1) I ride a 2005 ZX10R Ninja. Wife rides a 2012 CBR1000RR. Actually, I ride it more than she does. I have tons of great pics, not posting. Thank the rapists at Photobucket.
2) I bought it to commute, and used to do that. I rode everywhere possible. New job with a company vehicle, free is cheaper than cheap, don't want to leave it at work all day, now I just ride recreationally.
Wife still commutes on hers sometimes, but she's white collar and it's a little tougher to deal with riding gear, gym clothes, and a business suit on a bike. So it goes.
3) I started riding when I got tired of paying over $5/gal to fuel my Mustang GT that only got 17mpg. So, sometime just over a decade ago.
4) MSF course was completely wasted on me. That said, there is no easier way to get the M-cert on your license, and well worth doing just for that reason.
Also: tires. "I think these are still good" means it's time to throw them out. Learned the hard way, and there's nothing you want to learn the hard way on a motorcycle.