FWIW, I went with the 250 because the overall investment was lower than with any of the other bikes I was thinking of [similar to what you are]. The $2000 difference will buy a lot of gas or can be invested elsewhere, especially for me with my low income, and I have not had any issues with my highway driving. Definatly not a straight line powerhouse, but on the suspension side I haven't noticed any of the quarks the earlier 250's were noted.
Thats where I was coming from when I made my decision so take that for whatever you wish
