The problem with a 250 isn’t the power, even a Nighthawk 250 will stomp most cars in a stoplight drag, but the noise and vibration at highway speeds. At modern highway speeds, just about all 250s are screaming their heads off and are uncomfortable to ride.
Also, most of the smaller bikes are still carbureted, so you’re set there, if you insist - but bike fuel injection systems are very simple and often go 100,000 miles without needing any attention whatsoever. Likewise liquid cooling - they’re pretty much trouble-free now - and if you’re ever stuck in a traffic jam where you can’t move for a while, the liquid cooling will keep your bike from overheating and dying.
Finally, just about everything but the big tourers or sportbikes are still easy to work on at home. Well, unless you buy a BMW, then you’re screwed.
Well, that is what I am going to find out. I tend to drive like an old farmer and 55 is my usual upper limit. Sometimes sixty. My wife recently asked me whether I have claustrophbia in way of commenting on the large distance I keep between myself and other cars on the highway. I don’t, I used to spelunk.
I drive a lot of miles every year so the ease of working on the bike is of paramount interest.
250cc engines in scooters don’t work nearly as hard as they do in motorcycles. The Kymco Bet & Win 250 is quite happy at 75mph. As for cooling, most scooters larger than 150cc are liquid-cooled now, and the air-cooled scooters have cooling fans and can be run all day at any speed.