Hey man, I'm rather young as well. Been riding for 4 years, so pretty much new like you. And I also started ob a 650. Ninja 650. It was a blast. I "upgraded" to an r6. I don't have liter syndrome or whatever it was called, but I did want something sportier. I thought I was missing out. Turned out, I wasn't. The 650 was a much better position, even with sportbars. And face it, we're not racers. comfort matters. It was definitely harder on the wrists, so I learned to lay on the tank on long slab stretches. Beside that, the better position actually allowed me to handle the 650 better! I could toast the twisty road by my old house on that thing. Couldn't ever get as quick around the corners on the r6 without triggering a lot of survival reactions. The r6 actually had a major mechanical failure late last season, which spurred me to sell it to my brother, who has time to fix it, and buy a daytona. I know it's not much more relaxed, bt I want to experiment. I'm not saying to keep it because it's the best, or plenty for your skills. I'm just saying to evaluate what you want, and don't blindly stick to joe schmoe's small ego big bike philosophy. Anywho, you said you commute, and occasionally take the girl. Me too. My fiance is a 100lb twig, and she hated the r6 in comparison to the banana seat on the 650. But, meh, my bike, not hers.