Honda CBR250R.

[dogjaw]

local Honda dealer had the CBR250 listed as "available" on their web site; when I called them, they said that it wouldn't hit the dealers until May, but that they had ordered 10-15 as they expected it to be a big seller this summer.

[spotch]

Originally Posted by dogjaw

last two pages: 24 posts
actual references to a CBR250: 5

No shit. I leave this thing for a week or so and come back to find people still feeding the trolls (i.e. navin), even as he rambles on about random other motorcycles and claims that regardless of how many experts and pro riders have proven otherwise (in numerous mags and elsewhere), his jedi motorcycle skills far surpass any advantage ABS can provide on any surface and in any conditions.

[gelandestrasse]

Originally Posted by spotch

No shit. I leave this thing for a week or so and come back to find people still feeding the trolls (i.e. navin), even as he rambles on about random other motorcycles and claims that regardless of how many experts and pro riders have proven otherwise (in numerous mags and elsewhere), his jedi motorcycle skills far surpass any advantage ABS can provide on any surface and in any conditions.

Maybe Navin is Mr Openroad's fake noob.

[dogjaw]

I've been following this thread for a while, as the 250 really has my interest, but the incessant clucking of the hens hurts my eyes...

[JohninVT]

I've been following this thread for weeks. I'm not sure if I'm in the market for a CBR250 but I've always loved small displacement bikes and have owned many over the years.

I believe those who think Honda is off the mark and should have brought a high spec. sportbike to market couldn't be more wrong.

This is not intended to be a sportbike or a beginner bike for kids. It is intended to be a 21st century Cub. Do kids clamor for ABS? No. They aren't smart enough to prioritize safety over speed.

This bike is intended to be on the market when gas is 4 bucks a gallon. It'll be bought by lab techs, accountants and folks who might otherwise never consider riding a motorcycle but who see it as a totally pragmatic solution to high gas prices and heavy traffic. It's a safer ride than a scooter. It's big enough to not have the associated stigma of a moped or scooter. It will keep up on the freeway. It has ABS. It has the backing of the only company who could launch a new rider ad campaign that would really resonate across the age divide.

Most hardcore small displacement sportbike enthusiasts would buy a secondhand FZR400, 600, CBR600 or even a 500 Interceptor for $1500 bucks way before they'd pop 7-8 grand for a new smallbore, high spec sportbike. Regardless, that misses the point of this bike entirely.

It's a modern day C70/Supercub/Passport. Just my .02

[Navin]

According to Honda, it is a sportbike.

http://powersports.honda.com/street/sport.aspx

"Be The Blur.

Select a model below to find the right sportbike for you."

Funny that some ass-ume they know what Honda is intending and that their guess is the exact opposite of what Honda advertises it as. It may just hit that mark you describe, bought by non motorcyclists to use a few days to "save $" haha! Then sit in a shed till they sell it at a garage sale a few years later.

Back to the ABS argument, I never said I was awesome, (or was not), I just don't want the engineers, lawyers or government protecting me from my motorcycles. I decide how to ride and live with the consequences. I guess you guys will be really stoked when they come with a 65 MPH speed restrictor in the CDI too???

Be The Bore.
My $1.02

[twinrider]

Originally Posted by JohninVT

I believe those who think Honda is off the mark and should have brought a high spec. sportbike to market couldn't be more wrong.

This is not intended to be a sportbike or a beginner bike for kids.

Guess you missed the part about Honda listing this bike in its "Sport" category and marketing it as a sportsbike. Try Honda's website and then google

[Wuwei]

I've been following this thread for weeks. I'm not sure if I'm in the market for a CBR250 but I've always loved small displacement bikes and have owned many over the years.

I believe those who think Honda is off the mark and should have brought a high spec. sportbike to market couldn't be more wrong.

This is not intended to be a sportbike or a beginner bike for kids. It is intended to be a 21st century Cub. Do kids clamor for ABS? No. They aren't smart enough to prioritize safety over speed.

This bike is intended to be on the market when gas is 4 bucks a gallon. It'll be bought by lab techs, accountants and folks who might otherwise never consider riding a motorcycle but who see it as a totally pragmatic solution to high gas prices and heavy traffic. It's a safer ride than a scooter. It's big enough to not have the associated stigma of a moped or scooter. It will keep up on the freeway. It has ABS. It has the backing of the only company who could launch a new rider ad campaign that would really resonate across the age divide.

Most hardcore small displacement sportbike enthusiasts would buy a secondhand FZR400, 600, CBR600 or even a 500 Interceptor for $1500 bucks way before they'd pop 7-8 grand for a new smallbore, high spec sportbike. Regardless, that misses the point of this bike entirely.

It's a modern day C70/Supercub/Passport. Just my .02

+1. Exactly!

I'm hoping some of the other companies get in on the small-bore motorcycle fun and sales, and I'd love to see some standard versions of these bikes something like the Suzuki TU250 with a more potent engine like in the Honda or Ninja 250. The Hyosung 250 (both faired and unfaired versions) looks interesting, but they seem to suffer from quality control issues.

[mitchxout]

Originally Posted by Wuwei

+1. Exactly!

I'm hoping some of the other companies get in on the small-bore motorcycle fun and sales, and I'd love to see some standard versions of these bikes something like the Suzuki TU250 with a more potent engine like in the Honda or Ninja 250. The Hyosung 250 (both faired and unfaired versions) looks interesting, but they seem to suffer from quality control issues.

They already make it. It's called a VTR 250.

[Wuwei]

They already make it. It's called a VTR 250.

Yep, too bad it's not still available in the US.

