Ninja 250 anyone?
 

Thinking about getting the Wife a 250R to start out on figuring I might have some fun on it too. Anyone have/had one? What are your riding impressions of the bike? Any dependability issues? I go 190lbs. will it haul me around briskly? Are they fun in the twisties?

Also looking at the Honda VL600, I know I won't ride it and that might be a good thing.

The GF has one. Doesn't really move until you're over 8000 rpm. Gotta shift out of 1st before hitting the end of the driveway. Fun bike though. Tons of them out there and you can sell it easily if you want to upgrade later.

I test rode an EX250, then an EX500 before buying the 500 for my wife 5 years ago. The 250 was fun, but it's so small (I'm 5'10"/155) I felt like I was riding a very fast bicycle. The 250 looks cool though, and would no doubt be very nimble in the twisties. But be prepared to do a lot of shifting.

We settled on the EX500, which kept my wife happy for 2 1/2 years and 13,000 miles. I put a Muzzy full system on it, which was cool. Then she stepped up to an SV650S.

Just get her an enduro.

my wife has owned the ex250 (or the little ninja as I call it ) for 10 or 11 years now. She absolutely loves the bike and is great for her 5'3'' frame. I feel like a trained bear on it at 5'10''. But it's her bike and she loves it so thats enough for me. I have my Superhawk to keep me amused :wheelie:

theyre awesome! i started out on one a friend just got one which i have been riding some. theyre so small and light, and they have no power so it doesnt matter if you whack open the throttle.
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g/f had an 07 250....its a great little bike BUT it lacks power....there is very little passing power in that bike...you have to ride it like you stole it to get it to move...

I bought the lady an 09. It is a riot. like a two wheeled gokart. Warm it up, slap the throttle wide open and run through the gears. she is going to ride it to carlsbad nm and back with the rest of us over labor day, close to 900 miles.

Everyone I know that got one said the same thing, which is how quickly it gets outgrown. An EX500 is way smarter. Its still narrow & light but wont get boring in 2 seconds. They sound great with a pipe too.

The 250 are great for beginners, but won't be much fun for you. Take a look at a Honda Hawk GT as well. Not as much shifting, low, mass centralized, great in the twisties, not too much power but upgradable to have more if you want it.

+1, The Muzzy full system I put on my wife's EX500 did sound great, and quite loud. And it took off a fair amount of weight, and didn't require any carb fiddling.

My wife even did her first unintentional wheelie on that bike, shifting into 2nd after hitting redline in 1st.