How much riding do you want to do a week? How far do you want to ride? Highway or around town? your weight? Take gear or not?If your looking at harley type of investment - Tryout the new Seadoo Spider if you don't like to shift, and want to have tons of fun, This is fast , brakes and handles great too.Most people start with a 500 to 800 cc bike - safest way to start but limited highway speeds and distance due to vibration issues. The sportster is overpriced ( service costs, accessories) and most don't ride it long before trading it in.At 45 the discs in your back are starting to compress so its best to avoid the sport/track type bikes - unless you want to ride for less than an hour.
Decide