You aint gonna like this but here goes.
I have been riding motorcycles since 1968 and racing them since1972 so I know a little about em.
By all means PLEASE take the safety course!! You will learn alot and save on insurance as well.
Now For the kind of bike.
I would suggest a cruiser.
They are big and stable and very easy to ride.
they also offer an up right seating possition unlike the sportbikes.
Now sportbikes are cool and all but you must understand they are the F1 s of motorcycles capable of incredible speeds
And In the hands of an inexperienced rider DEADLY!
Trust me as an EMT I have worked way too many bike wrecks and dont care to see another one .
I was lucky I had 20years of experence on motocross bikes before I ever bought a road bike so my reflexes and balance skills were very good.
If all you want Is the trill of speed buy a shifter Kart and go racing much safer and you will live longer.
I would suggest you stay under 500cc for your first bike.
Now If you must go after the sportbike thing then look at the kawasaki ninja 500 I think they still make it.
It's a twin cyl 500cc bike thats very easy to ride and learn on.
600ccc bikes teand to make most of there power in the upper rpm ranges so they in turn are really meant to be reved and ridin aggressivly.
And they WILL get away from you fast.
Think long and hard about it make the smart choice for you not the one your buds tell ya you would look cool on.
Here Is some pics of my toys .
The RC51 is a brute and on more than one occasion she has left me shacking in my boots and thanking God i was still alive.
The other is a Yamaha 1600cc Roadstar
And she has never once scared me.
Al she has done Is give me countless hours of outdoor enjoyment on the open road.
Good Luck.
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