Depends upon the size of the bike that you’re interested in, (read as: what your plans are). I’m riding a Honda VTX1300 now and spent quite a bit of time on the Suzuki Boulevard M109R last summer as well as a VTX1800 and a RoadStar Silverado. Mid-size bikes might be the best option since you’ve been away from riding for quite some time, (many have as the gas crisis in the early 70’s spurred a huge jolt in cycle sales and many people just like you are again considering returning to the fun they had at that time… fuel prices are a good excuse)!
You might want to check out the Honda Shadow line, the smaller Stars (Yamaha) or better yet, look into a Boulevard C50 (that’s 50 cubic inches… 800cc). The Boulevard, (Suzuki) is fuel injected and shares many of the same features and benefits of it’s big brother the C90 (1500cc) model, including a comfortable, yet low seat height and low center of gravity, (meaning that you don’t have to wrestle with it at stop signs, etc).
All of these fall into the cruiser category and all are comfortable to ride, (albeit the M109R I mentioned is a muscle cruiser powerhouse). Of course, Harley, Kawasaki and yes, Victory (this is part of Polaris) do make nice machines as well, but I’ll stick to recommending the others since I own a dealership that sells those brands ;-)
Best of luck and enjoy the new ride if you get one. With the huge increase of riders in the past 12 – 18 months, it makes the roads even safer for all of us as other drivers become even more accustomed to seeing – and watching out for – motorcyclists.