I rode on the street for about 8 years. Had a CBR600 like this one:
Great bike.
Then, I bought a 2000 Yamaha R6, much like this one:
Awesome bike!
My wife bugged me about teaching her to ride the R6, so I finally sold it and bought her a Honda XR200 and a Kawasaki KDX200 for me. I love playing in the dirt. I haven't been out riding much the last year, we have a one year old and I travel a fair amount for work. When the boy gets about 3 or 4, I'm going to buy him a bike and we can go ride as a family. I can't wait!