Rebel 250 for a 5'10" dude

[Bachstrad37]

I'm 5'9" 175lbs with a 32 in. inseam and sat on a new Rebel a few months back. I don't think I could bare rides longer than 30 mins. on this bike.

I'd shoot for a used Honda Nighthawk to learn on as a first bike. They allow you to stretch a bit more as is (no mods) and there's plenty of them out there. Nighthawks are standards and resell well, but you'll probably opt to keep it once you decide to upgrade to a cruiser. They're fun, reliable, and cheap to insure.

As for used gear. Sure, go for it if you're limited to a budget. It might be stinky if the previous owner didn't for it. I bought some used chaps and you they smelled kinda funky. I had to wash the hell out of em, but they work well.

[lunchmeat]

Y'know, upon reading your message and checking out the Nighthawk, I'd wondered how i could've possibly missed this. Then, I realized - I didn't. There was a reason I took this bike off my list of possibles - it doesn't have disk brakes.

I might reconsider if it's not a huge problem, but I was under the impression that it was - how did braking work out for you? Nighthawk opinions are welcome from anyone - I'm sure it's a great bike, but those drum brakes are putting me off.

I have really been wishing they still made the Rebel 450...I'd take that in a heartbeat, if I could get my hands on one...

[qwerty]

The 250 Nighthawk was my first choice to get back into riding after many years. Fortunately, no used Nighthawks were available locally, and no dealer within 100 miles had a new one in stock. Consider the drum brake a safety feature--you will be less likely to lock the front during an emergency stop, and you'll learn to pay attention to following distances. No great loss for the bike's mission objectives.

[obxbiker]

I have owned both the Honda 250 & 450 serveral decades ago (back when I was 6 feet tall now 5'11' on a good day). And did feel cramped on anything but short rides.

Both were fairly dependable rides and had a great time on them. But that was a long time ago and nothing has changed in updating the 250 for todays rider.

Have recently posted some more information on the Kymco Venox here:

viewtopic.php?t=18484&start=15

and here:

viewtopic.php?t=16845&highlight=venox

Eveyone has a different opinion based on there own experiances (or lack of) but all of it is good to hear, but remember the one YOU choose will be the one you will have to live with, so its great to see you doing your homework on different brands.

Test riding the bikes is the best way to tell what you will feel comfortable with, however very few dealers will allow that due to insurance liability.
There are some Venoxs owners in Florida at this site, maybe you could hook up with one of them ?
http://prideinwhatyouride.com/