I would say I have recommend the Ninja 250R. I just bought an 08 this year for my first bike and I love it, its a great bike. I dont know what size bike you wanted to start with but I think a 250 is a good learning bike. They are powerful enough to have fun on around town, light enough handle easily even at very low speeds, and are just forgiving in general. Dont let the small engine size fool you, they will accelerate quickly and will probably top out between 90-100 mph. I dont know from personal exp. I have only had mine up to 70 so far. Plus as far as motorcycles go the 250s are great on gas and have low insurance rates.
I do like the 08 as far as the ninjas go, the redesigned bike looks great and dosent make you look like your riding a cheap bike, I have had a few people think its a 600. They are hard to come by tho, most dealers dont have them in stock and are either taking deposits on bikes coming in or saying to wait till the 09s roll out. Even if you have to get an older ninja 250R its still a good bike. I convinced 2 friends to get ninjas this year, one is not waiting on an 08 and the other picked up a used 05.
Besides the ninja another bike to look into would be the Hyosung GT250R, they have had mixed reviews, I almost bought one but opted for a ninja instead just for brand reasons and I notice the Hyosungs have little to no aftermarket parts. Also you could look into the Suzuki GS500F, little bigger engine, but it dosent have the crotch rocket stance for the rider, your a bit more upright on the bike, which will probably make it easier for learning.
Welcome to the sport, and good luck finding a bike!
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