A friend of mine in Eugene gave her bike to a friend of hers, bought a hot red motoguzzi and as we sat outside chatting over her sexy machine, she said "That little kawasaki has taught five biker chicks to ride. She needed to be passed on.".
What a legacy.
Perhaps this is the sole purpose of smaller bikes.
but whatever you do, mind your protective gear. @ssless chaps are hot, but not generally a good idea- guess where lots of road rash happens. Look into jackets with really honestly body-hugging spinal protection. A lot these days have very flexible sorta foam/plastic cr*p to say they have it, but I wouldn't trust my mobility to it. for that, look into these. Make sure it fits snugly. If it shifts under normal circumstances, you better bet it's going to shift if/when you go down.
Rotten.com used to have a great ER pic of a guy who kissed pavement wearing a brainbucket helmet. Not recommended. Cannot believe guy was still conscious.
I grew up with an interesting dual way of thinking regarding motorcycles. On one hand, Dad would tell me fondly of the Honda CB350 he rode from WI to PA when he was drafted for Vietnam... all painted like the bike in Easy Rider- his trips to Canada motorcycle touring, etc...
then Mom's side where after Dad filled my head with enough 'nonsense' she'd make him pull out the white helmet with canuck flag and then the face shield (that nifty '60s sorta bubble-face shield) with the side ground off and gravel imbedded, go on about how he still has gravel in his butt, etc etc after a particularly nasty lay-down/near-collision with a power pole. Why my mom made him sell his bike.
So have fun, and be safe. And I'll eye you with more than a little envy 'til I can be there, too.