the 250 is perfect for what you want...use the left over money for gear!!!

 

iv had my 650 for quite awhile now and have about 15k miles on it...in no way has this bike ever felt too slow or like i needed something bigger. I have only rode a 250 a few times and did not like the bike as much just because of the lack of power. For the price tho..a 250 would deffinitely be better if your going to want to upgrade, which most people will. on the 650s side, as u can tell from mine, you can do quite a few mods to completely change the way the bike looks and sounds.

 

i recently bought my Kawasaki Ninja 250r in late April. I had friends say "uuugghhh your gay for wanting a 250," but i quickly replied saying I plan to also take this bike out to the local track day occasionally. I asked them if they have ever rode a motorcycle on a track, pulling every half horsepower out and taking it to its full potential and beyond to beat your competitor. They replied "No" and as it turns out they have never owned a motorcycle let alone probably even riden one. I also explained, I am a college student, I can not afford a 600cc, I have a DUI the insurance would be outrageous, my car is on its last limp and I need RELIABLE alternate transportation. I evaluated my situation carefully and found the 250 to be best for me right now.

 

i run my 250 on the highway quite a bit, BUT i went UP one tooth bigger on the front sprocket ( to a 15), which is almost a must. It rolls down the highway with traffic just fine at 8500 like that, with the stock 14t sprocket it was about 10k rpm

 

Easy choice... get the 650. Not too powerful of a bike. And you will definitely want it on the highway vx the 250. On the highway, I am purely speculating here, but doubt the difference in gas mileage would be that much as the 250 is spinning so high RPM.

250s are good for saorund town, but comfort and rideability on the highway will definitely go to the 650!

 

If you asked me..
I would tell you get the 250. If its your first bike right.
Just like walking. start slow, work your way up. If you grow out of it. There will ALWAYS be a new rider starting out you can sell it too.
Riding is alot of fun, dont cut yourself short by moving to fast.

 

I sort of agree with this, but 250s are more fun, and a 650 is always wrong for a first bike. Get a year and 10K miles in on a 250 before riding a 650 on the road.

Rob

 

shoot, I think the 500 is a fun street bike (the in between sister). But not much of a difference between the 250 and the 650 in my opinion. Normally it is a price factor. By the time the suspension is set up for you, you may have wanted the bigger sister by then anyhows. You should know at the end of the 1 yrs 10k miles if you like the bike or not, I agree.

 

Here's some advice from a guy who's in the exact same situation, but decided on the 250.

I ride to work every day on my 250, which is about 18 miles, 15 or so being highway. I don't have anything to relate it to, which is good 'cause you don't either. But I don't have any problem on the highway. It's not scary. Sure it's revving a littttle high. But In my mind that bike is built for it. Don't think that you're gonna be a dead weight out there on a 250. You roll on the throttle and you'll take off faster than any traffic you're likely to come across. Sure, it's not as fast as a 650, but if you want to go faster then what the 250 will take you, I don't want to be on the same road as you.

The 250 will give you an understanding about how to control a bike, how to mod a bike, how to take care of a bike, how to behave with traffic, and you're gonna have fun with it. Believe me, when you're up at 10,000 RPMs you're gonna be pulling real hard.

I'll eventually upgrade to something bigger, probably a CBR 600. But that's not because I don't like the 250. It's just because eventually you'll get to the point where you need something new. Need to accelerate to the point where you need to use actual throttle control. And take long tours.

My suggestion. 250. But it's up to you. Let us know

 

Start on a 250. Like someone else said on this post, learn to walk before you run...

...else you'll run yourself right off the road. The 250 is forgiving, the older (read as pre-2008) models had a slight lowering of the front when breaking too hard but definitely nothing that made you feel like you were going to do a stoppie. They've since fixed that with the newer generation of 250 (2008 and higher).

The 250 is VERY forgiving of new rider mistakes. Blip the throttle all the way and you're not stuck eating pavement, brake too much and it lets you keep your seat, let go of the throttle going 75 MPH and it doesn't even buck you off whereas when you start with a bigger bike, everything is faster, harder to control.

Start with the basics and move your way up. Insurance on this bike is low, maintenance is low, the newer generation have almost the same fairings as their liter cousins so the looks are there.

Take my advice, invest in one, learn everything you can out of it, the right way from day 1 and sell it. It's a hot item since there are always going to be people wanting to start. Save your money, buy better gear.

Dragone, I remember you from way back in 2005 when I was a frequent member on here. I left right before MK died (R.I.P. bro). Been peeking in now and again but haven't seen any familiar names.