Durango, This is a great bike, but if you are new to riding, then you may want to start on a smaller displacement? To me, it doesn´t matter how fast the bike goes, it´s how good the rider is, and not just at how fast they can go. Most fatalities that I see are Autos hitting a bike or a rider going down for some reason in a corner. So watch out for others and learn proper cornering skills and you should be okay on any bike.