Witchdoctor,
As vwone (Dean) mentioned, there are some very good books avilable to supplement your riding course (which I still haven't taken
). My favorite is
Total Control by Lee Parks, in which the author gets into more geometry and design than most other writers. It's cheap enough, so grab a copy.
As far as Americas/Speedies as first bikes - perfect. They do not handle real well at parking lot speed, but they are not so heavy that you can't muscle them around a bit. Other than that, it is a wonderful motorcycle that you can grow with. As you get more proficient, you can add more goodies from Brent, FastEddy, StreetBoogie and Soren (not to mention BellaCorse and others). So, go pick out your favorite color and have it delivered when your MSF course is complete. After you finish the course, you'll be able to ride anything on the market. If you buy a small bike, you'll have to sell it in a few months, so go ahead and get a bike that you can keep for a few years. Mine's 5 years old @ 48,000 miles - no problems. If you are going to ride to Portland regularly, I'd look at some touring pegs to get your feet back under you, or your bu+t will be taking all the bumps and will fatigue you before you finish 2 tanks of petrol (300 miles). I am in the process of building some hangers for my bike now.
Welcome Home!
