2011 Honda CBR250R

[slowpoke]

This bike signifies the downfall of anything exciting made by Honda, specifically for the learner market.

No matter how clever the marketing bumf, the line "Brutal single cylinder acceleration" isn't going to excite even the most testosterone fueled 17 year old.

I'd still tend to disagree with anyone behind a keyboard writing a review on this bike, no matter how prestigious he\she is.

You are soooooo wrong.....

.....the DN-01 turd-mobile carried out the downfall long before this came along.

[imdying]

.....the DN-01 turd-mobile carried out the downfall long before this came along.

Is it true that Honda dealers say it stands for Do Not Order One?

[stifmyster1]

Ok this is my Newb overview. It is meant for those who are still on the L or have just moved off of it are looking for something
with a little more Oomph but still have Newb tendencies. So being as I’m a Newb myself my thought may be similar to others
and will hopefully help someone make an informed decision.

Took one of these for a test ride today and overall it was good. But there were a few things that need to be looked at.

Pros:
Comfort:
It was incredibly comfortable. It seems to be a cross between the ninja and the Hyosung gt250r. The seat is at a nice height
giving me (5ft9) just enough so that my feet are on the ground but not so much that both feet are flat which i found to be
uncomfortable on the ninja. The handle bars are reasonable high meaning you’re in a reasonably upright position which
doesn’t put too much strain on your arms or back. Something which had me on edge with the Hyosung.

Handling:
It seemed to handle corners very well. However i did notice that if you stuffed up the arc on a turn it wasn’t super easy to
correct (for a Newb) so you need to be quite gentle on sharper corners. Obviously with experience you could fly round without a problem.

Braking:
The front brake seemed a little strong. Even lite braking had you leaning forward. This is either the brakes a little too tight or the suspension not tight enough.
That back brakes were extraordinary. Even with decent braking it seemed like you weren’t using the back break but you could see from the speedo that you
were definitely slowing down. They were the smoothest brakes I had ever used. This is what made the front brakes disappointing.

Display:
I personally am a little disappointed at the design of the display. The centre is completely taken up by a tachometer which is handy.
But also leaves very little room for everything else which is apparent with everything else rather small. The indicators are the best example.
I rarely leave my indicators on my bike and periodically check to make sure of this. However even with me regularly checking it took
me a bit to realise that my right indicator had been on for the past kilometre. I didn’t see it because it was small and is place below
everything else.

The other issue with the display is that on a reasonably sunny day like today with a tinted visor on it is a little difficult to make out
things like speed, fuel and temperature. They are still visible but require a bit of searching so don’t expect to do anyone quick
glimpses when you first get it. Overall it seemed like Honda wanted the focus to be on the tachometer and everything else is secondary.
When it should have been the other way. Because let’s face it. When you’re learning you need to be able to tell the approximate revs from sound alone.

Mirrors:
Something I noticed with the mirrors on both the Ninja and the Hyosung GT250r was that didn’t do a very good job. The bars that held them in
place meant that at the most only half of the mirror was useful as the other was an elbow checking. However on the Honda they are positioned
far enough away from the centre that you can see behind you quite easily without having to move your head. They also slightly shrink the image
I believe as they don’t appear any bigger that Kawasaki’s or Hyosung but you are capable of seeing a wider angle of view. Making them more useful.

Cons:
The first is possibly due to the engine needing some decent wear in but I’m writing this for those who are new to riding and are looking at this bike.

Stalling
The engine seems intent on stalling if under 10kph. The bike has a really decent amount of torque and I’m meaning you’re doing 65-70 before
you know it. But if you don’t utilise this torque from a standstill then it will stall. What i mean by this is that if you put it to about 2000rpm and
start to move off it will insta-stall. I had to get the rpms to around 3.5-4 to be able to move off without a hitch. Something a Newb might not be
used to but will not be a problem with some decent experience under your belt.

Speed
The bike seems very contempt sitting at 60ish. But you find yourself speeding up then slowing down trying to stick at 50kph. It seems as if the
engine was tuned to cruise at 60kph. Unfortunately there are a few cops that will ping learners for this even though it is the most comfortable.

Vibrations
Something that I really hope Honda look at is speed vibrations. There were absolutely none in the footrests but was a fair amount in the
handle bars. The vibrations start at around 80kph and steadily get worse. They stop getting worse at about 110kph. These vibrations are
bad enough that I can see quite a few people needing to stop and rest their hands on long rides. I only rode it for 20minutes and I had
already noticed my hands becoming rather uncomfortable.

Kick-Stand
The last issue I had was the stand. The stand although was made sturdy didn’t feel sturdy. The bike was capable to rocking in all directions
with the slightest of force. The stand also keeps the bike quite vertical which gives me the impression any decent gust of wind will have no
issues what so ever in nocking it over. This of course may not be true for all the CBR250’s but the one I test rode didn’t give me much confidence.

