Thanks for the additional info guys, I was hoping that it would not be out of the question for me to say, i'll pay msrp and not a penny more...

Qomomoko - I want a 6 really bad, but for my intended use and limited budget i don't think that a 6 would fit my life at all, my thinking is that 70+ mpg feels really good about now, in addition i won't be riding more than 4-5 miles at a time. It will be a sunny sunday cruiser....

maybe later down the road, i'll trade up to a 6

 

if what you are feeling comfortable with right now i a 250 thats fine and great but i would want you to look on ebay or craigslist and see how many miles the 250's have on them before they are being sold. normally its a few thousands i have seen a few hundred miles and the owner puts wants a bigger bike. if you are just going on pure mpg then thats youre choice. but if it is going to be a daily rider and weekend warrior bike i would look at a zx6r or a few year old model it doesnt have to be brand new from a dealer.

 

I like the 250 for it's style and all that, plus you can't beat the MPG, but i have to agree that you will want something more. I have never been on a bike, just ATV, snowmobiles and what not and my fresh start is a ZX6R. I found it on craigslist for under 4,000 and it came with a Shoei helmet, a cover, a rear wheel stand, extra fluids, cleaning supplies...at the time of purchase it was damn near $300.00 under KBB plus the hundreds of dollars in extras.

Also if you "want to start small" because it's your first bike, then you should probably start used as well. I was nervous about buying such a "big" bike for my first bike, but i would have been even more knowing it was brand spakin' new.

Plus then you don't have to worry about the break in period because it's already been done for you. It's just something to think about. The dealership i went to and looked at the 250 said out the door w/ all the fee's was 4,900 ish. See what you can find used at that price and then decide.

 

All the riding techniques are considerably different, and you don't wanrt to learn about traffic on a 140 mph bike. 90 - 100 mph is more than fast enough, and after you've gone through the initial learning curve you'll develop skills and confidence faster and to a higher level.

You will outgrow the 250, but not as quickly as some people seem to think. Most really experienced riders eventually come to the conclusion that a bike of this size is more fun than anything else on the road, even if requirements like regular long highway trips mean that we ride something bigger. Anyway, better to outgrw a bike over a couple of years than never fully grow into one that's too fast, and that happens a lot when your confidence isn't enough to unleash 100 bhp.

Buying used is a good idea for a first bike. Look at all the very low mileage 250s that are supposed to be choking the dealers from people who thought they'd already outgrown them.


Rob

 

do a rider course, you might be the worlds best dirt rider and no doubt you can drive a car but riding on the road is a different set of skills again. Also get the right gear and use it. Good luck to ya