Have you ever ridden abike before? Might want to look at doing the MSF riders course before getting a bike. If you still want one after then get a CHEAP bike that you can drop and not want to cry over when its dinged up. After you get a bit more comfortable, sell it and buy another or keep it for when a friend visits and buy the bike you want.

Ducs are very nice but the name does come with a price. If you can afford the maintenance cost, I would definitely opt for one of these. The Ducatis aren't considered the Ferraris of motorcycles for nothing!

Take a look at the Harley XR1200's as well. It is currently what I ride and enjoy. It's a cross between a cruiser and a sport bike and requires minimal maintenance. Buying a HD also gives you a huge dealer and independent chain to have the bike worked on if you are not mechanically savvy. Typically, you can find a 2009 - 2010 for around 7 - 9k. If you look hard enough, you might find a brand new one for the same price. New 2011/2012 XR's run around 12k.

The Suzuki SV650, Yamaha FZ6, and Kawasaki Z1000/Ninja 1000 are all nice choices that fit well inbetween cruiser/sport bikes.

Ducati Monster


Harley XR1200/XR1200x


Suzuki SV650


Yamaha FZ6


Kawasaki Z1000/Ninja 1000