2009 Yamaha XT250

by Cheryl Waters
(Emerado, ND, USA)

2009 Yamaha XT250

After my husband came back from Afghanistan and got his Vulcan 900, I was joking that I wanted a bike, too. Low and behold, he traded a few things in his shop for a Virago 700. I drove it once, went 7 feet and did a full throttle spin-out. After he picked the bike off me, we both realized that it was too much for me to handle. We went to the dealer where we bought his Vulcan, and talked to them about a bike for me. Since I am 5'2" and had never driven a bike more than 7 feet before, we decided on a Yamaha TTR125LE dirt bike. Great little bike, but after months of doing circles in our yard, I needed something that would go down gravel easily and be street legal. We went back to the dealer after I checked the specs on 5 bikes. I fell in love with the XT250, but the seat height was higher than the specs stated. The guys at the bike shop went out of their way to have a lowering kit made for me. That brought it down to 30 inches. I have successfully put 20 miles on it with no problems! I would have more miles if it weren't for the beautiful weather in North Dakota. I highly recommend the XT250 to anyone starting out. It handles great on gravel, in mud and snow, is lightweight, starts even when it is below 30 degrees out, and is very forgiving when it comes to shifting. I like the digital multi-function display, locking gas cap, and ignition circuit cut-off switch. I am adding a luggage rack and bag. As for long trips, I will still be a passenger. What a great way to spend time with my hubby! We are going on a cross-country trip later this month, and then he is off to Kosovo for a year. Yet another reason to have a bike that I can handle! When he comes back, we will go shopping again. By then I should be ready for a cruiser. I'm thinking Harley Nightster or Suzuki Boulevard S40... He's thinking Harley Streetglide.