[culcune]

The Hawk should be a good first bike as long as you are comfortable mechanically to work on bikes. Of course, you will have multiple members here helping you out, so the 'Chinese' part (the stuff that breaks) should be able to be overcome. The catch is, you have to be able to put the bike together unless there are dealers up that way for the Hawk, so you will need some mechanical skills from the get go. Your height should be fine for the Hawk, especially as you will want to wear boots or large, sturdy shoes when you ride. Have you considered the MSF course? Will still allow for a Hawk AND the class, and should still leave you with $ in your pocket!

Not sure if you looked into the TT250, but those come assembled, although might bust your budget by a few hundred dollars, whereas the Hawk will leave you with some cash in the bank, for doing your own work. A used Japanese bike is usually a good alternative, but you usually do not know how the previous owner treated the bike. A sorted out Chinese bike is, nowadays, VERY reliable. One of our members here, a few months back, bought a Bashan enduro, assembled from a dealer in Salt Lake City (or somewhere in Utah). She rode the bike cross country to Brooklyn where she was going to fly back to Israel. If I remember, she was short, and a newbie to bikes.

Others will chime in, so see what is best for you!