If you had 4 grand as an option with the puddle hopper your hardly scraping the bottom. There are masses of really good bikes out there for around 2k. From every marque and style too. There is just so much more in the motorcycle world. Chaining yourself to nice shiny dealer stuff is a crippling shame if you ask me. Look wider, check out what people really ride, not the magazines, you should see the diversity just in the YOC bikes at squires. Most are sub 2k, 10-15 year old (and a lot more) different cc, 2 st, 4 st, but they all make you smile.