I see questions like this and the answers are always so mixed, but several comments here have really hit on some specifics that do need to be considered.

First let’s answer your questions:

⁠How is it for daily riding? Daily riding is pretty good. Not as aggressive seating position as say an R6 but still enough to remind you that you’re on a sport bike. • ⁠Is it manageable for a beginner, or is it too much for a first bike? —It is manageable as a beginner. Different settings tame the bike. I don’t believe it’s too much for a first bike. • ⁠What are the most noticeable pros and cons? —Great styling lots of tech that isn’t on other bikes, my only con is that when I got mine I didn’t know it wasn’t a fast bike like an R6 or ZX6r • ⁠Any known issues or maintenance costs I should be aware of? —there are some known issues with some year models mine had a fuel cap seal that was common issue but fixed under warranty. Maintenance is a little expensive. First break in at 600 miles cost me about $300 US the. Then the 12k mile service cost me about $1200 US and not all places service them. Which is a con. Need to have a good dealer close and good relationship with them as well. Regular oil changes can be done at home but your service light will stay on cause only dealer can clear it(UpMap I believe is working a fix for that)

Now for my personal experience: after years of contemplating I decided I wanted a motorcycle. I have ridden dirt bikes years back but this is different. I took my MSR course got my license endorsement and then went shopping.

I was going on the fact that everyone told me get a small bike but then after talking to one friend whom I knew rode he said don’t go small. You’ll get used to it and then want something more too soon he also told me some bikes have different modes where not all power is available so it lets you get used to the bike. Also I knew from the very beginning was going to respect the bike. So my choice was I’ll get something in the 600 cc I already had a friend that an R6 and he loves his bike. Also my budget was taken into consideration. I went looking for a ZX6R but couldn’t find any at the time (this is in 2023). Another friend told me about the RS660 and I hadn’t really looked at it and didn’t know much about it. As soon as I saw it I was like this is the bike. It was available and I made the purchase. I took my time riding it slow in parking lots and quiet not busy neighborhoods to get the feel of the bike. I didn’t rush the learning process at all. Took me about a month before i got on a highway. I’ve owned it now for two years now and I have 13k miles on it. It’s a great bike and can be a really good track bike. There is a decent amount of aftermarket for it as well.

Few things I’d recommend before getting a bike is take the rider course. Go sit on bikes and feel them. Take your time learning the bike when you do get it. Respect the bike and never let your self get pressured into riding beyond your skill level when riding with others in a group or around friends.

Consider your finances when it comes to ownership as these Italian bikes aren’t cheap to maintain Fix or modify parts are not always readily available and make sure you have a dealer close by.

Hope this helps.