What is a good beginning motorcycle?

I'm 18 6'2''and 170 lbs. I'm mostly interested in buying a sport bike. I wanted a ninja 250 but I think that will be too small. But will a 600 of some sort be too powerful? plus I'm flat broke so if you could keep suggestions on the cheep side it'd be nice.

if your broke and want a 600 (which is fine to start on) there's only one option go for a 1996-2001 CBR 600RR, the most reliable and they look pretty damn good, the age will keep the power and the insurance down, and they should be under $4000 if you really want to go cheap you can get a 1998-2002 Suzuki bandit 600, but I really wouldn't recommend it.

if you find a good deal on an R6 or GSX-R 600 from that same era go ahead and take it, I just recommend Honda because they are the most reliable and when your buying something older that counts for a lot.

Seriously, take a training course. Go take a course from the motorcycle safety foundation. It often counts as the ridden portion of the motorcycle license test and it will lower your insurance rates. There is a seriously good chance it could save your life and to top it all off, these classes are usually pretty fun.

A 600 is probably not going to be overwhelming, but don't underestimate it - you would be surprised how fast a 600cc sport bike can be. A good entry level bike is the suziki bandit 600. You should be able to find a used one pretty cheap.

Don't be too proud; there is a good chance you are going to dump your first bike. Buying an older bike isn't glamorous, but you can get a good, safe, reliable bike that won't break your heart if goes down. Don't be too cheap though, either. Mechanical safety is much more critical on a bike then in a car. If a wheel falls off on a car...you'll probably live. Hard to be a sure about a bike ;).

Good luck and keep the shiny side up.

If you want a reliable cheap bike that is capable of doing 130KPH id look at a secong hand Honda CB 250. I started off on one and progressed over 10 years to a super bikes. I own 6 road bikes but honestly can say that the Honda CB 250 is still a joy to ride. Thet are stable, cheap and very reliable.

Something cheap and small.

The easier it is to move around, the less chance you will drop it.

You only need something small to learn the basic's on. If your broke smaller bikes are generally cheaper to repair if you throw it down the road.

Can't get a good motorcycle flat broke. You'll need about $3K for something semi decent. 600 is ok to start on if you have the good sense God gave you. Try Craigslistg.org

Yamaha FZ6
Suzuki SV650
Kawasaki Ninja 650, or Kawasaki Versys
Honda 599

cheaper bikes:
Suzuki GS500S
Kawasaki Ninja 500

Kawasaki Ninja 250, Honda Rebel 125.... anything small.

anything........as long as it isnt a harley!!

cbr 600rr. cheap fast reliable.

anything ....as long as it is a harley