Wife wants a 250cc. Any suggestions?

My wife rides a Yamaha 125 Vino that I bought her about 1 1/2 years ago. It was her first motorcycle. She has been riding it back and forth to work, which is mostly in-town travel, not exceeding 45 mph. Now that she "has her wings" so to speak, she wants to be able to commute to her part-time job which involves some interstate hwy riding.

She is 5'3" and only weighs about 105 pounds dripping wet (and that's with rocks in her pockets). Ssssshhhh, don't tell her I said that. Anyway, she is intimidated by the size of the Siverwing so I suggested a 250cc.

I know Honda used to make a 250cc Reflex. Now the only new 250cc I see are the Kymcos and Vespas. How hard is it to find a used Reflex? Are they recommended? How much should one expect to pay for one? Any other suggestions?

Thanks. Any input is greatly appreciated.

The Honda Helix or the Yamaha Morphous are nice scooters, both 250 cc size.

The Yamaha has a seat height about 26" as I recall.

My first scooter was the Reflex and I really liked it. She would do much better on it than me since I am twice her weight. She should be able to keep the stock screen and I would think the actual top speed (gps) should be in the high 70's, maybe reaching 80 if lucky. I thought it was very smooth and a nice bike. It just wasn't enough for me though since I'm bigger and I do need to go on the interstate on a daily basis to work and such. I would think you could get a good Reflex for around $3,000 IMHO.

The other one, if you want to buy new, is the Kymco Grand Vista. I hear they are very nice and also about the quickest and fastest 250cc scoot. I sat on one and liked it. Also, the Kymco's are usually a bit less expensive then the bikes from Japan. These are just my opinion though but I did like my Reflex. I'm also surprised that Honda just didn't also put a 400cc engine in the Reflex too since they lack a 400cc bike in the states.

I just bought my wife a Sym RV250. I had looked at them last year And liked what they had to offer i just wanted something with a little more power.
When I brought it home I had to ride down I-70 thourgh down town Kansas city.
Was very pleased with the way it handled, Took it up to 75 indicated with no problem. she has been very pleased with it so far. If you Google it You will find a lot of info on it. :D

I had a Honda Elite and then moved to the Helix. I had an '87 Helix for a few years and then bought a new '04 Helix. I really loved that bike. Enough power and really comfortable and easy to handle. It has a low center of gravity and I liked that being short also.
I should pick up my new Silverwing in about a week and can't wait to see how this handles.

You might also look at the Piaggio.

The Kymco s250 is a great scooter and is backed by a very good dealer network and Parts supply. Crusier mentioned the SYM RV250 a rising star for sure. I looked one over at the NY show and was impressed with what I saw (can't wait to ride one)! Many new dealers are opening all over,Enter your zip code here to find a local Sym dealer. Good luck and ride safe.

Robin,

Certainly a used Reflex can be found. You may have to widen the search area and travel to pick one up, but it is an option.

If new is your choice - The Kymco s250 really is a very nice bike. We have a local dealer and I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm of the Kymco riders I've met. They are really upbeat about their bikes and I can understand why. I've ridden most of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a guy on a people 250 and other than a silly maintenance problem the rider should have caught during his pre-ride checks, the bike held it's own.

Boy, that SYM Citycom 300i sounds like a nice scoot. Has anybody tried one?

My wife and I both had the Helix 250cc from Honda. I still think it was the most comfortable scooter I have ever ridden. JMHO

rvanbeek:
Where in northern Lower Michigan are you? I grew up in the Detroit suburbs, went to college at NMU, then moved to Colorado after I graduated. We used to vacation in the Northern Lower every summer (Gaylord and Traverse City).

robinc,i owned a 2008 kymco grandvista 250 it's a great scooter my top speed was 94mph and i weigh 230.with 2up i got top speed around 77. so let me tell you your wife should have no problem with speed on that bike i also took it on a r/t for 800miles handles very well the only reason i got rid of it was the gas tank is to small and i wanted more speed for hilly roads,and also for riding into the wind.but i highly recommend the kymco get the red one it sticks out more and cagers see you better because they sure can't here you lol,also never had any mechanical problems at all i put 7k on it only had it for 6months before trading it in for the 2009 silverwing.so for the price at 5k was worth it.but good luck at whatever you choose.

