[beatr911]

+1 to what Low and Slow said. The CBR250R is da bomb, but still expensive.

I've never ridden the Rebel 250 but with two cylinders and 230cc it doesn't seem to be a low rpm engine.

Another air cooled option is the Suzuki GZ250. Low seat, 4 valve head, single cylinder, about 20hp but somehow doesn't seem to get the same mileage reports as the Virago/V-sta, but I don't think anyone here has really tried. An alternate to the Virago/Vstar 250 is the Lifan LF250. These are really cheap used, parts are available and are nearly direct copies of the Yamaha, meaning many parts are interchangeable.