The Honda CBR250R has been generating a lot of attention ever since its launch. The 250cc single pot has been receiving a lot good reviews and also been at the receiving end.
Having already spent enough time ‘looking’ at the CBR in various showrooms, one must agree its design clearly shows what it’s made for, Sports-touring.
Now we are not getting into technical or specific accessory details, that’s already out there in plenty!Just going to tell you what we felt of both the ABS and the Non-ABS versions of the bike after spending a good few hours with them.
You see the bike in flesh and all your assumptions that it might be a small compact parcel like the R15 just rushes away. The bike is big! You sit on it and it feels bigger! You feel the tank separating you from the speedo console/handle by a huge margin due to its arc shape. Thumb the starter & if you are quite familiar with how bikes here in India sound, you would be welcomed a rather new sound. We kind of expected it to have more of a Unicorn feel to it, but no, it is different.
Take it for a spin and immediately you will realise this bike has all its power in the mid-range RPM’s. Pulls away beautifully in pretty much any gear. Even though the bike is big we experienced it to be quite comfortable in weaving through traffic. One whack of the throttle and you are saying see ya to that auto rickshaw guy who is burning heavy amounts of kerosene and leaving you in a cloud. Yes then, we loved it in the city. U-turns need a bit getting used to though. The clutch, how can we forget the clutch! Its butter smooth, a typical Honda, maybe a bit too smooth if you are coming after riding a pulsar or an RTR. Gear shifts are good with good feedback.
Now coming to the power, if you are someone used to riding a Pulsar 220/200 or something in similar power range, this bike might not give you the rush that you are looking for. It smooth, its powerful but when it comes to giving you goose bumps when you wring that throttle its Honda traits slightly lets it down, we are not saying its bad but just not enough drama to keep the Rossi in you happy(Rossi in CBR turf, did we start a war?), that’s the only place that we thought there was something missing.
We tried the Non-ABS first and then hopped onto the ABS one and quite immediately on your first dab of the breaks you would realise how much better the ABS is. Tried bit a bit of hard breaking on gravel layered road and absolutely no drama whatsoever. We will need some more time with the bike to do a more comprehensive test to figure out accurate statistics, and will bring it to you in our complete road test.
We quite liked the fit and finish of the bike and after a thorough inspection of the bike found nothing that is a decision changer in terms of parts quality.
Now for the million dollar question what’s its street presence like? Very good again. Its new, its big which makes it the Dhoombike for the masses :D
We will bring you a complete road test soon with our test riders pushing the bike to its limits just to get you good data ;)
In the mean while here is a short video of the time we spent with the CBR 250R.
Some close up snaps of the ABS unit front and rear.
This is a really interesting and informative content. I think i can make a buy now :)
what abot engine noise , and exhaust system is is suitable for such type of bike
Hi Avin,
Thanks mate.. Must say a very good forum for people who needs quicker and apt response. You guys rock :)
Thank you Kazy :) Glad to help.
HeY GuyZ!
I am booked the CBR last week. And just can't wait for hands on. My only worry is mileage :( Petrol is on its peak hike and expected to rise even more. 30+ should be reasonable. If any one got update on this please do help. And yes R15 is power bike but please don't compare a 150CC to 250CC bike. :) Cheers for everyone owning a CBR :)
Hi Kazy,
We will put up a owner ship report soon. As of now we have feed back from people that they are getting above 30 :)
Whats up Everyone!
Nice to see a purpose oriented website for a change.
A full review is necessary before commenting on its acceleration my friend. And some one above asked if the ABS could be switched off.
The fact: The ABS on the ABS version of the bike is active at all times and cannot be turned off.
As soon as we get our hands on the bike and it will be very soon :). We shall update our findings as soon as possible. Keep a watch on our Review section.
Cheers
Paw
thanks dude :) 1st my mind is on the side of r15 for its dual head lamp, killer style & high turning control & delta box frame :)
but now i like cbr for its mighty appearance & engine performance :) control too just some very tiny points lesser than r15 :) i heard that 0 to 100 is 5 sec is that true :)
@RAJASPIDEY, Inside information has it that the quality of R15 parts are deteriorating with each new version! Sad to see such a good brand going down like this. Service quality is also at an all time low. SO CBR would be a much better alternative for you i guess.
i hav alredy riden it.i too didnt feel much power,its just lik the p200/220.p220 is 21 bhp nd cbr is 25 bhp.i dont know whr the 4 bhp gone.am disappointed.and also the sound i think worsee..
