[Panoptic]

If you want a sport bike, but have never ridden before, don't get a literbike or you will probably lay it out. The power to weight ratio is immense (even a 600cc sport bike can best even the fastest Ferrari's for power:weight) If you want a cruiser... no experience there.

You looking for fast or just something to ride? New or used? Etc. etc....

I have a Honda CBR600RR, btw.

[Panoptic]

Kawasaki actually has some entry-level Ninja's that fit in your budget right off the dealer's showfloor. Sure, they're not super-sport's, but they strike a good balance between practicality, power, and ease of use / simple learning curve (they are a bit ugly though, compared to their SS brethren). I've seen people get on Super Sport's and almost get thrown off with the first twist of the throttle. Though, it really depends on your aptitude for things like this, I guess. The first bike I ever rode was a Yamaha FZR-1100 with a broken spedometer. It would literally break the rear tire loose between every gear if you gave it enough throttle, plus the front end lifted easy. Got out onto the highway and wrapped it up to 7,000 RPM's in 5th gear. When I got back, I asked how fast that would have been, and the owner was like "Probably about 140 or so." I was just like "...Shit."

Anyway, if you're looking for used, pretty much any 600cc bike from the major manufacturers will suit you well. I like the Honda CBR600RR and Yamaha YZF-R6 as far as styling is concerned, but the Suzuki GSX-R600 and Kawasaki ZR-6 are also excellent candidates.

By the way, my manager rented a scooter when he took his license test. If you don't feel comfortable doing the evasion tests with a full-sized bike (and if you're just getting your license, I can't imagine too many people do), it might be worth checking into.