LOL I can't believe there has been no Kawi bashing...
wow...
anyways, here is the MSF site:
http://www.msf-usa.org
It's a very good idea to go through this first.
As far as getting a 600 goes as a first bike, I say go for it. Lots of people outgrow the small bikes quick, and are ready for upgrading but cant afford it. I wish I would have started on a liter-bike first instead of my 600. I outgrew it in a year. But I can't afford upgrading to a bigger bike every time I get used to the smaller one. I've had it for over 3 years and never laid it down, not ONE scratch. *knocking on wood furiously* I'm not that much of a stunt person, only a few wheelies and such here and there, I like to go fast and drag race it, and corner carve, that's all, so that probably kept me out of trouble. People who do lots of stunts all the time usually find themselves in trouble (squids).
Good luck, and treat every cage as if they were out to get you, and you'll be ok. BE CAREFUL! It's never you, it's always the idiot that wasn't paying attention, and didn't see you.
Other than that, 1fastchick posted good advice.