Matt, you’re getting the kind of advice you’re paying for here. Forget this bullshit of not buying a used helmet, or only buying Snell certified, or buying a pissant 250cc circus bike.
Go take the motorcycle safety course. You’ll ride their cheesy girlie bikes there, and learn some technique. Start looking at used bikes on CL, and used equipment. It’s pretty easy to buy stuff that was bought new by someone who THOUGHT they wanted to ride until they scared themselves out of it. If you don’t do it now, start riding a bicycle again. The balance and steering are the same.
More important than height is inseam. I’m a shortlegged rider 29″, and I’ve rolled in the dirt with my BMW K bike more than once. It weighs over 750lbs. Picking it up is all technique. If I were you, I’d go for that shadow. In six months, you’ll be sick of that pokey underpowered 650.
