Here is my old "toy," a 1991 Honda Nighthawk 750.  I bought it in May 1999 and immediately started riding it every day to and from work -- often taking the scenic route:-). 

Here is my Nighthawk Maintenance log and some lessons learned.

I took the MSF course before I bought it and I highly recommend all riders and prospective riders take the class!

This isn't my first bike.  I had an old Kawasaki 100 enduro type when I was in high school.  I think it was a mid-70s model, with all the lights stripped off for basic trail riding.  It wasn't much, but it taught me a lot -- which I didn't realize until the MSF course.