Jeez that bike looks fabulous. Can I ask where the picture is from???

I putted around on an old Honda CB400F as my first street bike but quickly outgrew it. Luckily I got my money back out of it. I then bought a 93 Honda VFR and love it. It's a 750 and while it has plenty of power for me it's not overwhelming. I rode a fuel injected CBR600 and didn't like the throttle action, it seemed too on/off, like my 2 stroke dirt bike. Could have been the particular bike. For me, the first ride on the VFR was it and I was hooked. It's a great commuter, I've taken it to the track and done several hours on longer trips in relative comfort. Older VFR's in great shape can be easily had around $3,000 in my area.

If you can find a 575 Virago its worth a look... Those are good riding little bikes... My 250 and dads 750 were both trouble free bikes....

I looked at a Ducati Monster 696 the other day and they are really nice. Plenty of (but not too much) power and very light. If you dont want to spend much and want to tinker, consider an old Honda CB.

I would +1 on a duel purpose single... I went from a 175cc Honda to a XL500...

The 500 could beat ANY car from 0-60... but could also putt around on dirt roads.

YMMV

PS: I would NOT recommend a 500 thumper for a first bike... it had so much torque if you dropped the clutch at idle it would not stall, it would walk away... and wheelie on command (or sometimes when not expected).

Scott I've got a 250 single that is a torque monster like that... I've really got to be careful... At 130lbs I have a hard time keeping it wrestled down at times....

I got into the biker thing a couple of years ago with an older 400cc Honda. I'd recommend something similar to anyone getting started for a variety of reasons:

1 - The old Honda CM400 is a great starter bike, just in how forgiving it is.
2 - Not a crotch rocket; not enough power to do anything really stupid.
3 - Not terribly underpowered; I can do 0-45 in 6 seconds flat, maybe 7.
4 - Because it's old, I'm not really worried about when I drop it. I know I will eventually fall, and I'd hate to screw up the shiny fairings on my new BMW. This bike's got rust and scrapes all over, so dropping it is no issue at all.
5 - Dirt cheap. I paid $750 for it, which is a great gamble. Had I decided I hated motorcycling, I'm not out that much. Now that I know I kind of like it, I can look for an upgrade.

FWIW, I haven't actually fallen at speed yet, though I've dorked up some low-speed stuff and have dropped it in driveways, intersections, and the like. I'm ready for the fall, though -- I always wear my helmet, full armor, etc. Anyone who thinks they can ride without getting into an accident, ever, is almost certainly fooling themselves.

Enjoy!

Dan