Welcome Josh, unfortunately I'm waaay too far North to be of assistance, but, whilst I understand your reticence to just 'dive in' I suggest you get your bike of choice (unless you already have one) grab an appropriate Haynes manual so you have an idea of how it all holds together, then see if there's a local club (and I don't mean Chapter, there's a world of difference!) you can hook up with.
Or go over to Facebook and post a similar request in something like 'FBB Global rides again', they're a pretty friendly bunch and with respect to this site far, far more populous!