Easy to ride, difficult to ride fast. To ride fast you need to learn on a race track because you *will* fall regularly until you learn. Get a Ninja 250. When you do learn you will be lapping the posers on their four cylinder racing bikes.
Personally, I don't crash, don't want to crash, and...
Look at the mileage real people get in the real world -- http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/
http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/honda/vt750c%20shadow -- about 50 mpg
http://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/honda/cbr%20600%20f4i -- about 40 mpg
The Ninjette is a good motorcycle, period. It is good for anyone who wants a small sport bike. It is also a good motorcycle for someone who is getting into motorcycle racing.
Do you want to race motorcycles? You write that you "don't want something insanely fast" and that the "fastest I'd...
Opinons are arseholes -- everyone have one and they all stink. In my opinion, get the Honda.
I like Singles. The Honda is 20 pounds lighter than the Ninjette, thinner, easier on the streets. Don't know the 300, but against the 250 the Honda have considerably more torque and horsepower up to...
Depends on you. If you are like most motorcyclists you will want to be able to ride 120+ mph you will should get a 650 twin. If you are wanting a motorcycle for cheap transportation, you could be happy on a 250 for 100,000 miles / 10 years, whichever comes first.
You can ride a Ninja 250R, doing 100 mph top, cruising at 75-80 mph on the freeways -- and is physically about the same size as any "sport" bike. If you are worried about looking ridiculous, go drive an SUV. (Clue: *ANYTHING* you can get, someone else will think you are being ridiculous.)...
Bigger uses more fuel. For 7 years I was riding a 652cc Savage, getting about 50 mpg city and 60-65 mpg on the highway. I now have a Vespa LX150 and get 65 mpg in the city riding the same way, and I am getting about 75mpg on the freeway. And am having even more fun. Depending where your are...
A 250R, Kawasaki or Honda, will do 95+ mph and out accelerate 95+% of the vehicles on the street. Do you need to ride at 120-160 mph? If so, get a overpowered bloated bike. If you want to easy riding, get a 250.
I love these people who suggest a bike with a 30.5" tall saddle for a female with a 26" inseam -- she wants to sit at a stop at tippy-toes? They also suggest a Ninja 250R or a Honda CBE250R -- at 375 or 357 pounds.
A motorcycle she can flat-foot at a stop, fast enough, light enough, a Yamaha...
Legally? Just a helmet and your swim trunks. Or your speedos.
Hell! In California you don't even need eye protection!
And you may not have headphones on both ears, you need to use a hands free telephone to use, and you are not allowed to text.
If you demand the style of a sporty bike, you need to learn how to mount/dismount the motorcycle at stop signs, traffic signals.
Or you can accept that you are short and you can ride on a cruiser, one of the there Japanese 250cc cruisers, or a Suzuki S40.
okay.... ah ... why do you want a sport bike? Do you want to race on the streets? Do you want to carve the canyons? You want to do to a race track and actually speed legally on a "track day"?
Or do you want pack your saddlebags and cruise on the highways, 200 miles until lunchtime? Maybe...
You don't need to care about the right side. All have to do is place the left rear where it needs to be. I open my driver's door and lean out and watch my left tire on the ground.