some more rookie questions..

Hey folks,
Two weeks into my first Monster, first Ducati and first twin....
What should my temp guage be reading after a trip..It's in Fahrenheit and was reading over 200 today..Is this normal..
I have Termi's..I get quite a bit of backfiring on engine breaking, which I presume is normal..Today it backfired loudly on starting after filling from nearly empty..is this normal?
What rev range is best suited to backroad driving..Is it ok to keep it in third and thumping at 6000+ or am I killing it?
Thanks..
All answers and sarcasm welcome!