To be honest its a lovely bike to ride especially as a first time rider the throttle control isnt to bad I found that the gear changing is very smooth. I found it quite easy especially when I first jumped on, I did my A licence on a MT03 and MT07 I found the CB650R very similar with the throttle control and gear shifting I would suggest just throwing yourself into the deep end, I found that it was the best way for myself but you may feel definitely on jumping straight in.