The GSX650F is marketed as a budget sport tourer, essentially a cheaper honda VFR. It has an I-4 powerplant derived from the GSXR series but detuned to produce less top end power and more low-mid range, essentially to make it act more like a twin. The riding position is more like a standard than an actual sportbike. The wheelbase is even longer than typical sportbikes for increased highway stability at the cost of a little bit of handling. You could almost say that it basically is a GS500F (which is more of a standard with bodywork than an actual sportbike) with an I4 engine. Motorcycle.com did a review on it where they compared it to an SV650S, saying despite the full fairing and bodywork, it is actually LESS sporty of a ride than the SV650S and that it is much better and more practical for the roads than the SV650S.
It is NOT a track bike, it is NOT a supersport/repliracer. It is a mechanically redesigned Katana 600 which, for those of you old enough to remember, was Suzuki’s 600cc racebike back in the ’80s and even back then it sacrificed track prowess for real world comfort and driving. There was a reason it had a 5 gallon fuel tank as opposed to the competitors’ 4 gallon tanks, and I THINK that the GSX650F retains the 5.5 gallon fuel capacity of the 1998+ Katana 600. If the fact that it has a 5.5 gallon fuel tank and a really tall, upright windscreen, and standard-style riding position doesn’t convince you that it was clearly designed as a budget sport tourer, then I don’t know what will…
The fact that the reviews say it is even more mild mannered than the SV650 and designed more with real world riding in mind would lead me to believe that it is every bit as suitable of a beginner bike than the SV650, if not moreso. So if you consider the SV650 to be a suitable first bike, then you should also consider the GSX650F in the same league. If, however, all you can see is fully faired 650cc I4, then you’re not seeing the whole picture.