Hate to keep beating the dead (buried and decomposed...) horse, but a new bike just isn't necessary. For the price of insurance (I've never heard of a finance deal that doesn't require full coverage) you can outright purchase a very nice used bike. I've been riding 7 years now (not long compared to many here), owned 3 bikes, and none of them were purchased new. I bought my first bike from a dealer, learned to ride on it, then sold it the next spring FOR A PROFIT!!!
People change bikes all the time. You may think that whatever you buy now will last you forever, but you are going to want something new/different in a few years. Truth is, you have no idea what kind of bike you want to ride now since you've never ridden anything before.
I have an SV650 ('01 naked model) and love it. Personally, I like the look of the naked more than the faired and the riding position is not as racy (bars instead of clipons and lower footpegs) This is a cheap bike to buy and own, looks awesome (I've gone riding with friends on Moto Guzzi's, Ducati's, etc. and I kid you not, people have looked at my bike in that crowd and said it's the one they want - I nearly fell over laughing).
You can find one of these relatively inexpensively, and it is not a "starter bike" by any means. Which brings me to the next point. The SV (or 650R for that matter) have more than enough power to flip themselves over as a friend of mine proved when he looped mine in a parking lot learning to ride. No matter what bike you get, or how careful you think you are, you can easily crash. You will not necessarily crash the first year - or ever - but the odds are not in your favor. Get something you like, but can use as a tool to learn on. If it's already a little scratched, all the better.
My first bike was a Yamaha Seca II, a 650 cc aircooled inline 4. It looks very nice (in my opinion), is simple to maintain, not too much power, but handles well. These are pretty easy to find and sell again later if you want. It's not too small so you wont' feel silly on top of it.
Good luck whatever you decide.