To be honest I wouldnt spend a fortune on a first bike (thats the one you usually make the daft mistakes on!) and I wouldn't go for anything too extreme.
If you like Honda's then the older CBR 600 is a good bet - not too extreme but fast enough for most uses (I had one of the old ones for a while and loved it).
Another one that springs to mind is the VFR 800, this bike will do anything you like and is very comfortable with a peach of a motor. Both of these can be picked up for around 3K in fantastic condition.
Glad you like the site
