Another Newbie, am I on the right track?

[dave0]

more good advice, thanks! yeah i had been lurking for a while before i started this thread and read that novel (hell, its got chapters) by BMW-K, it was chock full of good stuff. yeah i am commited that i wont ride 2 up til i have some serious time under my belt and it will prob be my second bike before we get into that. this website has really opened up my eyes about different options and steering me towards the best ones. yeah i know i will drop my bike, thats another reason why i had a hard time looking at the SV, i didnt want to get a bike that i loved and then be pissed at myself for damaging it. i have considered frame sliders as much of a neccessity as a helmet, lol  

[Gohot229]

Well your a grown Man and should be able to control your right wrist, so heres my take on it. You can get one or another of these 'small' bikes cc. wise or for the same or less money, get something you will want to keep after you become experianced. The bike I'm talking about will carry you and your wife, and have abundant power for anything that you could ever come across. The bike.....a Generation 1 FZ1 Yamaha. For anywhere from 3-5.5K you can get a really low mileage FZ and with your heigth of 6'4" be VERY comfortable, and allow 'Her' to be comfortable too, no thong seat in the rear, or...uncomfortable pillion for Her, no.......a real seat.....She will thank you!!! Once you are experianced, this bike will amaze you with about 125 rear wheel horspower, all in a EASILY controlable package. Pluss 45 mpg. It can be fearsome, but it's way easier to be very mellow too. I believe one of the best kept secrets out there. While I can see your thinking with the Bandit big block, I believe when it's all said and done you'll be far better off and happier with an FZ1.

[Skidmark]

This is contrary to standard recommended practices of buying a smaller starter bike to learn on and progressing to a larger one, but when I started, it was on a 1999 YZF-600R.  It has all the suspension adjustment of an R6, but with a steel frame and slightly lower seat which is also not split (more accomodating for passengers).  I took it 2-up on numerous occasions, and aside from turning the damping and preload up a bit, it was perfect as is.  The YZF is small enough to solo carve the dragon, and large enough to take the wife if you want.  

The SV650 is a great starter bike if you're going solo.  It does not have the fully adjustable suspension however.  So you would want to upgrade to GSX-R suspension, or another bike if you planned on doing any long 2-up riding(several days).  Rest assured, your head is in the right spot with wanting to start small and work your way up.  I learned on my YZF-600R and didn't die(just barely).  You will learn faster and be more proficient if you start small, but if you can respect power and know your limits, you may be able to get away with a larger bike as your first.