HeyGuys!
Great website!:)
Hello, my best mate just informed myself about this forum and so I believed i would arrive and get a look and also present myself, Seems to be an excellent site having a ton of people!
Thanks for an idea, you sparked at thought from a angle I hadn’t given thoguht to yet. Now lets see if I can do something with it.
Hi Avin,
Thanks for clearing. I didn’t knew about the C-ABS of bigger bikes. Thanks for that info too. Which city are you based ? Are dealers giving test rides there ?
When are you expected to get the bike for review. I am very eager to see that :D ..
-Ankur
Hi again :)
We are primarily based in Bangalore, but have our reps in Mumbai & Delhi. At all 3 places dealers are giving for test rides.
We will mostly be getting this month end :) yup we are excited too!
so back brake only activates both while front is independent :) thats cool while racing in city with friends, but ll be difficult for some stunts :( it ll be better if honda gives option to off abs :)
btw post technical specifications like 0 to 100 times etc bro :) most of the sites have only some specifications, so gotta search different sites to know all this :)
Hi :)
All the technical updates once we review the bike head to toe! :D
I could be wrong. But I have heard this. If possible please clear this ..
Thanks Avin
Yes will get back to you at the earliest! :)
Hi Ankur :)
Yup, you were right. The CBR250R comes with combined ABS. The combined ABS differs from normal ABS in the fact that when you depress the rear brake the front brake is also slightly actuated.
I had it confused with the combined ABS of the bigger CBR’s the CBR600RR and 2010 CBR1000RR. In those when ever you depress either one of the levers the other is also actuated. :)
Hi Avin,
‘Combi braking which applies the second brake when either one is applied’ …
AFAIK The combi brake only activates when the rear disc brake pedal is pressed. It activates front disc also. But if the front disk is pressed then only front brake is activated.
Correct me if I am wrong …
-Ankur
oh! will have to check on that and get to you here. From the information we have its like what I have said.
thank you bro :)
one more doubt is stopping distance of r15 vs cbr :)
waiting for detailed review from your site :)
btw also post act cbr vs r15 even though bikes of different category most of the ppl looking for it :)
am gonna buy bike only after 3 month so lotta time to decide :)
No problem.
The stopping distance unlike in cars is again rider dependent. The ABS although guarantees a no slide situation in most conditions, the stopping distance might not be exactly lesser.
Yup, we will do a comparison shoot at-least for the two bikes :)
after seeing that video i decided for cbr :) good sound :) my final doubt was
1. does abs applies both brakes when any one lever was pressed (is there option to switch it off)
2. Headlight power comparing r15
3. what about handling in corners, it may not be perfect like r15 but whether it was better than others
4. Am very slim, so i need ppls opinion whether it suits me comparing with that r15 picture
Yup, the CBR comes with Combi braking which applies the second brake when either one is applied, and sadly no it cannot be turned off :(
The headlight is a 60/55w bulb and much better than the R15.
Handling is good, better than a pulsar 220, but less than a R15.
Forget about what you look like on the bike, if you like it go for it! With the right safety gear and a good lid everybody looks good on any bike :)
what about handling when compared to r15 :) am planning to buy a bike r15 or cbr help me guys :)
Hi there :)
The CBR and the R15 cannot be compared together in an handling aspect. If you are one who is a track enthusiast/ or love sharp handling and do not tour much then the R15, The CBR is a great bike to own and is good at several things even handles very good in everyday conditions, but R15 is the clear winner if you are speaking only about handling!
it looks like spamming but i forgot to add this.
I have fear of skidding cz 1ce i fell down from moving bus.(this is to judge whether i need abs or not )
also tell me whether pressing down one brake in abs version applies both brakes :)
Also post video link below video cz i cant able to view it in my mobile :)
Hi again :)
Well, looks like the CBR is closer to your heart just by the way you are talking :)
CBR is a unique bike and not exactly cheap. Either ways the uniqueness lasts only till your neighbor has it ;)
So choose wisely, best would be to test ride both and see which gives you more confidence. You were talking about the fear of skidding, again stuff like that comes down to the rider :) The ABS will help, but at the end of the day its your experience as a rider that will help you. :)
i like r15 for its handling & looks.
