For beginners:
1) Are you going to start on a 250cc or a 600cc? Why?
2) Do you plan on upgrading from a 250cc to a 600cc?
Thanks! Will add more questions as they come to mind
The CBR250R will be my first motorcycle. The closest I have been to riding something like this before was an ATV. I don't know what the CC was, only that it was a manual transmission so I have very slight experience with shifting.
I am going to start with a 250CC because it doesn't offer to much power. I hear and read many comments recommending getting a bigger bike and just going easy on it as you learn, then with time being able to use more of the power. Well, I want to start on the 250CC and really enjoy riding while getting a sense of the whole experience and be able to push it (even to it's limits) while learning. Not having fear of twisting the throttle to hard, or having a bike that's hard to turn during slow maneuvers. From what I read regarding the Ninja 250 people have a lot of fun on their 'little' bike. Great for taking on twisty, canyon roads and just scooting around town. I have no plans for actually racing a bike or doing 150mph (honestly I don't plan to take it over 85 MPH). The gas mileage of these bikes is phenomenal too making the 250cc class very attractive.
Do I plan to upgrade to a larger displacement?: I am not sure. It will depend on how things go with this bike. My main two reasons for getting a bike are 1) save money on the cost of gas, 2) Enjoy going places and wanting to get back into driving around just for fun and checking out new places.
My commute to work is approx. 36 miles round trip with probably just over 34 miles of that being freeway. I do have a concern about being able to accelerate out of the way of idiot drivers and more importantly (to me) the common problem with crosswinds. I have read these bikes are really not that great on the freeways because they are so light they get blown around a lot. My preference is to take the freeway to work, but I can take surface streets which based on Google maps will add approx. 11 minutes to my commute (I'm not so optimistic).
If freeway riding does present an issue more often than not I will probably lean more towards getting a bigger/heavier bike.
With all that said, I plan on keeping the CBR250 even if I do get a bigger bike, either so my wife can ride or if it really is as fun as people say the little Ninja is then I will keep it to enjoy.