Any Sportbike Riders?

I have been looking into getting my first bike for a couple of months now. I've ridden ATV's a handful of times growing up and I can shift correctly but that's about all I know. I am not really familiar with the feel of a sportbike or anything like that. At first I was looking at the R6 as my first bike but after looking into it and reading articles for new riders I was convinced that an R6 is going to be a bit too much bike for my riding skill. So i've been looking into a 250 for my first bike. The CBR 250R is the one that's really popping out to me. My only concern is that I am new to this and i'm certain I will drop my bike at some point. So I may end up going with a used Ninja 250. Just something I can learn on and when I drop it, it won't be quite as devastating as dropping a brand new bike lol.

Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts that could benefit a new rider? Any advice would be much appreciated. I'd like to get in touch with some riders so I can get more of an understanding of the sport.