Tried bikes, bought one (650), was too heavy for me to learn on, dumb purchase for a first bike. One day I'll try again with a 250 that's been well used and dropped a few times so I don't have to worry about that. $500 limit on spending this time, not 6k like the 650...
Here's my dream bike also. The early 1910's-20's style plus the fact that although he made a V8 for it, he didn't go a huge displacement like most V8 bikes. It's a 400cc. The sound is heavenly too..