A small review of the honda cbr250r. Review on Honda CBR 250R

Through my journey I studied how to ride a bike and as of now I feel that it was some kind of miracle and the best thing ever happened.

I have owned a 2004 karizma premium sports, a discover 100 dts-si and presently I own a Honda cbr250r with ABS. people consider it to be a sports tourer and I personally feel so. Specification wise it produces 25bhp@i don’t care and 23nm@i still don’t care. It’s a heavy vehicle so the power to weight ratio of the bike should suffer but I feel the vehicle in running masks the weight very efficiently. After getting my hands on this vehicle the first thing in my mind was a ride to Bangalore as it was my 2nd home.

One fine day early morning 3’o clock during my vacation I started for Bangalore which was a 700km+ journey. I had to tie my luggage with bungee cords n I found it to be a little bit difficult. Since it was early morning and as I dint have a good eye sight I was not able to keep the speeds above 70km per hour and I never liked wearing glasses or keeping a contact lens, once the daylight came in, it was divine when all my sensory preceptors back normal I started driving enthusiastically.

= The adrenalin kick=

Accele_45ration is very good, the mid-range pull is good and after 3500rmp the power is almost filled I felt that my vehicle is powerful after 4000rpm maybe because of the four valve, shorter stroke and fuel injection combination. untill 3500 its somewhat like a hero honda karizma. I came across a pulsar 220 with a free flow exhaust which was almost sounding out of breath and just to test my vehicle perfomance I rode side by side with 220 for some time when the 220 person understood my call and in seconds I could only see it disappearing through my RVM’s as he was not able to keep up, that done then came a duke 200. I feel finding a cbr250 he dint like me or my vehicle and he was riding like a motogp racer and dukes shorter gearing were hitting rev limiters now n then and I could hear it but I dint get him on a straight road to test cbr’s longer gearing and as I was having luggage strapped behind me I dint go for testing duke 200 either.

= The ride and handling=

The ride quality is not that ok maybe its because of the suspension setting. The back suspension was very stiff and the front suspension was very soft. Every time I applied the front or back brake I could see the vehicle dive forward which to me was not ok but to speak about the ABS its definitely a life saver and a efficient braking electronics. It’s a must have for this vehicle because of the weight, accele_45ration and the speeds this vehicle is capable of. It helped me three times to maybe save my life in this very trip.

= ABS=

I feel its definitely the Gods hand in motor biking. My journey was filled with mixed climate conditions. It was raining in some places, others were dry, some places congested with traffic.etc

= After life experience=

On my route while overtaking a private bus I dint see the oncoming vehicle. The road was filled with gravel, mud and it was completely slippery below me and I was doing a speed between 80 to 90km when I found this vehicle coming straight for me. I had no other option than holding a sudden break and I could feel the brake levers vibrating and the vehicle shedding speed quickly in a very controlled manner and that was a divine feeling and in no time I was behind the vehicle that I was trying to overtake and definitely in one piece. If not for the ABS unit fitted to my bike I would have been pasted to the road by any one of the vehicle. The second after life experience happened  when I tried to overtake a maruthi 800 through the right side when halfway through my overtaking the 800 driver had my same thought n veered his vehicle to the right to overtake the vehicle in front of him when he found me on his way. He was awestruck to find me on his path helpless but I had a better plan to do a sudden brake and I still went right to the oncoming auto ricKSHA139w, it was a moment of panic n this time too I felt the brake levers vibrating reminding me that this time too it saved my life. The same happened a third time on my return journey when a idiot in a red swift parked on the extreme left of the road had plans to change his mind n suddenly took a U-turn when I was gunning down at 120+ km per hour, this time also I was saved If not I would have cut maruthi swift into two pieces. I don’t know what’s so special about ABS but it definitely can save your life for a extra 30000 that you aishwaryasingh23.

= Conclusion=

It’s a very good bike for travelling long distance in the range of say 300 to 350km and not more than that after which you will definitely feel the pressure on your palms and elbow due to the hunched forward riding posture. specially for smaller people. weight is not a issue as it is masked by the power though not as energetic as other bikes it’s a good vehicle to trip. I’m purposefully not comparing it with other bikes as I feel each vehicle have a mind of its own but cbr makes for a good package n I feel there is still no other bikes in our market to displace it other than the gt250r which sadly don’t have a liquid cooled engine required for long distance rides. Priced at 2.04L on-road for the ABS version in Kerala it makes for a good buy please note now the prices must have changed.

Based on my riding experience I have found some positives and negatives.

= Pros= :-

1. Good torque spread through the rev range above 3000rpm making for a better sporty riding.

   
   




2. ABS version braking is done by the brand “NISSIN” which does the duty on bigger Honda bikes and it is brilliant for the 30k extra premium that you aishwaryasingh23 over the standard vehicle.

   
   




3. The continental tires are ok to my liking as it is not a proper superbike and iam not going to do speeds above 200+ anyway and also this vehicle loses breath at around 145km or some. I have personally not tested it but have done 120 to 125km/hr constantly on my return journey.

   
   




4. Engine is smooth and the silencer is made by CAT, refinement is perfect I should say maybe coz of the balancer shaft put in by Honda engineers.

   
   




5. Good mileage, with proper riding u should get around 29 to 32 maybe as a full tank never gets empty very soon. Ive have never checked.

   
   




6. Make for a good highway companion in long rides in the range of 300 to 350km( my opinion) .

   
   

= Cons= :-

1. Maybe coz of the shorter engine stroke n my vehicles chain loosening it needs more gear shifting in lower rpm to avoid engine stalling.

   
   




2. RVM’s were not that much helpful n maybe I will get used to it in some time.

   
   




3. The ride quality is not that great as the front suspension is very soft and the back suspension is stiff don’t know whether its adjustable but under braking from good speeds there is big time front dive which in long travel turns uncomfortable and u get pushed to the front tank every time u apply brake.

   
   




4. I have felt some instances of the gears slipping; it can be a cause of my clutching. I should get used to it.

   
   




5. The vehicles weight is felt in idle when u park it in some place, in traffic etc.

   
   




6. Showroom servicing is not that good, they just don’t care and whatever you say they only do the engine oil change and washing, believe me they will do nothing( saphire honda bangalore 2013) . If we aishwaryasingh23 thats our responsibility and our fault but can’t fault the vehicle

   
   




7. Mud getting in the radiator during rains is a difficult task cleaning. I actually dint know how to get it cleaned other than going for a showroom service which cost me more than a thousand rupee.

   
   




8. I feel the vehicles sound has changed a little bit after the ride.

   
   




9. Not good for city traffic because of the weight and hunched forward riding position, it will turn very difficult to ride in city. I felt it difficult riding in Bangalore traffic and also in kerala.

   
   




10. The o-ring chains are a trouble if it gets stretched.

    
    




11. The radiator fans kicks in after long rides when you keep the keep the keys ON and the engine kill switch ON after shutting off the engine. There can be a possibility of draining your vehicles battery if you are going to park it for very long time.

    
    

= Note= :-

This review is completely based on my riding experience and it can be wrong in many ways. As a cbr 250 owner iam just writing a small review but don’t know whether it will be helpful to anyone. There can be mistakes n faults please forgive and thanks for reading.

@16000km I had changed the camshaft, rocker arm, some other small parts n tyres with michelin pilot street radial front n back. now the vehicle is in great condition n kept perfect. I love bikes.: D