Hey Suzi, since you asked about bikes, here is the (sorta) run down, and of course it is all opinion based.
What type of bike you get is really gonna come down to what you are wanting out of it. Honda makes great, long lasting, easy to maintain bikes...they just don't have the power or handling that a Suzuki or a Yamaha do. They sit relatively low (the 600's at least) and work quite well for shorter women because of that (though for someone like me, it makes it a PIA to ride with long ass legs). Suzuki and Yamaha make a bike that out of the box can compete on the track (I mean, to truely "race" you will need plastics and all). The R6 sits pretty low too, and technically anything can be lowered (suzuki seat height is about the same as the others, but they have a wider stance). Kawi has really come up in the market and the ZX6RR are pretty sweet bikes too (I wouldn't mind a bio hazard orange ZX6RR for the street, even though it is not purple).
No matter what you get, you really aren't going to be using all it has to offer on the streets, so really it will come down to what you like, what feels good, and what is affordable (and what has the pretty colors ). Best bet is to sit on them all and see what makes you feel like you have the best overall control (reach to clip ons, brakes, peg position, firm footing).
And that is my opinion, it is worth about what you paid for it.