it's going to be long winded, but I'll try to ask more questions first

which 250 are you on right now, and what are the reasons to change?
more speed? like top speed? say from the current ~170 you want 200? 220? 240? or outright 299?
more power? like better acceleration between 90 to 140?
more electronics? ABS, TC, ride modes, TFT etc?

how far is your commute? have you been riding correctly with the 250 meaning using core muscle to support instead of pressing mostly on the handlebar?

when you said sport bike, you say SBK (superbike) would not be comfortable for commute, then added MT07/XJ6 and you said not interested in naked... those two bikes are naked

20~25k budget for a used bike may need you to prepare some extra for repairs and services to sort things out
the CBR is getting more and more affordable and making those XJ6 looks sad

u wan sport bike y wana consider mt07??
die die hv to be fully faired.

xj6 look for the later full, not half fairing

the older the bike, the more risk of high maintenance..
summore high milage, n shop will main tipu.

at tht budget can get many,
triumph, ducati oso can get.. ada brani?

stick with jap big four, oni kawa z650 will be youngest comes with abs;

mt07 is still over priced for almost 10yo bike...
dealers die die wont sell cheaper.

naked you can buy with under RM 25k:
-z650 abs
-z800
-cb650f
-xj6
-mt07
-mt09 v1
-street triple 675 abs
sportbike you can buy under RM 25k:
-ninja 650 abs
-cbr650f
-cbr500
-xj6f
-daytona 675

list above based on listing from mudah

kawa 650 (ninja and z) is the safest choice IMO since it has abs and japanese bike

but if you want 4 cylinders then go for cb650f or xj6, though 600cc 4 cylinders might feel a bit boring since you need to rev hard to get their torque

can also try triumph 675, if live in kl they have dealers in batu cave and pj to send your bike

the CB250R, that would be the single cylinder, so iinm 130 is about the fastest it can go

now that we know you are not chasing a dream bike, but rather a solid workhorse commuter
your budget is your budget, is how you manage your life, I won't call it disadvantage
I'd say differently if you have a dream bike instead but compromise for something else due to budget

those 1st gen CBR is easy to find, in fact I also saw one earlier today with ~26k mileage

https://www.mudah.my/malaysia/motorcycles-f...0-25000&q=cb650
https://www.mudah.my/malaysia/motorcycles-f...-25000&q=cbr650

I (personally) would consider this: https://www.mudah.my/cbr+959-104541701.htm

tbh you gotta try them to see if it suits you.

I can only comment on the kawa 650s and st 675.
both is pretty comfortable during my short ride experience, low seat height, lightweight less than 190 kg, no issue lane filtering in city and enough power to ride in right lane on highway

170 out of the CB250R is not bad... I just googled it, seems legit and I was wrong to think 130 is about it

the 959 should actually be a CBR954RR, and I would take a look before deciding anything. I will normally browse mudah for 20k+ sportsbikes esp those that got fuel injection; Fireblades (929, 954), CBR600F4i, ZZR's, ZXR's etc

Another one: https://www.mudah.my/Honda+CBR+929RR+FIREBL...+-104610424.htm

the 929/954 have low seat height, ~815mm so you will feel right at home
at 190kg wet weight... they should be easy to handle

bear in mind, these machines are old but still pack a punch at 150++ hp @ 11k RPM

reliable? it's mostly luck when we talk about used bikes

25k can get u a decent z800....2013-2015 model..if lucky mebbe 2016 model.

If ur willing to up the budget to 30k, a used 2017 z900 can be urs..in fact there was one selling below 30k coz he bpught a new bike and it was ready for.collection.

For mt07 vs xj6 maintenance...

Tires will be more expensive on the mt07 coz it uses a 180 rear while xj6.is 160.

Engine oil will need 4 bottles on the xj6 but 3.on the mt07.

Spark plugs will be 4 for xj6 n 2 on mt07

Fuel tank bigger on the xj6

Xj6 is older than mt07.

Personally, id go for z800..or.if able, top up for the z900.

