@karlc
Congrats on getting into biking. There now follows a long rambling info dump which may or may not help!
I am a 32" inside leg and have been riding for decades. Spent last 10 years on a Triumph Street Triple 675R. Before that I had a gen 1 Fazer 1000. The Street Triple is huge fun, light, a bit small if you're really tall but for a 5'9" like me it was perfect. The 675 Triple engine is sublime and flatters new riders as well as giving those downsizing from litre class enough to keep them entertained. Weak point is the charging system on the 675/800 triples. If the alternator has had a racing engine protector fitted it may overheat, ditto if aftermarket electrical accessories are fitted. The 800 Tiger is a 675 engine with longer stroke but less fun. Especially if its been an instructor bike it may have high mileage and heated grips. Heated grips are nice but add an extra load to the charging system which is already borderline. The Tiger with the larger front wheel is a compromise on the road. The one with both wheels 17" will handle better on tarmac. After a Street Triple 675, the Tiger 800 felt boring though. Hence i went Tracer 900GT (which isn't a first bike IMO). A Street triple is good for new and experienced riders alike so long as you don't overload or overheat the stator.
I now ride a Yamaha Tracer 900GT. This is tall, heavier, stacks of torque and power, with "rider modes" to help people with less throttle control, as well as ABS and traction control, all of which I grew up without but which might be good for a newer rider. I think the 900GT is really a bit much for a new rider but the Tracer 700 should be an excellent all-rounder and Yamaha do have a good reliability and build quality. I've had 4 Yamaha bikes and put over 100,000 miles on (60k on my FZR600R, 30k and 25k on my 2 x FZS1000s, and 4k on the Tracer I got in June). The remaining mileage I've done on Kawasakis (ZX6R J2 and GPz500S). I didn't get on with them. (YMMV!)
I can't say much about the Honda as I've only ridden 2 Hondas, an old CBR600F and an Africa Twin AS. The ATAS was bouncy and dull on the road as well as being too big. Good if you live in the Sahara or you're 6 foot 8 though. The CBR600F was faultless but struck me as being so good it lacked 'character'. Bikes are a mixture of head and heart, but you have to find a bike that excites you and is also not dodgy. First bikes always get dropped or crashed, so don't blow a fortune on your dream bike, get one that's good for a new rider, learn what's what and what kind of riding you end up doing, then let your second bike be the one you really love and keep for years. Just my twopenn'orth. The Honda may well be a really good bike to get good on, if its not too small for you.
It's also worth saying that it's more fun making a small bike go fast, than buying a missile and keeping it in check. That was partly why I downsized from FZS1000 to Street triple 675R.
And as soon as you've passed, it is WELL worth joining an IAM or RoSPA advanced riding group. If I had learnt what they taught me earlier, I would have had more fun and at least one crash less.
