Guys thank you very much for your replies. I'll be very cautious on my decision, and I've definitely not made up my mind yet on which bike to get. I'm definitely not opposed to getting a used 250 and selling that later down the road when I'm more "used to it". If I don't lose much in depreciation, that doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. I just hate the thought of buying something, that I'm just going to sell in a year anyway (and I know it won't satisfy me "long term", for what I want out of a bike...).
Definitely solid advice, from everybody here, though.
And @
cgrey - I've personally heard from quite a few people on online forums that started on a 600/650 and who have made it out alive, and said that it was fine (with throttle control). I completely understand about your side of the argument though, but I didn't mean to start an argument and I probably should've just posted this in a main motorcycle forum :P
Not only that, but I'm specifically looking at the ninja 650r which I've heard touted as a great beginner bike from many many different magazines & websites.
Now that I'm thinking about it more, it might be better to just start off with a 250 though... I
really like the zx6r but it seems a little too much for me to start with. Might be better to just skip the 650 and go for that instead after some practice on a 250.
Anyways, I'm thinking of all things considered here. And I definitely won't shy from safety gear.
Thanks all for your replies.