2010 250r kawasaki ninja 250CC (Black and Red Color)

If your middle-aged husband suddenly decides he's ready to buy his first motorcycle, the words "midlife crisis" may cross your mind. But if he's safe, smart, and buys a practical street bike, the only woman he'll be impressing is you with his monthly savings in gas!

Yes, it was the "Middle Eastern Oil Crisis" in 2008, where the average price of a gallon of gas in the US climbed just over $4 a gallon, that got my husband off the pot and onto his first motorcycle. He even created a graph depicting the US average gas prices over the last several years to prove his point.

If you asked me two years ago if he would ever get a motorcycle, I would have bet my life on it and said, "No, not the type, n-e-v-e-r." Well, Never say never! And while some loving wives might have reacted by saying, "No way!" I said, "Go For It!" Why? I used to love to ride dirt bikes as a kid, I have dreamed of riding my own motorcycle, and usually many of his ideas never come to fruition.

I'm a big fan of Kawasaki's entry-level sport bikes. They're attractive, reliable, punchy, get great gas mileage, and they hold their value quite well. Often, people who ride a Kawasaki Ninja 250R or 500R will hold on to that bike for their spouse or children, as it provides such a stable and reliable way to enter the sport bike world with minimal investment and maximum enjoyment.

If you've never ridden a Kawasaki Ninja 250R before I recommend that, immediately after reading this review, you get out there with your helmet in your hand and find one to ride! You'll find it to be a stable, windable little pocket-rocket that is just as happy being flicked through corners as it is cruising at 60 or 70 mph on the freeway