TL
R VERSION - Do training, Buy decent gear, Be careful (mainly of others), Have self Control and you will have plenty of fun
having had a couple bikes and after writing my last off I won't be getting another for at least a while, have gone back to cars, but have some good information for you (none of this don't ride crap they are too dangerous as people say). Seeing your mother at your hospital bedside crying is a real eye opener, my accident could have been a lot worse but I was lucky
was my own fault I'll admit straight up, but gives you a new look on things so to say. So here to share my info with you.
If you are still looking at bikes to buy, best bang for buck is probably the suzuki GSX-R range, anything after the 2008 model will come with a slipper clutch (so if you drop down a gear and let out the clutch to fast the rear won't lockup on you), will also come with an electronic steering damper (this is massive! if you've ever heard of the expression tank slapper, this will limit this a lot more then not having one). Good thing about the electronic damper, is when you are going slow it's still really easy to steer making slow movements easy to do still, while going faster the steering stiffens up. Whereas with the mechanical ones sometimes they are too tight for the easy slow stuff making it even harder, for an experienced rider this doesn't matter as they are used to it and can do it easily, yet for a new rider it can make a big difference. They also have different map modes you can change to and from, A/B/C think they were on mine can't really remember but there are 3 maps, power doesn't really change on the suzuki, but the throttle control does, if you are a new rider in the Wet, you can put it on the middle/lowest mode until you are confident with your throttle/clutch control making the bike a bit soggier so to say.
doing an instructional course is much better then teaching yourself, they give you all the proper training for the slow stuff, like figure 8's, turning around within a street, emergency braking, riding the clutch in slow situations etc.. it's all things half the time you wouldn't even try if you are self taught and the slow stuff is when people drop the bike trying to turn around etc.. so learning these things are great so you don't damage your bike and waste money.
make sure you buy proper riding gear, it will cost more yes, but buy a proper full leather jacket, not this dry mesh crap, buy some good boots, Dragon Jeans at a bare minimum (they have kevlar in all the key areas like bum, knees etc.. can google search them) so if you fall off it doesn't just get torn up to shreds and still offers some protection, but get full leathers if you can. Buy a decent helmet and MAKE SURE IT FITS PROPERLY, the amount of people I have seen with helmets that don't even fit properly is astounding, they will either fall off or cause more damage if you have a crash (my visor went flying off mine and I had a $1000 shoei helmet, could only imagine what will happen to a cheap one). Buy gloves with decent knuckle protectors, for anyone who has ever had a rock flicked up at over 200km/h and a knuckle been hit, you'll understand why. As Frost above said, it's not IF you come off, it's WHEN. I would find it highly unlikely anyone to ride for a lifetime and not have at least 1 accident, whether it's your own fault or someone elses, it will happen eventually.
If you are not using it as a daily commuter and weekend riding only, change the standard tyres for some much sticker options (if you buy from a dealer you can actually ask to do this before you take delivery of the bike and they will upgrade the tyres for you at a small price), you will have much more confidence and will learn your own limits a lot faster while it being safer. Your car driving skills will also improve from having the bike, not necessarily because of training or anything, but you will have much more awareness of everything going on around you, never get sloppy and self content when riding in traffic, always be alert, I've had so many cars pull out onto me and have to either speed up/slow down/drive on shoulders of the road to avoid getting hit.
I know there is a lot of info, but saves you learning it from your own experiences and hopefully makes your riding more enjoyable