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Budget is what really comes into play as far as what your options are. Stuck to no more than say 1500 bucks, then the options are pretty much limited to a Hawk or TBR7.
There is also the question of wheel and tire size. The Hawk has the advantage of 18 and 21 inch wheels, which gives it a slight edge in off road riding and especially in tire selection. The TBR7 comes with the smaller 17 and 19 inch wheels which make it a bit better on road, but also limits tire options quite a bit.
For about 300 more (1750-1800) you end up in Bashan Brozz territory, which has a lot of nice features and a little better quality and support than the Hawk or TBR7. This bike comes with the same wheel and tire size as the TBR7, so the same issues apply, but it also has a counter balanced motor, so it makes for a smoother experience.
The Bashan equivalent to the Hawk, and roughly the same price as the Brozz, would be the CRP 250. No counter balancer, 18 and 21 inch wheels, but has inverted forks like the Brozz.
After that you are entering your budget stretching territory. One you do know, the Hawk DLX. The other would be the best off-road capable dual sport for 2k or less which is the RXB-250L. Both bikes, AFAIK are out of stock at the moment, but should be back in stock in a month or so.
Assuming we are sticking to said Hawk, then the answer your questions...
Preferred Vendor? Ask any two people here and get two different answers as to what vendor is good or bad. I personally am not a fan of Texas powersports due to more than one bad encounter with them while others sing their praises. I ordered two Hawks from Killermotorsports and had good experiences both times, but others have had bad ones. So, I would say there really is no solid preference as it all seems to be the same in the end.
Black is the most popular color on this forum it seems, but the Green also seems to be quite popular. I think they mostly order Black and it just ends up being the Model T scenario - you can have any color you want as long as it is black.
I personally love the Hawk. The Hawk is kind of like a mostly assembled kit bike that you can turn into whatever you want it to be. It is cheaper, and yes some parts seem to have hit or miss quality, but as a whole it is a solid bike.
As you said, you are familiar with the cheap chinese vehicle issues, so that also means you understand that you will get out of the bike what you put into it. One great advantage of the Hawk is the number of owners and the amount of information on problems and fixes. If the time is taken to go through the bike properly, they can give thousands of miles of service with few issues. When there is an issue it is usually easy and cheap to fix.
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