I appreciate any answers.

Here are some figures I have seen:

Insurance
-$90 - $200 a year

Motorcycle gear
- New helmet and gear = +/- $800

Motorcycle
- $500- $20,000 or more

say insurance varies bigtime,all of it depends on what kind of bike you have,but for your accesseries I highly recommend www.sturgisleatherstore.com He stands behind his work and specializes in motorcycle wear and accessories.and I garentee you that they will hook you up with gloves,chaps,jacket,and helmet with lifetime garentee for less than 450...he also has armor plated jackets too...the leasther is good quality and think

I don't know what you might think but the guy that said...."If you live in the Midwest (or anywhere where you will not be driving in winter) make sure you say that you don't want to insure it during those months.".....is crazy. If your bike gets stolen out of your garage or if your garage would catch on fire you would just be out of quite a few thousand dollars. If you get a nice bike your insurance will be higher than you figured. Insure it for theft. Mine was just about stolen from a YMCA parking lot. Bikes get stolen. I have a few helmets, a few pair of boots and different jackets depending on the weather but you don't have to buy them all the first year. If you get a bike for $500 you will not be riding it because it will not be running half the time. Lean more toward your higher figure. You did not say what kind of bike you wanted but all decent bikes cost more than $500.

It all depends on the bike and your experience, but...

Insurance: $100 - 3000+ a year

Gear: $800 is ridiculously cheap. It's more like $1500 - 3000, since this is the worst place to skimp.

Motorcycle: $1000 - 20000

Depending on your area -- insurance varies. If you live in the midwest (or anywhere where you will not be driving in winter) make sure you say that you don't want to insure it during those months. A helmet will be from 100-300 dollars.

If you're spending less than $1200 on your motorcycle, then your motorcycle is a "fixer." If you're spending less than $2200 on the motorcycle, then it's a "beater."

Your other numbers are more realistic... you're getting some nice gear for $800.

Edit:
Yeah, I was thinking helmet and gloves, and jacket for gear. If you want boots and a full body leather suit, it's going to cost more than $800.