The CBR250R came into my household several weeks ago, and although it’s supposed to be handed off to another CMG tester in a few weeks, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
There’s nothing wrong with the bike; it’s just that my girlfriend Roxanne (who uses it for a 40-km round-trip commute to work) and I (who use it for everything else) are likely to put up some resistance come time to give it up.
The quarter-litre CBR has proven exceptionally versatile, easily handling the above-mentioned commute, as well as errand-running, riding for pleasure, and even track duty, when I took it to a Turn2 track day at the ICAR circuit and used it to learn the track layout. It was even lent to a local Honda dealer during a demo ride, where it got mercilessly flogged by probably about a dozen or so curious riders.
It has even proven a breeze to work on, as I had to replace the coolant with water to prepare it for track use, and it took all of 30 minutes to do it, requiring only that the bolts retaining the right-hand fairing panel be removed and the panel be swung out of the way to access the radiator filler cap. The coolant drain bolt, located on the water pump housing on the right-hand side of the engine was accessible without any disassembly.
There’s 1,600 km showing on the odometer, and aside from being dirty now after being ridden in heavy rain, it has performed without fault. It has been returning great gas mileage to boot, so far averaging 3.5 L/100 km (80 mpg).
Editor ’Arris, you’ve been warned: the CBR250R won’t be given up without a fight…
Was wondering how you would compare the CBR250R to the Kawasaki ZZR250.I owed a 2003 ZZR250 and found it to be an excelent all around bike,city and hiway.
OKman. If 25% more power (aka 5hp) and 10mph is considered demolishing after 35yrs of technical advancements then you’re the man. May I suggest you either need to find a better mechanic, learn to twist the throttle all the way, or have tried one that was brand new and not one found in a shed after a 20yr rest period. It does need some time and space to get there.
Heres a caveat…. it was a UK model, but pretty sure ours was the same.
This is in response to the guy above who makes ridicules claims about his CB 175’s performance. I owned a CB125 a CB175 and right now there is a CB200 in my shed. The new CBR250r from Honda will absolutely demolish a CB175 is every single aspect of performance.
I’m going to go ahead and accuse you of being a liar! You’ve never owned a CB175.. Your comments are ridicules. I’d be surprised if you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle.
CB175. If you live by statistics, yes, somewhere just under 20hp at the wheel, CB250 maybe 25hp. Top speed from this couple yr older ad says 140 (86ish),
http://www.vf750fd.com/blurbs/brochures/cb175/cb175.jpg
Mine would pull 90+ mph at around the 10K redline without a fairing and allowing for the typical 8-10% optimistic speedo of the day and according to other bikes.
Don’t know how epa calculates real world mpg but even this one shows 55+ mpg for the Shiver. (36US = 43UK mpg)
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/aprilia/aprilia_shiver_750%2007.htm
So you can believe whatever stats you like, just telling you what I got actually having owned both of them. Having ridden lots of litre bikes, and ridden with others, I haven’t met one that didn’t use 25% more fuel when filling up together. But I’m probably just wasting my breath discussing it with someone with a username thats CB250.
“You’re kinda right. I did get almost 6L flogging it in the Appalachians in sport mode. :>) Average has been 4.5-4.7 for 6000km now and most guys are getting the same with the exceptions of the ones with pipes and messing with the ECU.
But 20% more fuel for 3.5 X the power doesn’t make sense, especially with an efi Honda. I got the same mileage, hp, and almost 100mph with a 35yr old Honda 175 twin.
Maybe they need to go back to a 20mm carb. If it had Moto3 hp I’d understand.”
I hear what you are saying. However, there isn’t a linear relationship between power and fuel economy. Based on your reasoning it doesn’t make sense that Motorcycle.com’s obtained fuel economy for the Aprilia Shiver in testing was 36 mpg (U.S.), while their obtained fuel economy for the BMW S1000R was 36.5 mpg (U.S.), yet the BMW produces more than 2x the horsepower of the Aprilia.
