I absolutely loved my GS500. I could not agree more than it was a great starter bike and it was incredible to work on!
The Hornet 599 is a lot of torquer and the type of bike that is a lot faster than what people realize. For me, it has been just as forgiving as the GS500 and an absolute blast to ride. It is a narrow bike which is awesome for curves but can suck for super long rides (but I blame it on the aftermarket sport pegs that were put in by the previous owner and my laziness to change them lol).
I have friends call it ‘the old man’s sport bike’ and it is the perfect description of this bike (especially for the 919 which was based on Fireblade but was basically tuned down to be a naked sports bike).
Tl;Dr- definitely a great bike I recommend to everyone to test ride at least once. But just the old models(Imo)
Not going to lie, I passed up on a yellow one and I still sort of regret it everyday.