LMAO..well from what iv seen and heard, (iv never riden one but) i'm not to impressed with the 250 ex, but i believe honda was the first to start the new era 250 class? and all the other companys gained from hondas mistakes! (they sat back and watched to see what came of it , and all the pros and cons, then put theirs in the makings!) mostly suzuki and yamaha, now honda just needs to update the 250 a little and make a few changes and they'd still be very competeive in the class! but it looks like its slipping out of their hands, cause remeber when the 250 ex first came out? it was the sh*t for a beginner now all you hear is yamaha this and suzuki that!!!