Max torque hits at 7000 rpm and peak horsepower arrives soon after at 8500 rpm. The CBR250R is grunty off the line, user-friendly, and comfortable for short-to-average size riders.
2011 Honda CBR250R
While seated on its 30.5-inch-high saddle, and neutrally postured with slightly rearset pegs and a minor forward reach to the bars, the wind screen and fairing offer typical sportbike protection. At 6 feet tall, and with long legs, I could sit back a little too easily into the passenger pillion. And while I hunkered on the bike, with long legs folded to the point that former Motorcycle.com editor Gabe Ets-Hokin – who was along for the ride – said I looked too big on the bike, it felt manageable, and if starting out, I’d still consider it.
The bike accelerates acceptably quick to highway velocity. After cresting peak power, particularly in fifth and sixth gears, additional speed comes sedately. More specifically, a kitted-up 185-lb rider can hit 65 no problem. Reaching 75 is a bit more effort. And after that, the next 10 mph comes considerably slower. Once into the upper 80s, a long stretch is required to push its indicated speed past that big 9-0, maybe into the low 90s – and Japanese speedometers are notoriously optimistic by a few percent.
We’re giving you this detail because lots of people want to know how it stacks up against Kawasaki’s Twin-cylinder Ninja 250R. We’ve seen that bike hit an indicated 101 mph, and in stock form Gabe tells me it has been clocked at a true 93 mph or better.
2011 Honda CBR250R
The 13,000-redline Kawi is quicker, but you have to scream it. The 10,500-rpm Honda delivers better low-end thrust without the drama. It’s that simple. Pick your preference, and keep in mind, a good bike is not only measured by its top speed.
With regards to handling, the Honda inspires confidence in the twisties at all speeds. Its geometry balances stability and nimbleness. Like the Kawasaki’s suspenders, the lighter-weight Honda’s non-adjustable fork, and preload-adjustable shock are fairly soft, while offering a good compromise between compliance and control. When banked over, it can be unnerving to suddenly traverse rough spots, but then that is true of a lot of bikes.
Our group of experienced riders was pushing somewhat briskly, and during these spirited stints I found myself lifting off the seat to compensate for the budget-minded suspension's inability to perfectly absorb the jabs, right hooks and undercuts thrown at it by several sections of especially rugged pavement. My knees, while having no external adjustments either, do offer decent rebound and compression compliance. It’s a trick anyone who’s ridden off road knows. If necessary, in lieu of sophisticated suspenders do it like they do it in the dirt.
The CBR250R’s overall stopping power is acceptable. Then again, if my seat-of-the-pants decelerometer is accurate, I’d rate braking close to the Ninja 250R.
Honda's Combined-ABS (C-ABS) links the rear brake with one of the front caliper’s three pistons, and if pushed past the limit, linearly hauls the bike down with the usual mild pulsing. The front ABS brakes work the same but actuate the front caliper only, while audibly chirping the not-too-soft compound IRC Road Winner tires.
These basic rubber-Os, while one of the ways Honda kept the cost down, nevertheless do the job. We cornered in the wet and dry. When somewhat pushed, naturally the tires will break loose sooner in the wet. They are not scary slippery, but even on good dry pavement no one was willing to drag a knee.
2011 Honda CBR250R
The CBR250R runs quiet. It’s obviously choked down to satisfy Uncle Sam, and his syndicate bosses at the EPA. The conservative ECU settings the Feds extorted from Honda, combined with the catalytic converter and narrow single exhaust pipe, sap power.
I think this is an engine that begs to be opened up. If you are a member of the Sierra Club, and take offense, none intended.
Instrumentation is clear and functional. Official EPA figures are not available yet, but should be in the neighborhood of 60 mpg. No fuel stops were necessary after several hours of spirited riding, and fuel gauges on our press bikes indicated several bars left. A full tank should achieve the 200 miles, more or less, as estimated by Honda.
Is the CBR250R a Ninja 250R killer? No. Is it solid competition? You bet. That the CBR is fuel injected -- albeit as a Single, not a Twin -- is itself a value. And to some riders, the optional ABS may add enough value to the littlest CBR so as to outweigh the extra $500 required beyond the $3999 MSRP. Honda says the CBR250R will be available some time in the spring.
Overall fit and finish for both the Red/Silver and Metallic Black were good on the bikes we rode. There’s a small cubby with room for a few essentials under the passenger pillion.
We look forward to doing a full review as soon as Honda will give us a CBR250R for more time. At this juncture, we can tell you it may not win a drag race with some other 250s, but it is a winner in its own right.
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