Learning on an FZ-07

I think the Ninja 300 is a better first bike, having owned both. 1) The resale value is excellent for the Ninja, so if you do want something faster, you can trade it in. 2) That slipper clutch is very forgiving. New riders often get into a lower gear than they want when downshifting. Do that on the FZ-07 (shouldn't happen since there's a gear indicator) but it still might, and your rear wheel locks and kicks out possibly with loss of control. I'm talking about where you THINK you are downshifting from say 5th to 4th, but you are really in 2nd and downshift to 1st which is a new rider error. The Ninja 300 slipper clutch (standard equipment) prevents the clutch from instantly engaging in this scenario and so you probably would not lose control. 3)Ninja 300 has an ABS option. 4) You could always just keep the Ninja and buy another faster bike later since it is an excellent commuter with great mileage, handles the highway very well, and may be the best all-around light bike out there. 5) If speed does turn out to be your thing, then the FZ-07 is still not going to be fast enough and you may still want a faster bike in a short time. The Ninja 300 is not fast off the line, for sure, but it is still faster than normal city traffic if you want to accelerate fast, but that relative slowness can work to your advantage as a new rider.

This, the FZ-07, is my first bike. I got it a week ago and just passed the 200 mile marker, and I have no complaints... about the bike that is. Here was my logic about buying new vs used.
With this being my first bike, it means I have no experience with bikes whatsoever. No mechanical/technical, no whats good, whats bad, etc. Meaning if I walked into a dealer and they tried to sell me a used really good deal vs a used POS, I couldn't tell the difference. I've been a car guy all my life and have bought several used cars for daily driver and/or projects, and I don't care how much research you do about a vehicle, unless you know what to look for, listen to, inspect, or how to test it, you're rolling the dice when you buy used. And even knowing all that stuff it's still a gamble. With that being said, would you really want to be a new rider when your used bike stalls out, breaks down, or starts doing who knows what while you're on one of your first rides in the middle of no where? Better yet, would you know how to recover from said failure while, lets say doing 60mph in the middle of traffic? I know this happens with any bike but is less likely with a bike right out the crate. With that being said, as you learn to ride your new bike, you learn your new bike. What it sounds like, how it feels, etc. So when you hear your first tap tap tap, or feel the hesitation, lack of power, stutter, vibration etc. you know there's something wrong because the bike doesn't feel the way it did the first time you drove it off the lot.
In regards to laying it over, the best thing I've been told is that it doesn't matter if you're a first time rider or a 20 year veteran. It doesn't matter if it's $2000 bike or a $20,000 Your chances of putting it on the ground never changes, and if you go into buying a bike with the expectation of never laying it down, then you should just save your money and walk. I bought my first bike new, with the expectation of laying it down. But with that in mind, I installed the engine guards and I've ordered the frame sliders to limit the amount of damage. I also bought all the other gear for myself, like helmet, jacket, gloves, boots... Because I know I 'll be on it when it falls. But when it falls I 'll know it is because of something I did, or because something, other than the bike I spent my hard earned money on, is to blame. I know it won't be because my brake cylinder failed because someone used the wrong fluid, or those pads that were suppose to be new, were not so much. It won't be when the engine seized while I was diving into a turn because oil that was suppose to be changed every xx number of miles, was really changed every other xx number of miles. I feel safe on my new FZ-07, because I know it is dependable and I know it is well taken care of because I've been taking care of it. That's my 2... and a half cents.
In regards to the FZ-07 for learning. I've learned a lot over the past week and I know I'll continue to learn for a long time because I won't be limited by the size or lack of power of my bike. I won't have to trade it in or wish it was bigger. My opinion is that it is light, responsive, and feels amazing to ride. I even did a little maintenance on it today, tightened and lubed the chain, did rear wheel alignment, and adjusted the suspension. everything was fairly easy to do and parts were accessible. Ultimately, this was the bike that I wanted, and so I couldn't justify buying anything else.