What type of 600cc japanese street bike should i expect to buy for $3,500?

Look around, you should have NO problem getting yourself a 2003 Kawasaki ZX6R for close to that price. You'll see a lot of older bikes with insane price tags.. just p them by.. people seem to think their used and abused sport bike is worth gold for some reason.. I still find it funny the guys with 05/06's for sale asking more then you can buy an 07 brand new out the door at your local dealer. The main reason for these outrageous prices is people bought the bike new at the dealer and went with dealer financing (usually in the forum of a credit card) and they owe a lot more than the bike is worth because of there $99/mo payments.. I personally bought my 2004 Kawasaki ZX6R w/3800 miles for $4K, bike came with after market exhaust, steering damper, and a few cosmetic upgrades. You should have no problem getting a fuel injected bike (2003+ for most brands) in your price range ($3500-$4000). Look on cycletrader.com, craigslist.com,ebay.com, search google or yahoo for motorcycle messages boards in your area (Tampa, FL has TampaSportBikes.com) and do a search for brand specific bikes (kawiforums.com for example). Stay away from dealers, they're going to mark the bike up a lot more than its worth unless your buying an 07 brand new that they need to push out to make room for 08's. Hope this helps. On a side note, don't skimp out on the gear! Get a quality helmet, gloves, boots and jacket (riding pants if you want on going on runs or trackdays). Good luck! Check out some of the link I posted un Sources..