Though if you read the Stoner spitting thread you could be reasonably justified in thinking otherwise.
Monster 1100 evo - lowish seat height, gentle/natural upright riding position, saftey tech (ABS + DTC standard), seisble/enough amount of power to entertain including B road scratching.
I'm still on my first Ducati, a 900ss ie. I'm a shortarse at 5' 7" and find the SS very good as its very narrow. Decent ones can be had for around 2k and they have plenty of power. Very happy with mine.
If you would like a sports bike then an 848 is by far the best for the roads. Not too much power that you end up wheelieing or high-siding everywhere but enough to "make progress" along country roads as it were! Plus it is such a good looking bike its like having a piece of art in your garage. I do appreciate however that sportsbikes don't appeal to a lot of people in their 50's but just thought I'd add my two pence worth...
A few years ago, and statiscally speaking (which is always a generalisation), the highest risk category for serious accidents was the 40+ returning to biking riders. A refresher course may be a good idea; riding is not just about the the new more powerful bikes but also the less caring more aggressive drivers out there. I took time off from cycling to work of only about 5 years, but could not believe the difference in driving standards when I restarted, both in and out of town. I do not know about what bike to get, but whatever it is, welcome back to biking / motorcycling!