Summary:
Overall it is a very good bike that would be good for a learner and whatever issues are present will hopefully be fixed in the coming years.

I believe this bike would be perfect for someone who feels like the Kawasaki is too small and that the Hyosung is a little too big.
Add to that it’s the cheapest 2011 250 on the market and it is a brilliant beginners bike. But as with any new bike, If you are interested in one
test ride it at least twice over a mix of roads and make sure you like how it feels as well as how it behaves.

[jaffaonajappa]

Stalling
I had to get the rpms to around 3.5-4 to be able to move off without a hitch. Something a Newb might not be
used to but will not be a problem with some decent experience under your belt.

Speed
The bike seems very contempt sitting at 60ish. But you find yourself speeding up then slowing down trying to stick at 50kph. It seems as if the
engine was tuned to cruise at 60kph. Unfortunately there are a few cops that will ping learners for this even though it is the most comfortable.

Hiya, good write up, thank you......and yes - understand its from a rider still gaining experience - its your perspective.

Just want to point out the speed thing. I have a Guzzi that feels most comfortable at 140. Have ridden a Duke that preferred about 160. And yeah...the cops do not like hearing this explanation

And.....3500 to 4k revs seems excessive to prevent a stall. I havent ridden the bike (its a Honda yea?:P) but....have you experimented with different speeds at which you geeeentlyyyy let the clutch out? Hope this doesnt seem like a smart ass comment - just that many revs on a learners single250 seems odd.
My yamaha 150 single takes off from idle / 1,450rpm, no worries.....

[stifmyster1]

yea the rev thing suprised me to. my gn will take off at just under 2000 o problem. but even when i slowly let the clutch out it stalled. it was like the bite point was 1 cm from all the way in. there is probably a way to make it easier but for a learner this would be a pain. although i probably should have mentioned it starts instantly so you never actually get stuck. managed to stall start and go with out having to put my feet back down.

[wanpo]

I'm not sure if anyone's made this prediction yet but here's my $0.02 on this model.

As you all know, the Moto125 league is changing to the Moto3 next year, which will be ditching the 2-stroke 125cc bikes and instead compose of 4-stroke 250cc single bangers.

I reckon this CBR250R is a prelude to, and aided in the design of, the engine for this new class.

Also my mid-term prediction is that they will come out with a sportier CBR250RR version when they have a race bike to make a replica of (RR = Racing Replica)

[ducatilover]

To be fair I doubt they'll do that. There are too many restrictions in the markets over the world, 33hp etc etc and making a hot 250 these days would stop it from being learner legal in many countries.

[imdying]

I reckon this CBR250R is a prelude to, and aided in the design of, the engine for this new class.

Sadly, not even a little bit

Also my mid-term prediction is that they will come out with a sportier CBR250RR version when they have a race bike to make a replica of (RR = Racing Replica)

We live in hope...

[jaffaonajappa]

I'm not sure if anyone's made this prediction yet but here's my $0.02 on this model.

As you all know, the Moto125 league is changing to the Moto3 next year, which will be ditching the 2-stroke 125cc bikes and instead compose of 4-stroke 250cc single bangers.

I reckon this CBR250R is a prelude to, and aided in the design of, the engine for this new class.

Also my mid-term prediction is that they will come out with a sportier CBR250RR version when they have a race bike to make a replica of (RR = Racing Replica)

For the Honda Riders out there......
Your so right.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...bucket-chassis
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...omer-race-bike

[Richard Mc F]

There are demo bikes available, ride one then comment, I am biased in it's favour ( those who know me understand) but I found it strong in the midrange and a delightful commuter, next to fiddle with tyre pressures and suspension, put some more kms on it and "Ahem" explore it's potential

[Motig]

Filling in the off season had a stroll to the Honda dealers . They had a black 250 must say it looked quite good. Wouldn't say no to one.

[old-coote]

sorry Honda, epic fail

[jaffaonajappa]

sorry Honda, epic fail

Not at all.
It sounds like an excellent commuter machine, for those wanting some quality and like paying less on gas. And not needing the IL4 30k RPM wizzbangers. Which with LAMS laws soon....this may be what the 250 market becomes focused on. Commuters.

Edit. One problem tho......its a Honda. Yad have to make sure no one recognised you riding it :P

[zeocen]

sorry Honda, epic fail

Speak for yourself there big boy.
I think this is a great bike; emissions, cost and sign of the times means we aren't gonna see mass produced screaming IL4 250s anymore. If that doesn't sit well with you then that's cool, but calling this bike an epic fail is hilarity.

I'd pick this over the Hyosung and most definitely over the Ninja250. Seems to be a hit in a few countries.

Awesome bike.

[Cayman911]

This bike, is absolutely fantastic. way above the ninja.
Take a ride and see what I'm talking about.