Are you referring to the CD175 or CB175? The only information I can find suggests that these bikes produced anywhere from 15-20 hp, have a top speed of about 70-78 mph, and fuel economy of between 2.8-3.5L/100KM. So the CBR250R has anywhere from 30-80% more power, 20-30% higher top speed (93 mph), and a U.S. EPA fuel economy figure of 77 mpg (or 3.05L/100KM) – so roughly the same fuel economy (not to mention a host of other updates and improvements). Sometimes I am very thankful that they “don’t make them like they used to”.
Mike
You’re kinda right. I did get almost 6L flogging it in the Appalachians in sport mode. :>) Average has been 4.5-4.7 for 6000km now and most guys are getting the same with the exceptions of the ones with pipes and messing with the ECU.
But 20% more fuel for 3.5 X the power doesn’t make sense, especially with an efi Honda. I got the same mileage, hp, and almost 100mph with a 35yr old Honda 175 twin.
Maybe they need to go back to a 20mm carb. If it had Moto3 hp I’d understand.
“Good little bike for the price but wheres the wee Honda gas mileage ?
I get 4.5L per 100 with my 750 Aprilia with at least 3 times the power.”
I think 3.2 L/100KM [b][i]IS[/i][/b] wee Honda gas mileage. If you really do get 4.5 L/100KM with the Aprilia, that is excellent fuel-economy for a bike that size. An Aprilia Shiver 750 appears to get about 6.5 L/100KM on average based on online magazine and user reviews. Of course fuel-economy is great affected by [i]how[/i] you ride. I doubt you’d achieve that kind of fuel economy if you flogged (used all of the 3x extra hp) the Aprilia.
Mike
Good little bike for the price but wheres the wee Honda gas mileage ?
I get 4.5L per 100 with my 750 Aprilia with at least 3 times the power.
One advantage of the wr over others(Klr and crf) is the fuel injection. The CV carb can get confused over rough ground. Basically, the slide is balanced between a steel spring and air pressure, so a big bump can move the slide. Also you can get the X at big discounts. (no DS tires in 17×110 size) Doubt they’ll make that mistake again.
“The 250 looks too small for you Costa. How long was your longest ride?”
The longest ride so far was about 300 km with no complaints. I will be taking the bike to New Hampshire for a weekend this summer, it’s entirely capable of light touring.
Costa
I have both a 2011 Honda CBR250R (with ABS) and a 2009 WR250R. Both are great bikes. But the CBR250R just makes me giggle each time I ride it. Even when I am off the bike, I can’t stop thinking about riding it. Look what you’ve done to me Honda?!?? The Honda just handles so much better than the WR250R. However, the WR has more power (about 5 more rear-wheel hp) and as a dual-sport you can’t beat its combination of fuel-injection, reasonably light weight, good quality components, great power for a 250, and cheap insurance. It is pricey though. I recently took a 150km trip that included some highway riding and some country roads. The WR250R typically nets about 70 mph (imperial) on this route. The CBR250R obtained 88 mph (imperial) on the same route, traveling at the same speeds. The CBR250R just nails the fun value factor for me.
Mike
Indeed the CBR250R is a great bargain. The WR250R is a little more trick with titanium valves, aluminum frame / swingarm and inverted forks etc. but it is hard to justify at nearly double the price of the CBR250R. A budget dualsport Honda based on the CBR250R’s motor could be a great seller.
The Yamaha WR250 is nice but it’s eight grand. For that amount of coin, there are a lot of options. The Honda is a bargain.
The 250 looks too small for you Costa. How long was your longest ride?
The dualsport version is called the Yamaha WR250R. Fuel injected quarter litre bikes are just fast enough to be fun. The light weight, reasonable insurance and cheap maintenance (and low purchase price in the case of the CBR) make them easy to justify owning. Squeezing every bit of speed out of them is blast and you’re less likely to lose your license than on a “real” bike.
A dual sport version would have me hot and horny … maybe.