eonWelcome Sam and congratulations on trying to start out correctly and asking for advice. Good news is you have lots of options out there. I will say you could start out on a Concours but you would be making life very difficult for yourself, and I’m not sure there is a need for that. As the others have mentioned it’s the low speed stuff that will catch you out and as a student I’m not sure you want the expense of fixing a dropped Connie. Not to mention the insurance (might be okay but I kind of doubt it).
To be comfortable on an 8 hour ride I would suggest looking for something with a standard sitting position with a good windshield. Windshields (and bags) can be added so look for a bike with the “standard” seating position. There are a lot of 650cc bikes in this category that are still relatively newbie friendly so this would be a good choice I think. Something like the VStrom 650 or the Versys would be perfect. The 2010 Versys had a facelift but there are still 2009 models out there in dealers selling for $4500 ~ $5000 if you look hard enough. I’m sure this has a knock on effect on the 2nd hand market as well so there should be screaming deals out there. These bikes are also taller which may be a good thing given your height.
