The author and her 2014 Honda Rebel 250

When I tell people I have a motorcycle, I get one of three responses. The first is that motorcycles are dangerous and not worth the risk. The second is that a Honda Rebel 250 isn?t a ?real? motorcycle. The third response ? and my favorite by far ? is delivered in the form of a story about someone?s trusty first bike that they?ll never forget.

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I?ve heard the horror stories of life-changing accidents. These stories I can respect. They come from a place of caring, sometimes a place of loss. They?re not fun stories, but they are stories that deserve to be heard.

As to the second response, I have lost patience with those who say the Rebel isn?t a real motorcycle. The Rebel 250 is small, that?s true. You won?t find it on a list of the top 10 most powerful motorcycles. You won?t find it on anyone?s list of dream bikes. But if people who tell me the Rebel 250 isn?t a real motorcycle could hear some of the third type of responses, they might have a different perspective.
The third response is my favorite because it is the one that most aligns with my own experience. It comes from riders who have owned a Rebel 250, usually as a first bike. When I tell these people what motorcycle I have, they light up. They tell me about how they learned to ride on a Rebel. Or how they left work in a trail of dust on a Rebel when their spouse was going into labor or taught their sons and daughters to ...