As has been said and you've indicated, MSF course FIRST!
Whenever I hear of a rider that's over 30 that wants to learn/take up riding, two things spring to mind:
1) Why do they want to ride? If it's not for the love of riding, they shouldn't do it. Sounds like you have a genuine love of what you think riding will be, so you're off to a good start.
2) Learning will quite possibly be a more challenging than it is for younger riders. So many riders begin at a tender age and out of leisure rather than a need for transportation. It makes learning easy and fun b/c we learn better the younger we are and with no pressure. In your case, just bear in mind that you'll need to exercise patience with anything that doesn't come naturally and you'll need to exercise restraint early on once you've gained confidence - because, as an adult, no but you can keep you from trying to do too much too soon. Sounds like your heads in a good place there as well...but it's easy to let the thrill of riding get you ahead of yourself once you're on the bike.
For all riders, I recommend taking all the training you can get your hands on as often as you can make the time for it. MSF is absolutely the best first step for all new riders. Take it BEFORE buying a bike. Many folks buy a bike and then take the course and find out they just don't enjoy riding for whatever reason...and now they have a bike to sell.
After the beginning course, if you find you love riding, get your license and a bike and practice every chance you get. Empty parking lots are great! Also, take the additional MSF classes (BRCII, Advanced, etc). While these classes aren't exactly revolutionary and many argue that they present much of the same material as the new rider courses with just a bit more focus, the still represent TREMENDOUS VALUE in that they provide supervised practice with constructive criticism from experienced riders. NOTHING beats that kind of feedback for learning and improving. There are also great training courses at professional tracks that are all worthwhile for improving your skills and having a blast while doing so.
My favorites include:
California Superbike School (CSS)
Motorcycle Riding School - California Superbike School (they ever provide a bike for the course if you like!)
Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic
In fact, before I bought my Hayabusa, I made it point to take the CSS so that I would get a full sport bike experience BEFORE I dropped thousands of dollars to own one. Had a FANTASTIC day of learning and riding!!! I can't recommend this kind of training enough!
As for bikes, sounds like you've got some find candidates in the Ninja 300 and the SV. The SV is legendary as a great all around bike that's easy to ride, so I would lean towards it.
As far as gear goes, ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) is the best advice to be had. That means purpose built motorcycle gear EVERY time you ride and includes the following:
CAVEAT: I work for a major retailer of motorcycle parts, helmets and clothing. That said, I'm not here to sell anything in particular other than the idea that we should all be ATGATT.
Helmet: I believe that full-face is the ONLY way to go. Anything less leaves you open to serious injury even in the event of something as seemingly benign as a driveway tip-over. A helmet serves in many ways. Ironically, it won't do much in a head on 120 mph impact. What is DOES do quite well is 1) protect your face and vision from wind, bugs, debris, weather and extreme sunlight thereby preserving your ability be aware of your environment and maintain control of the bike and 2) it also protects against the head in the event of fall, which, even at 0 MPH, can cause brain injury with just the force generated by falling off a stopped bike and whacking your head on the pavement without a helmet. And yes, this can and does happen, even to veteran riders.
Apparel: Jacket and Pants (or Suit), Gloves and Boots or Riding Shoes. All of these are available in a myriad of materials, styles, colors and quality.
Materials: It's pretty much leather or textile: Leather still reigns supreme in terms of protection in a slide but there are high quality textiles these day that are quite good and arguably adequate, and possibly even better suited to certain street riding. In the final analysis, it becomes a personal decision
for every rider to get gear that meets their unique demands in terms of the following:
Risk tolerance + function/features + quality + budget + style + value.
Each of these must be prioritized by the rider and compromised against each other. The result determines exactly what you'll get. IMHO, we all should start with the most protective, highest quality gear that we can afford and work from there. Following is a list of SOME of the makers of top gear, followed by a list of SOME of the solid mid-level gear brands:
Helmets: Best: Arai and Shoei (undisputed top lids!). Good: Other solid brands include HJC (which I prefer), Bell, ICON, and Scorpion.
Jackets/Gloves/Pants/Suits: Best: Dainese, Alpinestars, AGV, Firstgear, Tour Master. Good: REV'IT, Joe Rocket, ICON, Speed and Strength.
Boots: Best: Sidi, Alpinestars, Dainese, Tour Master Firstgear. Good: ICON, Joe Rocket, REV'IT.
Notable mention: Sedici. This brand has apparel that is reasonable quality and VERY reasonably priced. If budget is a major consideration, IMHO, this the best bang for the buck that I have found in apparel.
Finally, Budget Gear, for when BUDGET is the #1 consideration. While most of us here agree that you should get the best gear that you can afford, sometimes that doesn’t leave us with the best choices in quality. Still, there are options available for even the most meager budgets and even the lowest quality helmet or jacket is infinitely better than riding without. The good news is that many of the top and mid-line makers actually do make lower cost products for the budget-conscious! So ALWAYS check to see what’s available by the better brands in lower price ranges. They won’t have the tech or features of the higher dollar stuff, but they’ll certainly be up to snuff in the basics. Now, if you are REALLY after nothing but spending as little scratch as possible, there’s one brand that comes to mind:
BiLT. It can be a bit hit or miss in construction, quality control and sizing, but all in all, you won’t find less expensive gear. Personally, it’s my choice for “extra” helmets that won’t be used much or the first set of gear for a new rider that isn’t sure what they want or how long they’ll be riding. For any serious rider that, ultimately this kind of gear should be no more than a stepping stone to the next level, but it can serve basic functionality until one develops a sense of preferences in the various gear and is ready to upgrade.
Guess this got a bit lengthy. Guess I was feeling inspired to runneth the cup over.
Hope this info helps.
Welcome and Best of luck!
Developing this sense takes time and its not something you learn at a few lessons at the MSF course. Not to mention I don't know where your located so inclimate weather is a factor too. Before you profess your love for a Hayabusa you may actually want to take the training course and ride a motorcycle to see if its for you.....
to the oRg 
