After taking the class, I was hooked. I scoured the internet for pictures of bikes and blogs to figure out what style I liked and what might fit in my price range.
I loved the cafe style of custom CBs and Triumphs, but didn't want to dedicate myself to too much customization on my first bike. I settled on a Ninja 250. Very common bike that's easy to work on with many parts available.
I found one on craigslist that was beat up and ended up getting it for a pretty good deal.
The fairings were held on by zip ties, the front shocks were leaking oil all over the place (including the brakes!), the tire valve stems were cracking and about to fall off, and half of the lights didn't work.