But between xj6 n mt07..id go.mt07...newer and that cp2 braap is

good luck anyhow

older RR breakdown less than newer 1000's unless you go for more later models

that's how I see bike evolution or generations
the last of it's kind is better than first of it's kind
example the 954 is last of the 900, then the new 1000 is a first, more issues on this one

for 20k
1 - CB/CBR
2 - MT09 v1
3 - Z750

dream bikes would be along the lines of injection equipped retro superbikes

if it is possible, try and get something with an ABS.
it might save your life.

i'd topup for an ABS.
i'd downgrade cc for an ABS.
and i've been riding for 25 years now.

Then just take ur 25k n put it in the bank n save it...maybe look into buying ur dream bike with loan n just make sure u can afford the monthly installments other than the maintenance.

Dont bother buying an intermediate bike as commuter coz the bikes ur looking at will almost roughly have the same running cost as the 1L bike if u use it as a commuter. Keep ur 250 as a commuter first as im sure its more than capable. Coz if u spend 25k to upgrade ur commuter, thats 25k less for u to get ur dream bike.

If still itchy for upgrade coz of long distance or something, i probably wouldnt spend more than 10k for something like an er6n/f. Cheap to run, reliable n darn good bike

Wait.... that's not a sportsbike.

If the bike is for all weather commuting, best get something with ABS. No ABS is fine when we are doing 10/10 riding.

When commuting, we often go into autopilot mode. Sudden traffic condition changes may catch us off guard.

Perhaps look into a z650 or ninja 650 (if you want a fully faired "sport bike"). The later models have ABS and the ninja has a fairly comfortable riding position for commuting. Both can be had for about 20-24k used for a fairly recent bike. Yes, it's not as hardcore nor exciting as the pure supersport 636 but, for the budget, comfort, reliability and power, tough to do better.

The torque from the 650 will be a noticable upgrade to your 250. It's a naked dressed up as a sports bike.the engine is tuned for mid range power so it works well for commuting.

On top of that the z/ninja has a fairly low seat height, and low centre of gravity, which would work well for your stature. Plus, it has plenty of accesories in the market if you choose to make a sports touring bike out of it.

The ninja was one of my considered bike, before I decided to get a new NK800. .....those that know my toubles with the NK, would probably agree I would have been served better by the ninja

It's the same 650 engine from ER6, so yea it's gonna be very reliable, but it's not that refined of an engine as the design is pretty dated.

ancient engine thats bulletproof. tried and tested over many years. its akin to toyota and its vios. simply designed to work, work and keep working.
u basically deal with your usual wear and tear...

Well if you are buying it online, buying it from the official distributor is the way to go.
If you are getting it used, unless they have the original receipt and it is sold really cheap best to just assume its fake.
I don't know how to put it to words but if you are holding original and fake exhaust side by side, you can easily know which one is fake.
Ori exhausts have 'more substance' feeling. Bigger, heavier, not cheap, cleaner welds.

Of course there are some AAA copy exhausts that are really close to the ori ones but those are pricey also.

If you just want a better sounding exhausts then it doesn't really matter if its fake or ori, IMO
To my untrained ears they all sound the same

good bike, hope you like it
careful with the wheelie prone character, and spongy brake feel, and intrusive ABS
otherwise, hooliganism ftw

if you want to upgrade:
1 - brake lines
2 - service front forks (reduce changes of headshakes)
3 - rear shocks upgrade

the akra muffler, look at the overall quality - finishing, joint welds, rivets
if it has carbon body or caps, look for fake carbon vs real carbon
quite likely titanium, notice any discoloration due to heat?

good choice! mt07 is definitely the best daily bike with power comes handy.. i was from mt07 v1, here what i did to make the bike feel almost perfect (at least to me)

1) monoshock change to yss topline
2) front fork service, use 15w oil
3) handle balancer change to rxz one
4) puig windscreen
5) service all 3 caliper and change to brembo brake oil
6) tire mich road 6

since you mention cruising 130-140, with puig screen it help a lot.. above 140 different blowing haha

as for exhaust, i use yoshimura copy r77 370mm.. get a u turn monifold.. not too loud during cold start and mesra neighborhood.. haha

Btw did you keep your 250 or let go?

the thing that dampens exhaust noise is the mid pipe, not the muffler
if you get the stock mid pipe, cut off the end, and add an original Akra muffler, it won't be loud also