For those that want to go short(er) early on.

[drowningbitbybit]

In all sports there's a learning curve. In skiing no one likes to be on the "bunny hill". But going up to the Double Black Diamond run too soon is foolish. When you first went to the batting cage, did you try softball slow pitch then next go to the fast pitch mode ? ( you probably did, and got scared out of your pants ) Another sport I like is motorcycle racing. Lots of guys with money but no skills. They got the equipment but can't control it. Riders that stepped up their rides as their skill level increased, end up being better in the long run.

Try reading this post. https://answers.yahoo.com/question/inde ... 602AAhauHi
It is very similar to the questions here from beginners about what size bike ( board ) to get.

"A 450 is definately not a bike for a begiiner, or even a novice rider. They, meaning any of the Japanese 450's have a massive amount of power and is matched with an equal amount of engine torque that is pushing a bike only slightly heavier than the 250's. I could go into details but I will aim at keeping it simple, and in reality also.

You say you are a beginner but you are talking about a bike that needs a real expert rider to get even close to making the bike work hard, it is simply too much for a beginner to handle. Look at any form of motor sport and it takes years of effort and dedication to get to know the skills and technique of riding a fast bike fast. Plenty of guys buy them and you find them riding in a group at the back of a Motox race being blown away by bikes half the capacity. Those guys ignored reality and had they bought say a 250 four stroke then they would be able to ride faster, the reason being the 450 has them bluffed (scared) and it takes a lot of experience and confidence to push the 450 while a 250 is nowhere near as hard to get confident riding. If you don't feel confident on it then you won't push your own limits as hard so you probably will never get the skills you will need. It really is that simple.

The 250 might get into a rear wheel power slide turning on the power out of a corner, that is fun and great training to improve your skills. the 450 in the same situation will dump you on your back side that you won't have a clue what happened, let alone how to not do it again and stay upright.

My grandson was 16 years old and either a win or placed in almost all his races on an 80cc Yamaha, he was quick to learn his riding skills but lacked any logical thinking and came to think he was the 'king'. So off to the local Honda shop and wheeled a brand new 450 home, he worked part time and still at school.
So the next action was predictable, his mates from school got invited around to see it and so off they all went to a local clearing, he at least thought about his safety gear. Well the blind idiot took off with heaps of wheel spin, up to second and more wheel spin then got rear wheel traction so fast the bike stood amost upright and he was too panic stricken to let go of the throttle. The bike found the latrgest tree in the clearing and attacked it, the front forks were bent as were the handle bars and a few other things, lots of cosmetic damage. The dummy got 2 broken legs and a fractured pelvis. That was two years ago and he still can't sit on a bike without shaking. That was all very predictable, sure he could handle the little Yamaha but when it came to a 450 he was .way out of his depth'.

Think long and hard about how experienced you are about your riding skills and bike craft."

Speed, Timing, Position on the wave, Where you take-off, rail pressure, etc. all change when you go from a 8'0" longboard to a Fish. "Anything worthwhile in life, takes time" is a good quote. Don't get too anxious.

[oldmansurfer]

Yeah that is such a common theme here. They probably see Kelly Slater or someone else doing all these great maneuvers on a shortboard and think they if they got a shortboard they would quickly be doing those same maneuvers not even thinking that Kelly Slater has probably spent more time surfing than they have spent awake in their life

[drowningbitbybit]

Kelly Slater has probably spent more time surfing than they have spent awake in their life

Well put!