Man, this is one of those questions that if you ask 15 different people you're going to get at least that many answers. You need to determine what type of riding you want to do and what your budget is before you do anything. Some guys have a need for the latest, greatest, fastest, lightest, most powerful new bike out. The reality is that 99.9% of those guys will NEVER ride that bike to it's limit. There are so many good, cheap, used sportbike deals out there it's ridiculous. The average rider's ability - especially a new rider's - will reach it's limits long before any fairly modern sportbike does. I'm sure someone on here will want to argue that point, but it's a FACT. As Skr00zloose said, don't knock the Katanas, Bandits, etc. They're great, cheap, and most importantly for a noob - bulletproof - bikes that are all damn fast with a decent rider. IMO, in the long term you learn more and ultimately become a better rider starting on a machine that doesn't allow you to mistake power for talent.