or CRUISING on the highway)

- they're more comfortable for longer rides (subjective to the rider)

Reasons you should consider starting on a 600 or higher:

- you won't get tired of the power nearly as fast as you would with a 300

- the resale value is a lot higher

-  you have more than enough power to keep up with almost anyone

My biggest con with starting on a 600 is it's weight. If you're new to riding, you're eventually going to drop your bike. Especially if it's 600cc or higher. I've had close calls on my R3, but because of how light it is, I had no trouble recovering. If I were on my R6 or GSXR 600 those fuckers were going down GUARANTEED. But that's really about it.