I got one and I love it. The instructor at the MSF suggested it to me actually.
The things that will amke this bike hard to start on:
-A ton of torque down low. I'd been on plenty of dirtbikes and an EX500, and this thing pulls so hard all the way up too 8-9k RPM. Now this makes the bike a lot of fun, but if you slip on the throttle or clutch (I did) your tire may skip and kickout, and if you're not expecting it, it will buck you off pretty quick.
-Soft suspension and touchy brakes. Not very difficult to get the ass end of this bike up in the air with too much braking.
-Engine braking. If you roll off the throttle the engine starts to slow you down real quick. This can upset your line in a turn, plus if you're not used to it, you may find cars almost hitting you cause you're slowing down without your brake lights going on. If you're banging down the gears and let the clutch out in a gear too low for the roadspeed, your back tire is gonna do a really big skid, and it'll scare the crap out of you.
However this bike has been the best possible starter bike for me. Put soooo many miles on her now (lost count actually), and ride the twisties every weekend. The bike is very forgiving for it's size and specs, and the Vtwin engine, once you get used to it, is very confidence inspiring.
It costs much less to insure than a regular sportbike (since it's considered "Sport-tourer) and not a bike you're going to be able to ride to it's limit very quickly at all.
So:
If you've been on a bike before, or you feel very comfortable at the MSF.. the SV650S is the best bike in the history of the world. Seriously.