Heavy is a relative term. I bought my second bike last year, which is a '92 gixxer 750 and it definitely qualifies as heavy....but then again I'm a fairly heavy rider. The only time the weight becomes an issue is in traffic...and in Toronto traffic is the norm.
Regarding longevity, a lot of it depends on luck. You can look an old bike over and be as thorough as you can be on the spot (without tearing the bike apart), but there are still a number of internal problems that you won't be able to account for. So far I haven't encounter any major problems with my bike...electrical or mechanical...but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if my transmission blew up tomorrow. Any day now...
If this is your first bike, I'd recommend looking for a Ninja 250 or a 500....or a GS500 or whatever. I'm pretty sure you can dig one of those up and still be well within your budget. If you're looking for a cheap upgrade like I was...well...go for it. I hope you're handy with a wrench, though.
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