In reply to toymansbrotherinlaw :
Glad to see you here! The MSF courses are awesome. Do they provide bikes where you are? Some places do, many don't. I learned to ride in Southern California and dealerships donate bikes out there because it is good for business. The instructors know there stuff. Since you haven't taken the class yet, you still have the perfect opportunity to ask an instructor/enthusiast what to look for when shopping for a bike, all while standing next to a bike. That will be more useful than anything any of us can say, here.
I am going to throw some basic info out, so forgive me if you know it already.
There are four basic riding positions and they are determined by the location of your feet. If you want to control your bike easily, the location of your feet is the most important thing. Feet behind CG = sport bike. Feet under CG = standard. Feet a little forward or maybe "sitting upright in a chair" = touring. Feet forward of your knees = cruiser. Dirt bikes are a standard position, so are sport-tourers. "Standard" is a funny classification these days, because only a few street bikes are still made that way. Dirt bikes need good control, so they are in the "standard" position. Sport bikes need aero, so you lean forward. If you go the speeds they are designed for, you fly your torso and you really don't have weight on your wrists. That only starts to happen about 90 mph, or so.
Sport bikes are for people who want nothing but speed (even though the sport bike position is not the fastest at legal speeds). Touring bikes are generally purchased by older folks whose knees don't bend as well as they used to. Cruisers are usually purchased for looks. Sport-tourers, dirt bikes, and standards are usually purchased by reasonably in shape people who just want to ride all day on fun roads. Okay, that's my soap box, but, every single one of those types can be enjoyed by the person looking for it.
Before you drop big cash on a bike, learn to ride. Learn to ride on a bike that maximizes your control. Get a standard riding position and something light (preferably under 400 pounds for the street, though you can push to 450 for the right bike). If you can, spend under $2000 and buy something that has already been dropped. You won't cry (as much) when you drop it, and it will be worth just as much when you sell it. The smaller and lighter you get, the easier it will be to pass your skills test.
Riding is magical. Bikes are like dogs. Try to stand still and they yank you around. Walk and they do okay. Jog and they are right with you. Run and they are on your heel, following your every move. On a bike you can shift, clutch, brake, throttle, turn on your high beams, hit your horn, and turn, all at the same time without really having to move your body, and without taking any of your hands or feet off of your controls.
The standard position follows you better than the other positions. Your best balance in tricky situations is with your butt off the saddle, even if only 1/2 inch. Do you want to see masters of control? Youtube trials riding. Those bikes don't even have seats. When you sit on a bike, keep in mind that you steer more by pushing on the handlebars than by pulling on them. You need a position that makes it easy to push. Make sure you can stand. Do need to do a pushup to get off the saddle, do you need to pull on the handlebars, or can you just stand up?
https://charleston.craigslist.org/mcy/d/north-charleston-2019-honda-cb300r/7113828104.html
https://charleston.craigslist.org/mcy/d/charleston-honda-cb750/7122367800.html
Take a look at both of those bikes. They seem very different styles, but both have the footpegs under the front part of the seat (the low spot). Those are both standards. Either could have the pegs back another inch or so, but much past that and it becomes a "sport" riding position.
Somewhere as you learn to ride, you will form a better idea of what you want to get out of it. There are no wrong answers, only truth and lies. Do want to look cool? Do you want to impress people? Do you want to ride with a group? Do you want to ride by yourself? Are you going to commute or just ride to meet friends for food and drinks on Saturdays? Is 150 miles a long ride or a good time to stop for breakfast?
A bike with 8000 miles and two owners looking for a third? Imagine buying a car, you are going to be the third owner and it only has 8000 miles. Mileage that low, likely there is not a thing wrong or worn out. It should need tires, but I bet it doesn't. That was purchased by somebody who thought it looks cool, but did not know much about riding. They rode it some, but it wasn't great. They needed to find a reason to ride it and they couldn't, so they sold it. The next buyer did the same thing. Take a look at the mileage on that CB750. Nobody needed a reason to ride that one, they went looking for excuses.
For what it's worth, I had 30,000 miles on two wheels before I had 50 in a car. I have ridden coast to coast (3000 miles in 4 days), in the rain and snow, loaded with luggage or just around the block. My last non-project bike was a SV650 (same year and color as linked below). My next bike will be even smaller, but that is just me. I have known beginners with the SV650 and they loved it. The two guys I know with the most miles under their belts also each rode SV650 as their main bike. One of those riders had 750,000 miles on bikes as of 15 years ago, and he pushed hard enough that he was on an never-ending quest trying to find any tire that would last longer than 3000 miles. He rode 2000 miles a month.
https://wilmington.craigslist.org/mcy/d/carolina-beach-2000-sv650-for-sale/7118369208.html
I bought mine with 10,000 miles on it and I put another 80,000 miles on it. It developed a slight oil leak after 75,000 miles or so, and used 1/4 quart every 6000 miles. I should have fixed the seal, but at usage that low I didn't really worry.
Some people like the looks of air-cooled, but water-cooled will almost always last longer and have much lower required maintenance. The temperature stability of water-cooled allows things to work better. That is a very minor point to keep in mind down the road. You are not likely to keep your first bike long enough to wear it out, unless it is almost there when you buy it, which is still fine.
First bike, focus on software; you can worry about the hardware later.
Hopefully this was useful for you. Let me know if you need me to do better than just meander.
Matthew
