the 600 s and 750s i feel are not verry good starter bikes ! they are fast as hell ! and light in the front , if you had ridden all your life and it was a first street bike maybe , but dam a first bike ?
they will not do 180 mph , but they will get to 100 mph realy fast ! and thats enough to kill ya !
+1
Take the MSF. Most have Ninja 250's available in them, so you can see if this might be a bike you could get along with.
And don't believe anyone that tells you a 250 is not enough bike... Granted, it doesn't have ANY low-end torque, but it has a satisfying top-end rush. It's also a cheap way to learn how to do your own maintenance.
And, it's faster than your dad's Busa in the twisties, once you learn how it likes to be handled.
And johnstein, I don't have any experience to this end, but won't most of the new 600's get going at 170+? I can't imagine the 750 being far behind, as it has roughly the same redline as the 600.