2011 Honda CBR 250R (May 21, 2011)

Two bikes that I have been waiting for in 2011 are both from Honda; the CB1000R (which I am still waiting for) and the Honda CBR250R. This is the Honda CBR250R which I first saw today at Commonwealth Power Sports in Colonial Heights, Va. I had been at that dealership once before (I believe it was last year) but made a trip back there today to check out some bikes while I am here in Richmond for the weekend. They carry Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki motorcycles. A very nice dealership with a very friendly staff. They let you look though without hassling you which is what I like when I go to a bike shop. At left is the CBR250R, which has a very basic cockpit. Nice roomy bike even for a tall person such as myself, I read that the bike comes in two colors; the red as seen here, and also in an all-black model. To compete with the Kawasaki Ninja 250, the CBR250R comes at the same price (suggested retail) of $3,999. For some $500 more you can also get the ABS braking system which is said to be a really good feature especially for a motorcycle at this price.
The Honda CBR250R certainly takes some styling cues from its bigger brother the VFR1200. Like that bike it has a layered fairing. Seat height is 30.5 inches, and the bike fully fueled weighs a claimed 359 pounds. It is fuel injected, has front and rear disk brakes, and sits on 17 inch rims. It has a 3.4 gallon gas tank and due to the fuel injection and the size of the motor it should get some really good fuel mileage. The engine is a 249cc DOHC four valve single, with a compression ratio of 10.7:1. That info above comes from the Honda web site. From other research, found the bike is built (assembled?) in Thailand.
The bike is also watercooled, as you can see from the radiator in the front view here. I saw in a magazine comparison with the Kawasaki Ninja 250 that it is heavier than the Kawasaki twin, and also has a lower RPM limit. The Kawasaki hp at the dyno was 26.24, while the Honda came in at 22.66 hp. The Honda though has higher torque numbers over the Ninja. The Kawasaki had a higher top speed (by some 20 mph) over the Honda with the Ninja able to run close to 110, while the Honda was able to get to a hair over 90.
I had a Yamaha RD250 some years ago, one of the old two-strokes and it was an outstanding motorcycle. I think that either of these bikes would be great for beginners, or for a rider who was interested in getting a fun motorcycle with outstanding fuel mileage. These bikes would be the best of both worlds, offering both good performance for their size, as well as reliability and some advanced features. With the rising price of gasoline, the 250 CBR250R and the Kawasaki Ninja offer a great value.