And like Eon said, don’t worry about what other riders think of you. But you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how 85% of other riders will respect you, no matter what you ride. It’s that you DO ride that counts.
Sure, you’ll have the odd suburbanite Brando-wannabe on his Harley or the urban sportbiker in his matching factory-logo outfit who’ll not return your wave, but they’re a definite minority.
And what’s most impressive re motorcycles is SKILL. Anyone can buy a bad-ass bike, but not everyone (in fact not most) can ride it right. Take the courses, read the books, hang out here, etc. and be the guy that can effortlessly thread his way through a crowded gas station without a problem, while the guys with the impressive bikes awkwardly walk theirs around.
Among good, real riders, nothing will get you laughed at more than a skill-level/bike-level mismatch. So do the right thing, start reasonable, then work your way up. It’ll go quickly.