I started out on a 2003 Buell Blast. There were a few reasons I chose the Blast:

1. Weight - At 360 lbs it was manageable by me, a 5'10", 170lb male.
2. Power - A four stroke, 500cc single didn't sound good on paper but it got around the city just fine. The highway felt like it was being maxed out at 75mph but I did get it to 110mph (downhill). It was basically a Buell Lightning engine cut in half, which seemed cool.
3. Maintenance - It was easy to work on, no fancy features to break or malfunction. Changing the oil proved to be tedious as the oil slowly drained through a tube along the swingarm.
4. Price - It only cost $4,000. The Harley dealership was doing a 2.9%, 3 month financing with $1,000 down so my payments were only $89 a month. Very manageable for a younger person like me in 2003.

I loved riding it, it was easy to control and not very common to see. I did get bored with it after about 18 months. I paid it off after 3 years and sold it in 2006 to another novice rider.

Good luck finding one now though, they discontinued the Blast a few years ago. Erik Buell stated the Blast did not fit the direction that Buell was going for.

Here is a link to the spec sheet. Mine was yellow in color.