A liter bike for a new rider?

Hi everyone. I am asking this question for a friend of mine who is thinking about taking hjs MSF course next month, and wants to buy an R1 for his first bike. I have never owned a sports bike. I've always ridden cruisers, so I can't really give him any advice from experience. But I have told him that it's probably not a good idea to buy a liter bike as a beginner because they're too powerful. I have advised him to start with maybe a R3 or Ninja 400 as his first bike, and then maybe upgrade to a liter bike a couple of years later. He said that there are ride modes A, B, C, and D that can help control power, etc. I am not sure how seriously he'll take my advice due to my lack of knowledge about sports bikes. So, I wanted to hear from some of you in the community who have more experience with sports bikes. Do the ride modes on liter bikes make them safe/tame enough for new riders? How would you explain to a new rider why they should or should not get a liter bike as their first bike?