It is a great bike but I donĀ“t know for a 1st time rider. I love my 2006. My brother in law has never really ridden a street bike and he got on it and decided it was a bit much for him to start out on. It is 800+cc which may be alot . I sugesst maybe a 600 or lower and then move up. That way you will get comfortable riding and then progress up. You can find plenty of bikes in this range used to learn on and they resell pretty good