I bought a 2005
Yamaha FZ6 in late July as my first bike. I've never felt it was too much for me to handle... there is a learning curve like there is with any new machine, but I caught on and felt comfortable on it within a week. If you keep the RPMs under 7k, I really think anyone could use this as a beginner bike... and the best thing is that there's plenty of power and speed after 7k RPMS that you'll never outgrow it.
Unfortunately for me, I think I'm going to have to sell it so that I can get a truck for work. If you're in the Tampa area,
optik_nerve, send me a PM and maybe we can work something out.