[dhgeyer]

Motorcycle Consumer News did a 3 way model evaluation in the August 2009 issue. The Gladius compared to the Yamaha FZ6R and the Kawasaki ER-6n. All similar price points, style, displacement, weight, etc. All "naked" bikes with a "standard" riding position. The Yamaha came out on top, but does cost a little more. I didn't read the whole thing, but the Suzuki didn't fare too well overall. Not sure this is the time to tell you that. Sorry.

Anyway, congratulations on buying a bike. It's definitely big enough to be the commuter you're looking for, and has the standard configuration of the TU250 that you originally were looking at.

You will probably want to do something about the seat, as all the reviewers complained about that. And you will probably want a windshield for the length of ride you want to do more or less daily. Other than that, I'm sure you will enjoy your ride for years to come. Comparing three bikes can be misleading, in a way, as I'm sure you'd be happy with any of them in the long run. You've definitely got a lot of motorcycle for the money.

You'll get different opinions about the break in procedure - all the way from "By the book" to "Ride the Hell out of it right away". For what it's worth, I'm a "By the book or at least as close to it as I can stand" man myself. That initial oil and filter change after a few hundred miles is very important, regardless of what else you do or don't do.