Story: Guy Allen
Honda’s history in the local quarter-litre market makes for fascinating reading. We’ve had stodgy but bulletproof parallel-twins, a fragile two-stroke triple, a ripper little V-twin or two, and a screamer of a four. This year we’ve gone back to basics: the CBR250R is a relatively straightforward four-stroke single. The last time the CBR250 name was used, it was attached a brilliant little four-cylinder sportsbike – mechanically very different to the one tested here.
Despite the acceptance of larger learner-approved motorcycles in a number of key states, the 250 market seems to be humming along nicely and, having spent a little time on this beastie, you can see why. Bigger bikes do distances easier, but it’s hard to beat a 250 single for ease of use in the city, or for light and nimble handling out in the hills.
For the rider who wants the minimum metal to wrestle with, they make a lot of sense. It’s just big enough to cope with highway speeds, but small enough for just about anyone to wrangle through traffic.
Honda had an incredibly long lead time on this machine – it took nearly a year from the time we first clapped eyes on it for it to reach our local market. Was it worth the wait?
WHAT’S IN THE TIN?
The powerplant runs a version of Honda’s in-house fuel-injection, in part fulfilling a long-held corporate promise to roll injection out across the entire motorcycle range. The unit is liquid-cooled, running four valves and a relatively modest 9.7:1 compression ratio.
You’re looking at around 19.1kW (26hp) from the engine, delivered well short of redline at 8500rpm.
Tied to that is a wet clutch, a six-speed transmission and chain final drive.
The chassis is very basic, featuring a steel frame, conventional fork, plus a monoshock rear with preload adjustment.
Braking is via a single disc on both ends, with a two-piston caliper on the sharp end and a single-pot item out back. There’s an ABS/linked braking option for just $500 extra.
All up weight is a claimed is 161kg with fuel. There’s 13lt of juice on board, while seat height is 780mm.
Instrumentation is a big analogue tacho with a digital speedo and ancillaries such as trip meters and fuel gauge.
The wrapper is a replica of the big Fireblade and, from a distance, it does a pretty good job. You get the sense that someone put some time and trouble into making it look a little sexy.
Without doubt the most prominent feature is the price: $5490 in basic form, or $5990 with ABS (both plus on-road costs). The combination of a high Oz dollar and manufacturing in Thailand has no doubt played a role in the modest sticker. That’s put the proverbial cat among the marketing pigeons, forcing other marques to lower their prices.
IN THE SADDLE
Since I look like an elephant on a bicycle on anything in this class, we decided to sling the keys to spouse Ms M Senior, a riding instructor of many years’ experience, and daughter Ms A, whose idea of having a good time is sneaking out the driveway on Hannibal the Hayabusa.
Ms M Senior left us a few notes: "Firm suspension – stable over a rough surface, like railway tracks. Good mid-range power. Mirrors are large and well set-up for quick scanning.
"The seat is on the hard side. However, the seating position is sporty without the limitations of a sportsbike ride position.
"The brakes and throttle are good and effective without being too sharp for everyday and commuting use.
"It’s easy to ride, with a light feel to it."
And Ms A’s thoughts? She has a tendency to be dismissive of little bikes, but offered this: "It’s really fun to ride. I like it." There was a genuine note of surprise in her voice.
Amen to that. She was echoing my own thoughts after collecting the CBR from Honda’s workshop. Muggins was soon happily hooting down the nearest ring road with a silly grin on the dial.
Why? It’s a crisp and easy ride. The single responds willingly to the throttle and is happy to be kept on the boil in the 5000-8000rpm range. It doesn’t feel stressed, you’re making brisk progress.
Highway cruising is certainly achievable, with 100km/h coming up easily. It’ll accelerate to around 120 okay, and will bust the 130 mark with time and encouragement.
The clutch is ultra-light with an easy take-up point, while the gearbox has a light and positive action.
There’s no doubt the ride is on the firm side, and you’d be looking for a seat pad of some sort if you planned a really long trip. However, the suspension does a decent job of keeping things under control.
The seat itself is quite narrow, which makes it very easy to get your feet on the ground, but means it’s not the most luxurious in the world you could be.
Steering is easy and accurate, with a predictable turn in, quick response and decent stability. The standard tyres seem fine, though I can’t say we pushed them all that hard.
Braking is strong and predictable. The levers on the non-ABS version allow a bit of travel before biting hard, which makes sense for a potential learner.
Instrumentation is easy enough to read and seems to do the job, while switchgear is very conventional.
Fuel consumption is very light – in the high twenties for much of the time, with the worst we recorded being mid-twenties.
WORTH THE RENT?
So far, we’ve had four different riders on the little CBR, including Deputy Ed Rob Blackbourn. All of them have walked away with positive things to say, expressing real surprise that such a small package could deliver such a solid and fun riding experience.
The level of finish is fine, particularly given the price, while the CBR feels like it will last. Our advice is to spend the extra $500 and get the ABS version.
Oh, and you could end up owning one! Look for our giveaway of a one-off version in eye-catching Repsol MotoGP livery. You will find an entry form to win that bike on page 32.