Dtopford, take the motorcycle safety course, you won't regret it. IMO, first bike, go with used, something similar to what they use in the class. 250 Rebel, light weight, easy to ride, until you get more experience. I've seen many new riders want larger and bigger, wind up hurt or worse. Get some experience before getting a larger bike. You can pick up small bikes used fairly cheap, ride it for 6 months to a year, and get most of your money back when you upgrade to a larger bike. I say this, my wife went through this a year ago, you will drop it, why not drop something you paid $2k for instead of something you paid $10k for.
That being said, I'm a gear nazi. I've wrecked 3 bikes, only 1 was my fault, each time gear saved me, and I would have come out better had I more gear. My wife wrecked her bike last year, went over the handle bars, came out of the wreck with a broken hand and wrist. Had it not been for her jacket, gloves, boots, and helmet, it would have been a lot worse. Invest in a good full face helmet, armored jacket, (they make nice denim and leather biker stuff with shoulder, elbow armor, doesn't have to look like Speed Racer stuff) pants and boots. It's not if you go down, it's when. Two types of bikers out there, those that have gone down, and those that will. Good gear is expensive, but skin grafts are much more expensive, and more painful.
One more piece of advice in this long winded post. (can you tell I take riding seriously?
) Bikes go where you look. Your mind needs to be on riding, not on your work day, your family, or what happened in the news. If your mind is wandering, and your eyes wander, it's not a good thing. Learn to look ahead, where you want to be, look through curves, I constantly talk to myself while riding to keep my mind focused, especially on curvy roads. (no, I'm not a knee dragger). Good thing is, behind a full face helmet, no one will know your crazy for talking to yourself.
Brand? I'm partial to Honda's. If you want something reliable, they are the ticket. Maintain them, change the oil regular, and they will last forever with very little maintenance.