The ZZR-600 is a nice bike. I plan on getting one as my next bike either this year or March of next, it depends on finances. I don't think that it would be a good starter bike though. The 600 cc bikes are just too powerful these days.
The 05/06 ZZR-600 is basically an 01-02 ZX-6R with some retooling done to position it as a sport-tourer. It has a 32" seat height, weighs ~400 lbs wet, and has ~95 hp. It's a pretty powerful bike for a beginner. I would recommend spending some time on a smaller bike to start, such as a Ninja 250R or 500R. Both are excellent starter bikes and can be bought inexpensively if you go used. Neither has enough power to get you into trouble, but more than enough that you can zip around just fine
I ride my 250R to work which is a roughly 110 mile round trip from PA to NY and back. The 500R is better if you need to do interstate riding though.
It's no shame to start small. *Skill* is what allows you to ride the bigger bikes and you build a lot of skill on the smaller bikes. There's nothing wrong with outgrowing a bike in a year. You will have learned a lot and that skill will transfer to the bigger bikes.
Good luck with your MSF class and let us know how it goes
