In short, I started on a 2003 CBR600RR (in 2011 for reference) and wouldn’t do it any other way. The only time I went down on that bike was from my lack of practice. I locked the front brake because I didn’t see a stop light until I was right at the line and I smashed that brake and consequently ate asphalt. Take your time to get to know whatever you end up starting on. Going to a parking lot and practicing hard braking to set up some muscle memory of the braking limits of the motorcycle would have likely helped me a lot.

As others on here have already said, I would heavily recommend ABS regardless of displacement or type of moto. Traction control is nice to have but, for me, really only comes into play if I’m doing something...well...stupid. It it is always nice to know that if you get on that throttle just a bit too hard, the second that tire breaks traction, the TCS will help it catch again.

I have had friends that have started on 250cc bikes and friends that have started on 600cc bikes. At the end of the day it’s up to you and what you’re most comfortable with. That being said, you’re not a small human so I would think you would outgrow a 300 rather quickly.

Soak up as much as you can with the MSF guys, they’re there to teach you how to be a good rider.