great - thanks for the warm welcome. going to start my research!
Good luck with your search.
Just an observation based on my own experience buying my first bike (44 years after I stopped riding the first time...) and looking at comments on this and other forums, there are (at least) two kinds of people: the first kind (like me) who actually does not enjoy the prospect of changing vehicle, so we have to research the subject to death and once we buy something, we tend to keep it until it falls apart. We also tend to get used to its idiosyncrasies and deficiencies. The second type will buy something more on an impulse and may not be as tolerant if the product does not match their expectations and therefore changes rides more frequently.
There is no right or wrong approach, pick the one that works for you, but it's important to realize what type you are so that you can look at the advice you get in that frame of mind.
While I was researching what bike to get, some people told me don't spend so much time looking, just buy something, ride it, and if you do not like it, get something else. It's just not my type, I had to do research, look at reviews and forums and narrowing the field is a slow process for me.
Also people told me to get a 250 or at most a 500 and change it when I outgrow it.
I must say that before I decided to buy a bike, a friend loaned me a Harley Davidson Sportster for a couple of weeks. I rode it around town (did not scratch it) and convinced myself that I did not want a Harley
As I started looking, I found that "beginners" bikes (that many people recommended because that was how they started) were not appreciably cheaper than larger, more comfortable (and a little older) bikes. Of course, people who buy beginner's bikes tend to change fairly rapidly as they outgrow the bike (not my type), so I fairly rapidly narrowed my search on larger bikes, which offer more comfort, better engine and brakes, and will not require a frequent upgrade schedule.
I prefer the look of a naked bike and I also prefer that it facilitates maintenance, so "no large complete fairing" was one of the first decision I made. I wanted a comfortable riding position (I have a bad back from 30 years ago) so that ruled out the super sport bikes. I also did not want a big, heavy bike. That left naked street bikes, some tourers and cruisers.
I ended up with a 2003 US FZ1 1st generation (FZS1000 Fazer in Europe) with low mileage that cost me $2,500. A Ninja 250 in reasonable condition (actually hard to find) would have cost me about as much, regardless of age.
Some of the things that may not be obvious from the reviews, but that I found out AFTER I bought it: the bike is VERY smooth, engine, steering, transmission, brakes are excellent. There is a little bit of engine surge right off idle, worse when the engine is cold but easy to deal with once the engine has warmed but that is the only area that requires attention (and staying away from >5,000 rpm at least for a while). The bike is otherwise so smooth and comfortable (and powerful if you need it or feel like it) that I take it everyday and it would have to be raining (or weekly grocery shopping) for me to take the car now.
The transmission in particular is extremely smooth. I can find the neutral without looking at the dash, the bike shifts on your terms, not on its terms. Try a Ducati or a Harley to see what I mean.
I am not advocating that this is the best way to get started for everybody, just relating my experience and why I went that route. I am 63, so I can resist the temptation to prove anything to anybody. I am just happy to ride my bike.
Note that I observed that people tend to recommend the way they went as the best way and some will not tolerate you not following their advice. You will hear things like "a liter bike can kill you", as if you could not kill yourself on a 250 or a 600. It is of course easier to do something stupid on a liter bike than on a 250, but it's only a matter of degree, not an on/off switch.
My FZ1 is actually a nice bike to learn on for the following reasons: it is not very heavy (500 lbs loaded), quite easy to steer, smooth transmission, has great brakes and a nice riding position and comfortable seat, and as long as you keep the engine below 5,000 or 6,000 rpm, it will be well behaved. Above that, the beast within wakes up, and you may want to keep experimenting with that for when you have more miles under your belt...
This bike also has a center stand, which makes maintenance much easier. Of course, you can always buy a shop stand if your bike does not have a center stand, but if you have any issue away from home, you may not be able to do anything. I strongly recommend buying a bike that has one, or buy an after-market one for your bike if it does not.
The bottom line is that you must use your brain, do something that is sensible and reasoned and that works for you, and make sure you understand the consequences of your choice. Take advice from forums (like this post
as inputs, not as instructions.
Didier