I'm probably going to pick up a seventy something CB750.
That's a good starter bike, it pulls plenty hard to 100, and you don't have to worry about flipping backwards.

 

Good decision!!! Learn & polish up on your riding skills on that 250 till you get something a little more powerful.

I've seen and hear of too many ppl starting with a 600cc & up sportbike as their first and then going later crashing cause of inexpierience.

 

my familly owns a zx-10r my dad and i both ride it but it's suppose to be faster then the busa in a straight line and is much light. the hting i notice mroe about the zx-10r is it throws around like a 600 but when buying a bike don't look at all out straight line speed casue all of them are faster then any stock car your gonna run into on the street so go for the feel of the bike

 

EX250 is an interesting bike, and inexpensive, but be warned: its really light, and if you're on a highway you're not going to have the power you want in an emergency, not to mention losing your balance if a semi passes you at 75 mph.

 

I personally wont waste my money on anything smaller than a 600. You will be kicking yourself in the ass in roughly 2 weeks. IMHO.

 

I picked up an 85 500cc Honda Magna back in June. Rode it with a friend for about 2 months and now its been in the shop almost a month getting tires, chain and everything refreshed on it because it had been sitting a lot.
I'm only 5'7" and about 125lbs and the 500 fits me quite well. The V4 motor when tuned right is pretty fast, though its meant to be a cruiser. I'm license now which is a relief, the tests are harder then your day to day riding.

Chris

 

To everybody "afraid to die" :
"If you're not busy living, all you're doing is dieing"

For a first bike, there's no such thing as a bike "too small". All you guys talking about not buying anything under a 600cc sport bike, and being "bored" in two weeks sicken me. The point of having the extra power is to use it wisely. If you're starting out, the deck is stacked against you in that area.

A little ninja 250 is a great bike to start on. It's small, light weight, and fast enough to not get run over trying to merge on the interstate. That said, it's not powerful. The point of a starter bike is to have a mechanical limit to your testosterone driven invincibility complex. You can wring the neck of a 250, and not get in any real trouble. If you start getting comfortable on a 600 and decide that you're "good" enough to push the limits a little harder, the pavement will correct your misguided attitude.

My suggestion is that if you have very limited street riding experience and little to no dirt experience, start small. 600cc is not small, if you grew up with an 80cc thumper between your legs on an open field and moved up from there, then you know what I'm getting at. If you're serious about riding, you won't care that you're limited to 250cc for 6-8 months, you'll still grin big just being on two wheels. If you ever get to the point where you see the little 250 as a chore, then riding anything bigger is not for you. Riding a fast bike is a thrill, but that shouldn't be the reason for riding. Riding for a thrill is keeping the skin-graft medical branches alive with your insurance dollars and unemployment.

The bottom line is that for your first bike, you're going to take everything I've just said, dismiss it, and buy what you want anyways. Just remember these few things:

and lastly

 

I don't have a Vespa.

 

DUDE I HAVE CBR954 THAT IVE HAD OVER 170MPH THE BUSA MAY BE FASTER BUT GIVE ME A BRAKE. HOW OFTEN ARE YOU EVEN GOING TO GO THAT FAST.
THE BUSA IS NOTHING BUT A STATUS SYMBOL.

 

Your size makes a difference too. If you are big and tall you're going to find a 250 slow and uncomfortable.