[lake_harley]

Originally Posted by Wuwei

Yep, too bad it's not still available in the US.

I had a '88 VTR250 and a 250 Ninja at the same time a couple years ago. In some ways the VTR had a bit more soul than the Ninja. Seemed a bit sportier overall. To me, and by a seat-of-the-pants opinion only, the VTR250 seemed to have spunkier acceleration than the Ninja, even though the peak HP rating was a bit lower. I might have kept the VTR a bit longer, but since it was a 3 year only bike ('88-90 I think), I was concerned about decent replacement parts availability, compared to the Ninja. Then there was that funky front disc brake they had the first two years......

Lynn

[JohninVT]

Originally Posted by twinrider

Guess you missed the part about Honda listing this bike in its "Sport" category and marketing it as a sportsbike. Try Honda's website and then google

I didn't miss what it is being called. I've read every online report, ride review and spec. list I've been able to find. The "sport" category covers a vast portion of the motorcycle spectrum. It's all a matter of degrees. A 250cc single with 26hp can be a "sportbike". So is a 180hp Hayabusa or ZX-14. My point was that the level of specification on this bike doesn't need to be high.

Are guys decked out in full leathers flogging the bikes around Willow Springs in the ads or marketing? If they are, I haven't seen it. All the information I've read stresses that the design goal was to make the bike easy to ride and streetable. Since you referenced the Honda website, here is the write up about the CBR250R quoted directly from the site:

If you’re looking for an affordable, smart, capable and fun way to enjoy life on two wheels—have we got a bike for you: the all-new Honda CBR250R!

The new, fuel-injected CBR250R offers everything you want in a first-time bike: Light weight. A powerband that’s immensely user-friendly. Excellent fuel economy. Unmatched reliability. And a fun factor that’s off the chart.

Since the new CBR250R is a Honda, it’s full of features few other bikes in its class can match. And it offers a build quality that means you’ve got dependable cross-town or cross-country transportation.

Best of all, the new CBR250R is available in two versions: the CBR250R and the CBR250R ABS with our Anti-lock Brake System – a first for the segment and a really valuable option that both first-timers and experienced riders will appreciate.
Available Spring 2011.

• Light, Narrow, Low.
  
  Because it’s a single-cylinder machine, the new CBR250R is narrow, and with its low 30.5-inch seat height and light 359-pound curb weight, putting your feet down in parking lots or at stoplights can be a lot easier.
  Learn More
• The Power of One.
  
  The new CBR250R uses a single-cylinder engine with fuel injection, double-overhead cams and a counterbalancer. Sure that’s tech talk, but the architecture offers some very real advantages. Maybe the most important is power delivery: a single offers the kind of torque and midrange power that’s well suited for all levels of riders.
  Learn More
• Stop with Confidence.
  
  The option of Honda’s Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) is a perfect matchup with a bike like the new CBR250R. ABS helps you cope with unanticipated challenges and stop with added confidence.
  Learn More

[Navin]

A 359 single is not light though is it? Its amazing that Honda found a way to develop a all new bike, engine and frame, that was somehow cheaper than sinmply bringing in the already developed and much acclaimed VTR250 it already has in production.

Both bike would need certification so the $ they saved was somewhere else. Quality? Materials? Labor?

[Brad Felmey]

Originally Posted by Navin

A 359 single is not light though is it? Its amazing that Honda found a way to develop a all new bike, engine and frame, that was somehow cheaper than sinmply bringing in the already developed and much acclaimed VTR250 it already has in production.

Both bike would need certification so the $ they saved was somewhere else. Quality? Materials? Labor?

I dunno - I look at the current-gen VTR and it just looks like a different kettle of fish to me. True that they could perhaps have engineered Tupperware®, FI and ABS for the VTR250 for less R&D than a clean-sheet, but then you gotta ask if all that would add less than 20-something wet pounds to be under the CBR250R.

I suspect that Honda has other marketing goals in mind for doing the clean-sheet.

As for the quality - Honda seems pretty adept at achieving that no matter where it's built. Their Indian, Italian, and US offerings are all decent, and each of those countries is not known (these days, anyway) for Honda-level quality mindsets.

[JohninVT]

Originally Posted by Navin

A 359 single is not light though is it? Its amazing that Honda found a way to develop a all new bike, engine and frame, that was somehow cheaper than sinmply bringing in the already developed and much acclaimed VTR250 it already has in production.

Both bike would need certification so the $ they saved was somewhere else. Quality? Materials? Labor?

You're speaking as a motorcycle enthusiast and gearhead. If Honda isn't targetting current enthusiasts(which is very obviously the case after reading their website description of the bike) then the typical purchaser/owner will have no fricken' idea if a 359lb single is too much, too little or just right. They will not care about lap times, whether the bike is 1/10th of a second quicker or slower than another bike in the quarter mile or if it has Brembo RCS master cylinders.

The only reason Honda has it in their "sportbike" category is because they don't have a "commuter" tag on their website. It's a Cub. It's a big wheeled scooter with motorcycle pretensions. It's going to be reliable, weather the elements fairly well and be fun to ride around town.

It needs to look cool, get good gas mileage and be safe(ABS). The ABS makes it easier to clear past a spousal unit("Look Honey, it has ABS just like our Volvo wagon!"). So does the gas mileage("Just imagine how much money we'll save on gas when I commute to work!"). Looking like a sportbike doesn't hurt at all either. Now that women ride more, maybe Honda will sell them two at a time to young, urban couples where they used to just sell one Cub or Dream 40 years ago to a similar couple.

It's a tarted up TU250 except it's got ABS and to most folks under 40....it will be a lot more desirable.