Those 250's are not really "sportbikes" in my book. They are fun for a little while, but you can't really take them all that seriously. I took the course, and It was a great bike to learn on. I'd never ridden a bike before the class, and that little thing scared me when you twist the throttle. You get accustomed to the thing really quick and think that it's slow by the end of the second day.
The bike and class really does prepare you well for the streets though. I hopped onto a sportbike and felt comfortable enough to ride like 50 miles home. Why are you guys having such a stupid argument? If you don't like what he has to say, don't post in his thread, and if you don't like what someone posts in your thread, don't respond to them.
Have fun riding legally now...