Look into the Hyosungs they have several models and you could ride down to a 250 with out a problem. They are very good rides and well made not imported junk. They have them up to 650 with rumors of a 1000 coming out later.

I had a 97 Honda Magna. It was the best of both worlds. A nice mid-size cruiser with the power of a sportbike. Comfortable cruising in a mean package and good gas mileage, too.

Kawasaki Ninja 250

Something around 500cc is good for starters.

Road bike: Suzuki GS 500

Road/Trail: Your choice of Japanese.

Cruiser: Japanese in the 400-600 cc range.

The GS 500 offers the best rain protection. Also look at larger capacity scooters unless the idea sickens you: many good 250cc scooters with ample storage and good rain protection.

buy a harley

for your size anything under 1000cc. look into the suzuki gsx-r 750, but with your budget your more likely to find a 600cc that works out well for you. as for rain, you’ll get wet but get some good tires on your bike, it’s the only part that touches the road. i suggest some michelin pilot power 2ct. cheapest place by far to buy them is. they’re softer on the edges so you have better grip when you turn. i use them and will b/c magazines have them ranked up there as the best road tire and this site sells them for so darn cheap.

I’d get a duel sport type bike for a first bike. practice riding in dirt, mud, rain, on and off road. they’re cheaper and easy to fix if you drop it, staying upright is always best, but if you should ever have to lay it down, it’s best to have some experience falling in the dirt before you get in a hard spot on the street. once your comfortable with that and have the basics down get the bike of your dreams.