I'm not sure if I'm a newbie or not. The last bike I had was 37 years befor I bought the Strom.
In my opinion.....the Strom is not a good first bike if you are impatient, short and all your riding is in the city. Last year, everything was going wrong for me. Dropped the bike second and fourth time out, huge turn radiuses, feet barely reached the ground and if the surface was uneven, had balls-to-mouth experience until I touched terra firma. EVERYTHING started to change when I lowered the bike by 3/4 of an inch.
This year, I was concerned enough to think about selling the bike but after the first give minutes on the bike, a huge smile cracked across my face and hasn't left it since.
The big down side is the size and weight of the bike, the HUGE upside is a very tractable engine that doesn't surprise you. The size/weight issue starts to dissipatate as one rides more. When I "analyze" why, well, as a newbie, one tends to take notice and freak out at the amount of balance the bike requires. As one gains experience, balancing it becomes more subconscious and less of an issue. The weight is still there, but the body becomes "one" with the bike. The other day, the bike weight disapppeared from my mind until I did a quick left/right and hoped to my driveway. I let out a "f'off" when I lost the balance just a bit and 500 pounds said hello.
Soooo....
If one takes a course, practices and rides the bike like it's a limo ferrying the Queen, it's not a huge problem. In time, the body will adjust to the weight and the tractable engine will not surprise. On the other hand, the bike will punish a yahoo newbie.
That's my two cents......