Andrew,

If you haven't already, review Ilija's thread where he was preparing to get a bike... some relevant info there if I recall correctly. Lots of the members here ride, btw.

Have you considered renting a bike and going on a ride/taking a short trip as part of a group? This might give you a better feel for what it's all about. MC riding is (in my opinion) much more enjoyable if you have a group of friends that also enjoy the sport. And I think, in general, riding as a group is safer... you get a larger recognition factory from other drivers (ie, it's easier for other drivers to see 3 or 4 bikes coming down the road than one). So, if you don't already have friends that ride, make sure there's a local group you can join.

Once you have a bike, seek out different conditions and practice riding on them so you develop an "instinct" of how to handle various conditions. There's lots of obvious ones... wet roads, dirt/gravel/sandy roads, paved roads with sand/gravel or wet leaves on a curve, rain grooves on a concrete roadway, the old fashioned steel bridges with a steel mesh roadway, etc. And then there's always the odd stuff... like cattle gratings across rural roadways, or going off-road and riding in deep sand. Each of these presents a unique "surprise" when you're riding, so you want to be prepared before you have to hit them at speed.

Your choice of MC is ultimately your own. I've ridden Hondas, Nortons, and Yamahas and I owned at one time or another a Harley, a Triumph, a BSA, and a BMW. They were all excellent bikes, each in their own way. But because I like the comfort, quietness, and predictability of how it handles, my permanent steed for the past 35 years is BMW... but I won't claim a beemer is the best there is for beauty is always in the eye of the beholder .