[Emerikol]

Welcome to the forum, Jaydam! Glad to hear that you're thinking about getting into motorcycles. It was an article in a Cycle World magazine about the RX3 that actually got me onto the China Bike scene. I ultimately went with the Hawk because I was able to make the entire purchase remotely with a credit card, but that's neither here nor there. As for your question on a 250 RXR being a good starter bike, I would lay it out for you like this: If I had known about these bikes before I bought my DR650 and plowed a couple thousand dollars into it to prep for riding the TAT, it's a good chance I wouldn't even have a DR650. I have better than twenty years of two-wheeled experience, and all I've found heavy, big displacement bikes good for are throwing your back out when you go down and have to pick them up off their side. Now, that being said, with a smaller bike you'll have to do a little more planning with your luggage and cargo, a well as maintenance intervals and fuel stops on longer trips. I agree with FJmartin about going for the RX3 rather than the RXR. Once you get out there and start getting comfortable, the hard cases will allow you to get more utility out of the bike. Need a loaf of bread and some lunchmeat? You can take the bike to go pick it up. Need a new set of brakes for your car? Sounds like an excuse to ride to me! You'll find that as you get more comfortable, the local errands turn into mini adventures taking the long way around. Finally, there's the price and personal 'sweat equity' investment. There's a four hundred dollar difference between the two bikes, but that four hundred bucks covers a huge bargain on utility and carrying capacity. I realize that for someone about to turn 18, four big ones may be an extra month's worth of saving, but I truly feel the investment in the bike will pay huge dividends to your enjoyment. (Going off at a tangent here, if you have a trip planned and don't need the cases, my understanding is that they're removable.) As for the sweat equity, your cost of ownership will be much lower because there's not many bike shops that know what to do with these bikes. That means you'll become very familiar with your machine as you work through the maintenance requirements. There's plenty of support here on the forums, and knowing your way around the nuts of bolts of what makes the motorcycle go (or stop) are good skills to have. I hope that all the responses to your questions have proven insightful for you, and we're always ready to lend our advice, however misguided, to fellow forum members. Please keep us posted with your decisions, and pictures are a must when you finally pick up whichever bike you settle on.