I started riding 2 years ago and am looking for something a little faster and more fun to ride. I have been looking at higher performance bikes like the Ninjas, CBRs, etc. Anyone have one? I'm curious what models are best, how much insurance roughly costs, good prices, things to look out for when buying one, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

I currently have a 1983 Honda Gold Wing GL1100. That thing is a beast, but I can't complain cuz the pops sold it to me when I turned 18 for $1000, with only 40K miles on it.

I know nothing about these things. Buy a hogg.

If not, the next best thing has to be a Buell.

I would look for a 600. Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki all put out good bikes, but be careful. The 600's are putting out pretty good power and it all tends to hit at once. If you're on one wheel when it happens, it can get expensive. I ride a Suzuki GSXR 1000 and insurance isn't bad.

As for prices, you will have to check around. Here the Suzuki and Yamaha dealers will give you a deal, but not the Honda or Kawasaki dealers.

Either way, you can't go wrong with any of the companies.

I haven't riden in around five years. When I was, I had (actually still have) an 88 500 Honda Intercepter. I'm far from an expert on bikes, but I would imagine (just as with cars) you can buy guides that rate different modles from one year to the next. Even better than that would be if you could find a forum like this one where the subject is bikes rather than football. There have got to be a few sites out there where knowledgeable people log on and spend all their free time talking bikes.

The one peice of advice I can give you is that the while "sports bikes" are a lot of fun and fast. (for a 500 my bike could keep up with bigger bikes pretty well. And of course there is a girl factor (I bet you asked for rides a lot more often than with your Gold Wing). But if you like to take a lot of road trips I'd consider getting something eles. Speaking for myself on my Interceptor, After about 4 hours I was usually ready to call it a day if I could. It was fine, just not a touring bike (duh). Good luck, let us know what you get!