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Honestly I would go for the 250.
The Grom and its competitors are fun little bikes to ride on and just big/fast enough to be good learners. However, I would not buy one unless you specifically want one.
The reason for this is that you'll grow out of your "learning" bike really fast and may come to not like the slowness of a 125. A 250 sportbike can often get you to 90mph and sometimes past 100mph. 125s cruise at 45 and fully tucked you'll be lucky to break 65.
I've seen new riders get 125s as easy bikes to learn on then hate them after a couple months as their skill had quickly surpassed the abilities of their bikes.
That said, Groms do hold their value well so if you don't drop it you can sell it for what you paid for it. So even if you do go 125 it's not like you're forever stuck with it. You also get the added benefit of fuel injection (provided you don't go for a Chinese bike) which means less tuning, more riding.
A benefit of an old "cheaper by the dozen" 250 is that even if you drop it you'll be able to sell it for what you paid. And since they're like roaches they last forever and parts are cheap on Craigslist and eBay.
Some backstory on myself: I just turned 26 and got my license back in June. I bought a Buell Blast (500 single) and a Honda Rebel (250 twin) as my first two bikes. I got bored with them and sold them both a month later. Ignoring my Chinese scooters, my youngest bike is a 1982 Suzuki GS 850. Maintenance on the old beast is actually easier than it sounds and I've learned a lot.
The Grom and its competitors are fun little bikes to ride on and just big/fast enough to be good learners. However, I would not buy one unless you specifically want one.
The reason for this is that you'll grow out of your "learning" bike really fast and may come to not like the slowness of a 125. A 250 sportbike can often get you to 90mph and sometimes past 100mph. 125s cruise at 45 and fully tucked you'll be lucky to break 65.
I've seen new riders get 125s as easy bikes to learn on then hate them after a couple months as their skill had quickly surpassed the abilities of their bikes.
That said, Groms do hold their value well so if you don't drop it you can sell it for what you paid for it. So even if you do go 125 it's not like you're forever stuck with it. You also get the added benefit of fuel injection (provided you don't go for a Chinese bike) which means less tuning, more riding.
A benefit of an old "cheaper by the dozen" 250 is that even if you drop it you'll be able to sell it for what you paid. And since they're like roaches they last forever and parts are cheap on Craigslist and eBay.
Some backstory on myself: I just turned 26 and got my license back in June. I bought a Buell Blast (500 single) and a Honda Rebel (250 twin) as my first two bikes. I got bored with them and sold them both a month later. Ignoring my Chinese scooters, my youngest bike is a 1982 Suzuki GS 850. Maintenance on the old beast is actually easier than it sounds and I've learned a lot.
