Reddit mentions of Total Control:High Performance Street Riding Techniques, 2nd Edition

(1) Ok so licensing and basic training is pretty easy in the US but it still varies state to state.

All states use a rider training program, the majority of them being of the MSF curriculum, a small handful of them being run by the MSF themselves. other states will have their own, but the process is usually more or less the same.

you take a 2 day course that takes you from the point of never having sat on a motorcycle to being a licensed rider (some states will still make you take the DMV written exam however) some states will REQUIRE you to take this class if you are under 21. best to check with your state on the process.

This is where you should start. this is not where you should end however. these courses will give you the skills you need to operate the motorcycle, but before being road ready they need to be drilled down in a parking lot. after getting your bike hopefully you can ride it home in a light traffic hours or have it delivered, and be prepared to get out to an empty parking lot and practice the exercises taught before getting into full blown traffic.

in addition to this, your rider education should not stop. i advise you to check out some books from your local library if not purchasing a copy yourself. i will link below

(2) the clutch in a manual car is more difficult than on a bike, but the same interplay between the clutch and throttle applies. most bikes are also designed with wet clutches which allow them to slip more and take more abuse than dry clutches, also gives them a more linear release (although some Italian bikes have dry clutches) . Bikes can also move off easier without throttle which makes things easier in the beginning. hills starts are not as much of a problem on a bike than a car. one advantage a car has however is a mental one, you dont have to worry about keeping the vehicle upright while you are learning. doing this plus learning the clutch could make things challenging. for the most part, though, a motorcycle will be easier than a car.

(3) at your height most bikes will fit well. there's only a few bikes that you can be too tall for, most of the time its the other way around, where as a beginner you want to be able to flat foot the bike. so a lot of this comes down to which bikes you like.

the other things is that a lot comes down to body geometry so not all 6'2" are going to be equally comfortable on the same bike. best it to go and sit on a few bikes. if you are into sportbikes/sport standards, most of the entry level 250cc-300cc bikes actually fit taller people better than say, a 300cc cruiser.

that being said, when you go to take the course. expect to be slightly uncomfortable. a lot of these bikes used at courses tend to be bikes with very low seat heights so that shorter people can still flat foot them...while you are learning you will have to put your foot down a lot, which can be make a taller person feel cramped on the bike. once your riding, these bikes are mostly fine for us taller folk but in the course with so much stop and go, and bike walking exercising, with such a low seat height, its kind of uncomfortable.


Recommended reading:

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
by David L. Hough
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620081199/
This book is pretty popular and its VERY good. your local library probably has it. I was actually able to get an ebook from the library to read on a tablet in full color without getting off my butt.


The Follow up:
https://www.amazon.com//dp/1935484869/

If you are into sportbikes:

Lee Parks Total Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R31222S

Nick Ienatsch Sport Riding Techniques https://www.amazon.com/gp/1893618072/

A few things, good choice on the bike! Love the SV650. Get it setup for your weight, it will handle better. We just did this to my son's SV650, he's 130lbs and we resprung it and did the racetech gold valves, and we set proper sag on it. You should be able to set sag, at least on the S model it has preload on the forks, they all have the preload on the rear shock. Also get the svracingparts.com moto frame sliders, they're the best available for this bike and will protect it when you drop it.


Secondly, pick up Lee Parks book, and read it. https://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Lee-Parks-ebook/dp/B00R31222SConsider taking the intermediate rider course, or the advanced rider course since you've been riding for awhile. I assume you are in the states since you mentioned MSF. Here's the website to find courses in your area.


Thirdly, and this is huge to improving your riding skills, just practice. Find a local big parking lot and just do drills, slow speed u-turns, offset weaves, Emergency BRAKING (huge). Subscribe to Motojitsu channel on youtube. He's probably got the best practice videos out there, I found him when trying to explain countersteering to my son.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0FFFneMi9GwRHUsuBjM0jA


He's also got a couple books on amazon. He's a certified Total Control instructor, and knows his stuff. https://www.amazon.com/MotoJitsu-Master-Riding-Program-Widmar-ebook/dp/B07P8J6Q89


So, Bike setup, Book, courses, videos, practice. Repeat the last one as necessary. I am taking the ARC1 course December 8th (San Diego). Should be fun, I've been off the bike for 15 years, need to blow off the rust.