Getting back into riding, help me pick a bike, old timer newb

Yikes!

Sounds like a deal to me.  The tests on the KX are pretty good.   Never ran one but I’d buy a bridge if it was on sale!

Left overs are a great idea!

Agree with avoiding the tbi 125s for a year or so, somebody here said it best: “KTM is 5 years ahead of everyone else, and one year ahead of themselves”! I’m sure the aftermarket will figure out the mapping but that’s additional work and money for you, plus the time and frustration of getting it all done right. It sucks to drive to the track just to find out it’s still not working right.

Any 250f is a great answer, just dial things in to make it what you like. And once you’re riding regularly, you’ll know what you really want, sometimes it takes a couple tries to get exactly what works for you. 

You can’t go wrong there.

You can adjust the peg mounts and bar mounts all kinds of options to fit it to you.

the engine is fast, the chassis is stable, suspension kyb, a lot of positives to the bike!

for 6k it’s a no brained to me.

Buy it and send the suspension to Enzo after you put 6 hours on it. Hit me back if you want to try my custom map. It really wakes the bike up

I'm kind of the opposite.  I had 250fs up until my last bike which was a 125. And it earned me a concussion, broken nose, and ultimately a broken foot/torn ACL combo that put me off of riding for a while.  When I finally get another bike I think I'll go back to a 4 stroke or maybe a 250 2T.  The 125 kinda taught me how to get the most out of the power but it got to the point where I think I was just always trying to ride at the max which is what bit me.  

I have a 20 KX450 and love it. Recently had the opportunity to ride 4 of the new 250f's. 2006 was my last 250f experience. In all honesty, the 250f was so fun to ride when I learned to ride it properly. Not a big revver, so it took a few laps to adjust. I also have a 250t and a 150 as an option. The 250f allowed me to get through sections easier than the 150 but still be able to control when things when a little south. Fun factor on them was very high for me, as I normally ride the 450.

Another vote for the KX250 from me. I recently got an almost new 2021 KX250 and couldn’t be happier. 👍

Do it. I literally just did the same thing a week ago, except I paid $7000 out the door because California. 
 

For $7000 it’s a great motorcycle at a great deal. For $6000 it’s a steal!

Yea. Kawasaki does offer great deals and you can do even better when the dealer offers more discounts on top. I was looking at new Suzuki 450’s last year because they were the cheapest of the bunch. But then I came across a Kawasaki that ended up a few thousand cheaper than the Suzuki. 
 

Op if your like me, I don’t think you can go wrong with any new bike. It pays to shop around. Even out of state. You could save quite a bit of money. Take your list and shop the cheapest unless you don’t care about the coin.