I also don't like the 'you
will drop your first bike' idea. I'm 44 and I've never dropped a street bike. Not once. If you are getting into motorcycling, get something you love. If you wreck it, so what? Fix it and move on. Thats life.
Bandit would be another good option. I like the SV better because its a V twin. Put some pipes on it and it will sound like a small block Ducati.
(At the end of the day, my suggestion of the SV is simply a 'gateway drug' to get you hooked on V twins so that you will end up lusting after Ducati's
)