I have a cbr f2 man, and I can vouch for it that it still has alot of power for being a 91. My cousin has an 06 600rr that I've ridden and theres not much of a difference. Mine is also much lighter than his. So I would say an f2 or f3 are good bikes in your price range.

 

BTW - i just got the Cane a few weeks back... Theres a bike up for sale local.. Its an FJ 600 that looks really clean. I think the asking is 1700.00

 

Around my area 2k would get something like an f2,f3 carb'd kaw 600 or kaw 250.

I started on an F4 and am glad I did, it was probably more power than I needed as a beginner but I handled it well. Have had 2 F4i's since then and am now looking for another F4i after around a 2 year break of sport bikes....while I tried out cruisers.

My brother will also be getting his first bike this year, he wants to start on a 600 but I'm trying to get him on a Suzuki gs500f. He may say he is responsible and mature but he is only 19 (not that age is the only factor) and I have seen how he drives his car aggressively and on a bike it will be intensified greatly.

GL with the purchase, hope to find me one in the next couple weeks as well.

 

Stock to stock your F2 is at least 20lbs heavier and 10hp less then the 06 RR, thats a big difference that you can deffinatley feel. That being said the F2 is still a great bike for the money.

 

99 gsxr 600 srad
NINJA BIKE
1996 VFR 750 ...obo
three bikes you can all get for under 2k in North Dakota. Craigslist is a hell of a tool. Obviously I have no idea how far these bikes are from you this is just to give you an example of whats out there. I would put you price max at $2500 and search around craigslist. You can always talk the price down.

 

P.S. that ninja would be the best bang for you buck if it really has that low of miles and nothing wrong with it. However it maybe a 250 but for 1k you cant go wrong.

 

For a first bike, likelyhood of dropping the bike is high, better off getting a used bike that's easy to pick up, cheap enough that you can careless if you drop the bike.

I've owned all sorts of different bikes, but I keep a Ninja 250 in my garage just to use it as a every commuter, I ride it to the ground and put it away wet; yet it starts and runs like champ everytime.

The skill you learn and keep learning from riding a small bike fast is many folds the value you spend to purchase.

Pre-gen Ninja 250 are quite cheap to pick up during the winter season, now the weather is nice and warm, everyone is looking for a nice used Ninja 250 for a beginner ride.

If you can wait until next year, start searching you first bike in the winter or fall when people who lack storage for winter is trying to get rid of their bikes in a hurry and no one is really buying.