No experience, no MSF school til spring

All the same, I have so much sympathy for your position that I'll offer you up my advice anyway!

Oddly enough I just made this post: similar post.

I'm a sportbike guy, but I'd been reading (and watching) so much about the DR-Z400sm that I test rode one and had to buy it. They're super fun to ride, and perfect for tall guys like us. If you don't like the styling, that's another issue, but if that's the case, then munch's question about what style you are looking for needs to get answered before we can help you out.

The best advice I can give you is to take the MSF course before you buy. What if you really don't like riding a motorcycle after all? Or what if it is more difficult for you than you thought it would be. Or, by riding the bikes provided in the class, it could shape your thoughts toward what kind of bike you would like to buy? Yes, it is a big pain to have to wait, especially if you can't schedule the class in the near future, but it is the best route to take. If you live in a typical climate and you go ahead and buy now, it's going to just sit in the garage anyway. I really suggest that you wait. I'm sure that most of the folks here would agree with me on this.
Of course if you decide to go ahead with a purchase, we won't hold it against you. It's just that the MSF course is such a valuable experience in shaping your own individual thoughts and ideas toward motorcycling.
Best of luck to you, whatever you decide.

I am a big guy as well, only 6'3" and 20 lbs lighter. But your right . .on many, many bikes you knees will become well acquainted with the handlebars . .just will not work.

First, best advise is to wait till after the class . . just good wisdom, cut and dry. That said . .I ended up buying a Sportster 883c several weeks before my class, Had them deliver it and I was good, left her on the porch till after I was trained and legal. The custom has froward pegs and that I find is a big help with my long legs.

Problem is the bikes that will fit you well will not be good trainers . . the cruisers will be heavy, the sport bikes dangerously fast. I'll take weight over fast any day. Better to drop a bike moving slow than be launched over one with a throttle mistake. IF you are willing to devote some real organized effort to the process, you can get past the weight quick enough. The Sporty's, a Dyna . .something like the Vulcan Munch rides . . . all by any reasonable standard of recommendation a little to big to be first bikes . .but not at all impossible.

A more practical trainer might be a dual sport . . . sit on a few bikes and see how they feel.

Depending where you live* you can get a Motorcycle Permit and ride, just teach yourself. But yeah, I would probably go for the MSF course. There's lots I'm sure that you will only learn there.

*Like North Carolina

EDIT: By permit I mean a temporary 18 month permit that you have to pass the written exam to get, then to get your M endorsement, you have to pass the riding test as well.

Getting a permit and taking the DMV test may feel like a shortcut, but it can be a lot harder than it looks. I won't even get into the safety issues (there are plenty here to address that). But from a logistics standpoint, you need to get yourself a bike to practice on. That means you need to take your BS-looking paper permit, convince some bike seller to let you test his bike to see if you want to buy it (good luck with that, because if you drop it and get hurt, the seller is probably screwed). Once you get the bike, you have to get it home (avoiding freeways and sunset, as your permit typically won't let you ride on superslab or in the dark), Once home, you can call Geico and find out how much insurance costs for a new rider with a permit. Assuming you still have enough equity in your home, you can pay for insurance as a semi-licensed biker and you are ready to start practicing.

If you work at it, it is possible to teach yourself enough to pass the DMV test (which at least in Cali is tougher than the MSF class) and then you're legit. Now you can bask in your success and try to ignore the fact that the lazy guys who took the MSF are all now getting discounts on their MC insurance, dropped someone elses bike on their first day and went bike shopping with a full legit MC license.

Different strokes...