Not intended to sound callous, but been there and done it myself and crashed hell of alot in the process
I DID learn the hard way lol.I had the same comments and advice thrown at me, but I still didn't listen and threw numerous bikes down the road, always thought I knew better as I could get my knee down or whatever. What a twat! Wasn't until Irealised if I slowed down and thought about my riding and used my head rather than my ego I'd be safer and quicker. I don't ride on the road anymore as it's too dangerous for going fast etc, I now live on the track having learnt loads about how fast and awesome these bikes really are, and getting the best from my riding and learning more everytime. Having worked in a dealership we often had guys come in and put a deposit down on a new R1/R6 not long after passing their test, we couldn't turn them away or rufuse to serve them, all we could do was offer sound advice on staying safe and being sensible. Rather than a race can/power commander etc, the best mod you can get for any bike and any experience level is advanced instruction wether it be road or track.