Looking at bikes and very confused

Hey everyone, I'm going to be taking the Riders Safety Course soon, and was thinking down the road of purchasing my first bike.  I had in mind either the Suzuki GS500 and the Kawasaki Ninja 500.  Now, here's where my question comes in.  I was looking at the Yamaha website, and saw that they have a new bike, the FZ6R.  It says on every review I've looked at that this bike is good for a beginner rider, and on some posts here.  I've also seen posts that say 600cc is way too much for a new rider.  Can anyone offer some help?  I don't wanna get myself killed, but if this bike is good for a beginner, I'd rather purchase it. Thanks in advance!!  Also, any other good sportbike suggestions that won't get me killed are very appreciated.  

It's not that 600cc bikes are "way too much for a new rider", it's that the latest supersport machines like the R6, ZX-6R, CBR600RR, etc., would be in most cases.

The new Yamaha FZ6R is designed with the new rider in mind. The 600cc engine has been retuned (even from the FZ6, which was milder than the R6) to make it more user friendly, the seat height is lower, and the chassis is designed not to be razor-sharp in its handling. All this for only $6999 is a steal in our opinion.  

Thanks, I appreciate the advice.  I want to have fun, and obviously I'm attracted to bikes that are WAAAAAAY too powerful for a beginner, so I want to make sure that I'm making the right choice.  Any other bike suggestions that anyone has, lemme know.  Thanks again.  

Personally, I think the FZ6R is a beautiful bike.  It definitely has the sport bike looks but you can tell from photographs that it would be more rider friendly (lower seat, raised clip ons).  This is the type of bike I'll move to when I eventually don't want to deal with sportbike discomfort anymore.  

Kento has it right on, this bike at that price makes it very attractive.  Hopefully the insurance doesn't run too high on it.

Have you looked at the Suzuki SV650?  That's a bike that seems similar to the FZ6R.  

Nice looker................ how heavy are you?

 
brmbrmmm

About 180, and 5'8"  

Just to clarify: the bike in PiJiL's post is the FZ6. Here's the FZ6R we were referring to earlier: