The Suzi Might be OK, if it didn't get bent when the guy dropped it. Note why he's selling. Bikes are for skilled riders only. You either get good, or you get hurt. Sometimes you get hurt anyway.

The Yamaha would be fun for scooting around on, but I think you would be seriously frustrated by the lack of power, poor handling, and weak brakes. Oh yeah, and it's seriously expensive in terms of bang-for-the-buck compared to something newer and stronger. A 500 or 600 Japanese twin or inline four is probably good. Be aware that a 2-stroke is roughly equivalent to a 4-stroke with twice the displacement. So a Yamaha RZ350 is actually a very strong bike. Then again, I think the CARB rules make them illegal in California. ~sigh~

Once I got my 1986 FJ1200S, I pretty much stopped looking at new bikes, so I'm not current with the new stuff. Even back in the 80's we were mourning the disappearance of the UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) that provided such all-round utility and fun. Newer bikes seem to be either street-squid repli-racers, or rolling-armchair cruisers. Neither style can 'do it all' the way a UJM could. Early-to-mid 80's Honda CB series, Kawasaki EX series, Suzuki GS series, and Yamaha XS series are all good candidates. By the late 80's, specialization and market fragmentation had eliminated any trace of the UJM from the lineups. A 400cc 4-stroke used to be a good machine to start out with. No more. Case in point: Suzuki Bandit 400. Very light, very powerful, and squirrelly enough to spit off any newbie fool enough to push his luck.

I went from a 1948 NSU 125cc Superfox, to a 1982 Honda CB750F to a pair of 1983 Suzuki GS1100ES's, to a 1986 Yamaha FJ1200S, with a 1981 Suzuki GS1000G and a 1973 Yamaha RD200B for backup. The RD is in a buddy's shop for a rebuild, and I gave the GS1000G to a ladyfriend as a wedding gift. :cool:

I think you're in the right price range. If you scrap it, you're not out much, and when you're ready to move up, you can get most of your money back on resale.