Decent starter bike.

I took my TW on the freeway.

Once.

Me too! It was a section of I-205 near Portland that was a 55 MPH zone. No one was going 55 except me and my two other buddies on t-dubs .

CR500R.

Then you'll appreciate a good ol' e-start 250.

Yeah, once. I got on I-5 near home and wicked it up for the 65mph posted speed limit.

65 (by GPS), it would do. 67, it would do. It would not do 68, not even a little bit. I took the next exit.

Now I do have a friend that dropped like four teeth off the rear sprocket. He could get his up to 70... In a tuck. On flat ground. Eventually.

Honda introduced your bike a few months ago. It's a modern tech 250cc dual sport and MSRP is just $4500. It has your name all over it.

Plus you can explore a little off-road and find a whole new world to play in.

I have a lower count rear sprocket and mine has hit a GPS confirmed 71mph. Let's just say it was a long time coming.

So yeah, the TW is not your bike if you need to do sustained (or any) freeway runs.

Your webpage is pretty cool, great photography and some pretty sweet moped iron.

If you're not going to be on the highway needing 70mph on a regular basis go small, it'll be more fun and moped like only with a lot more power. Something lite and nimble would be the direction I'd take be it on road or dual sport.
You probably have a pretty good idea of how you'll use it so think about it, pick one and have fun!

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I bought a G650 GS EXACTLY like the one nytrashman bought with his daughter (except that one looks factory lowered... but whatever) last summer for $5000. It is my first ever motorized 2 wheel machine and I think it's perfect as a starter/commuter bike. Light-ish (~425lb wet) easy to maneauver, good low end power, few plastics to mar up if you tip it over (mine has, due to my dumbassery, twice) good on gas, blah blah blah. The maintenance can be a little pricy if you let the dealer do it, but if you do it yourself, its no more than any other bike I dont think.

I like it because its easy around town, gets to 75+ mph pretty easy, is fuel injected (I know, everything these days is, but whatever). Oh, and it has a lower seat height than a lot of the other dual-sports, so it might be an easier transition from a scooter.

happy riding!

Yamaha WR250X (used)
Reasonably light, versatile on road & dirt roads, dead reliable, lotsa 'stuff' available, well within your price point, and oh yeah, dead nuts fun...

I should also say that the KLX250 like WESSELD has for sale is also a good choice...

Not good for off roading but a great learner's bike for on road in town, especially if you are heavier, is the Suzuki Savage (S 40). Small, relatively light, close to the ground, but best of all the single 650 cylinder is very torquey and forgives you for shifting too early or into the wrong gear. Not great for the open road as I find the wind likes to throw you around and for whatever reason the bike likes to hunt around but damn it is fun to ride around town. Cheap new, cheaper used.

I started riding on an naked sv650 a few years ago. Great bike, but not an off-roader in stock form. Rode it all over NY / NJ, and even to Toronto once.

If you're anywhere near NJ and are interested in one, I may be looking to move up to a Tiger 800 XC and could part with it for the right price. It's a 2008, non-abs, blue, mostly stock, Sargent seat, with a new battery and ~1,000 miles on new tires. <8k miles on the odo. PM me.