The Roketa MC-54-250 is absolutely identical to the Honda Reflex in every possible way. The only difference is the price. The Roketa MC-54-250 costs $2000 brand new and the Reflex costs $6000 brand new. But if you just have to have a brand new Reflex Lake Hill Motors will have one in stock soon. The $200 Roketa MC-54-250 is sold all over the internet.

rvanbeek I agree that the Helix was the most comfortable bike I have ridden. I could just ride that all day long and it was relaxing.
I love Michigan also! I went to college at Adrian College and have lots of friends who have retired in the top of Michigan. I'd love to ride that area this summer.

This is my Wifes 2008 SYM RV250 We just purchased this in early March. Unfortunately the only time I've riden it was home from the dearship, Interstate all the way home. I was very pleased with the way it handled the Thorttle response was great (not Swing great) but very very respectful. The Quality and craftmanship is just as good as our Swings. This Scooter is a little Smaller than the Swing (length & hight) and a little over a 100lbs lighter and don't let the seat hight fool ya she is only 5' 6'' and she can touch the ground just fine. Over all She chose this over the Berg 400 which would Have only been a $1000 more but This Scoot speaks for it self. As posted earler, Google this scoot for all the specs & Reveiws you won't be disapointed

Thank you all for your responses and valuable information. We went today and looked at a slightly used Kymco grandvista 250. It seems the perfect size for my wife and she fell in love with it. We hope to make a deal on Monday and bring it home. Wish us luck.

Well we returned today with a new (used) bike for the wife, a red 2008 Kymco grandvista 250 with 866 miles and the first service completed on it. She's really happy. As they say,"if mama's happy, everyone is happy".

The dealer is about 45 miles away and we needed to take her yamaha Vino 125 in for a trade. The quickest route is via interstate but I didn't want my wife and her Vino to end up as a hood ornament on some big rig. So I used map quest and found 2 secondary highway routes to and from the dealer. Both are rural and led us up into the mtns near Hendersonville, NC.

On the way there, I drove our car and my wife followed on the Vino. With her weight (106 pounds) the Vino does fine on the flats and minor grades but does slow down to about 40 on the steeper hills so it took awhile to get to the dealer. The ride was lovely since the weather was nice (sunny and mid 60s) with spring in full bloom. We made it to the dealer with no hassle. When we arrived my wife said she had a nice farewell ride on her "blue baby" (It was her first bike. I bought it for her 2 years ago on her 50th B-day.) By the way, this was the longest trek she had made on the Vino to date.

We made the deal and headed home. This time my wife followed me in the car and I took the bike (she wants time to get used to the extra weight and power). We took the alternate route home, back down the mtn via HWY 64, a 2 lane scenic route. My first impressions of her new baby are very positive. It has good power and a smooth ride. It handled the tight curves going down the mtn well. Once I hit the bottom of the mtn, I opened her up and had her up to 72 (indicated) before I backed off (I am always paranoid about getting a ticket) and there was still some throttle to spare. Anyway, back at legal speeds, the 250 cruised just fine. I think it will do well for her, especially with her light weight. I did feel a little cramped compared to the Swing since I am 6'2 and 260 pounds. Other than that it was a great ride.

The biggest pleasure for me was been seeing my wife's ear-to ear grin when she got out of the car at home. Later I took her out for a celebratory dinner at our favorite pub. Money well spent.

Tomorrow she starts her trial runs and is looking forward to "riding with the big boys" as she says.

Thanks again for all of your input.

RC

congrats on the purchase and yes she can ride with the big boys now and have no problem keeping up either as a previous owner of a 2008 grandvista she's going to love it when she gets used to all that power i really liked the folding mirrors on that bike and the bright red color is what really sold me as everyone had told me they can see me coming since they couldn't hear me..well lots of happy riding to your wife and you.

scooter express

Congratulations! It is a nice looking bike and 250 is a great size to get ready for the move up. I like the Vino too! Very nice farewell ride - I can imagine.

Nice find, good luck with the new bike and ride safe.

Robin:
Congratulations! The Kymco bikes have a great reputation. I haven't ridden one, but they look good. It sounds like you guys are going to have a lot of fun.