CB300R vs CB500F lightweight beginner in city
Hi. I've just started biking and had originally envisioned starting with a 125cc, since I had zero experience. This changed when I had a few hours of class which made me reconsider my decision. For context, I'm in Europe. I now need help with my decision.
I started for 2h on an MSX125 and surprisingly, I nailed all of the exos that are also required for the exams. Slalom, the eight, low speed passage, emergency brake, and bypass at 50kmh. It all went smoothly, so much so that I spent to 2 next hours of the lesson on a CB750 Hornet. And I loved it.
Once again, I felt quite confortable and validated the low speed passage, the emergency brake and the bypass. The slalom and eight, deserved some more work, but I'm quite confident that with a bit more practice, it should be fine.
I did prefer the sensation of the CB750 especially when it came to leaning, in the slalom. Where the MSX125 felt driven, almost like a bicycle, with a lot of arms, the CB750 required a much more embodied approach, which I really enjoyed. I did drop it twice however, on stops, and then truly felt the weight of it.
This made me reconsider what I should aim for. I meant to go for the CB125R but after that experience I'm considering directly for something bigger.
I am a woman, around 55kg and live in a dense city with a lot of narrow streets, sharp turns, speed bumps, lane filtering and red lights. The road condition is also not the best. The usage will be 90% city. But once a week, do a portion of 30min highway at 120kmh. Now my heart is torn between the CB300R and CB500F.
On paper, I like the CB300R better. I like the aesthetic better, I like that it's more lightweight and a tad bit (very minor) cheaper. It meets the power requirement I need, I don't care about super high speeds. And it seems it would handle better in the city than the CB500F. But I'm worried its geometry is going to feel like the MSX125 (Grom) and won't give me a similar "Centaur" feeling than the 750 Hornet did.
Or maybe should I even stick with the CB125R at first.
Thanks in advance for anyone's input !
TL;DR : 55kg beginner rider, 90% dense city, 30min highway/week. Should I go for CB300R, or CB500F.