Honda rebel 250 vs Yamaha V-Star 250 (Virago)

[Chineseteapot]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a very new rider and have been looking to purchase a bike. I've looked at the Rebel 250 and the Virago/V-Star 250. Both are great bikes. I personally like the Rebel more, but learned on the Virago - but it seems the handling is very similar. I'm wondering what the overall performance is in terms of performance, longevity and ease of maintenance. Both seem to score high in reviews, but I was wondering if anyone here had the inside track.

Thanks in advance!

[meme]

You learned to ride. You can ride anything.

Don't let the fact that you learned on the Virago sway you. The Rebel will be very similar - it'd be like going from a Ford truck to a Dodge. Small differences but you could drive them both.

Both are great rides - buy what works, what's available, what you can afford.

[Stewart]

both are great learning bikes, but the honda is a bit under powered,and really only good inthe city. from a service point of view they are equal and require little maintenance. the yamaha is a bit faster, but if you change the sprockets on the honda, it too would be equal and good enough for the 400 rated hyw's.

[cknowles]

My wife and I own a Virago 250. It's a wonderful little bike, excellent on regular roads. It will keep up with traffic on 400 series highways but there isn't much left above 115km/h.

I put 2000 kms on it this fall (Sept 1 to Dec 19th).

The stock seat is a bit hard on the behind after about 45 minutes, but a gel filled seat cover takes care of that.

Both are comparable bikes, both have their following and there are websites out there devoted to modding and maintaining them.

[Chineseteapot]

Hi Everyone -thank you so much for the quick responses! I guess I'm essentially looking at the same bike but in different skins. In all honesty, I'd prefer a sport bike and not cruiser style, mostly because of the look...and also b/c I'm a friend of FI. The big issue is I'm incredibly short (5'1 on a good day) and have a 26" inseam. I've sat on a number of bikes, including the CBR125, and I can't flat foot it...but I digress...

Thanks again - I really appreciate everyone sharing their responses!

[adri]

Why have you narrowed it down to those two bikes?
Height alone? You need to look further ahead. Where do you see yourself wanting to be able to ride your bike? I sold my Rebel after 7 months. You won't be as crammed on it as I was, but you'll probably be just as bored. There are better options out there. What is it you really want from your motorcycle?