But cbr for its engine, comfort & honda‘s maintenance free quality. I like to commute but when i go to chennai i wanna racing machine.
This is pic of me in my friends r15
http://moby.to/cxo97r http://moby.to/xco0c7 http://moby.to/0li1f2 http://moby.to/4dpb7w
http://moby.to/aple0y
tell me whether this suits me & whether cbr suits me :)
i like to be unique. Am living in chennai suburban area. 2 people in my town have red r15 which i planned to buy so i lost uniqueness :( i want uniqueness cz those guys are locals & look like barbarians. Bike is an symbol of status in my area. I hate pulsar’s cz most of those guys own it. So i planned for r15 or cbr.
This is my state of mind now.
So temme guys
r15/cbr abs/cbr non abs
when money is not a limit. But ninja is far away from my budget :)
i just can say that this is new for me, and quite a great work with the video!!
bye,
sally
Hi Avin,
“this still is a 250cc engine and nobody buying it is going to go easy on the throttle” … Agreed completely and fully ;) …. I have provided real email id … Is there any way to subscrive to your feeds ?
-Ankur
yup. we are working on the RSS option, but right now its not active, has a few bugs that need sorting out.
Also we will be starting a news letter and you can subscribe to that to keep up to date on all posts! :)
Hi Avin,
When are you planning for full road test ? I would like to read it for more clarifications. Have read couple of tests online for foreign countries. Since yours will be in India I would like to read yours. How can I know when its posted here ?
I have a question. Shouldn’t the FI engine give good FE ? 30kmpl will be too less compared to P-220. Normally in Pulsar families as th cc increases from 150 to more the reduction of 5 – 10 kmpl is noticed. Lets see what your tests predict :)
-Ankur
Hi Ankur :)
We are waiting for delivery of the bikes from Honda, and once we have that we will be working on the full review. Will will update it here on the website as well as on our page in FB and also in our twitter feed. If you had given your real email id, we probably could have mailed you as well ;).
Yes you are right about the FI unit giving good FE, but the fact still remains that this still is a 250cc engine and nobody buying it is going to go easy on the throttle :D Lets get bike and we will get you some figures!
Hi Avin,
I want to know one thing about the abs in this bike. Can the abs kit be fitted in non abs bike on a later date. say I don't have money ( approx 2 lacs :o ) to put in the bike and buy a non-abs version. Can on a later date abs be put on it ? Will it cost more than the difference in the two models now ?
Whats the mileage in your tests. Different sites are giving different data. :( .. How much does honda claims ? It being 10 kgs and 30 ccs more than 220 the mileage shall come atleast 35 – 40 kmpl ( P-220 gives 42 – 45 in city riding ).
-Ankur
Hi there Ankur :)
From what we have seen from the time spent with the bike, we think the ABS can be bolted on later, because all the required fitting points are present in the Non-ABS version as well. But surely it will be much costlier than the difference that you pay for the ABS and the Non-ABS versions now.
About the fuel efficiency, we did not get to test that. We will be doing it in the full on road test, along with all other functionality testing of the bike in various conditions.That said we expect it to be in the range of 30kmpl. :)
hey there…i know that theres no HRC color here in india …..so is it going to b launched in india in near future…?? or a sad NO forever..? :D
The HRC color sure looks good doesn’t it :D
Sadly there is no news from Honda about bringing the same to India.
We at IAMABIKER also want it to come though :D
Good video with poor quality audio :) :(. Overall good review.
Thanks there Remo! :)
This will be the last video with an average audio quality.
it has more torque thn ninja 250R. Good power to weight ratio, may b its bcoz of the running in period which has some friction losses… wait for some tym expecting 2 things
1. Racing performance parts and
2. A big smile on ur face.. Cheers…
Hi again Atul
Yes you are technically correct again :) Its definitely got great torque numbers.
Sir i disagree with ur point that if someone used to riding a Pulsar 220/200 or something in similar power range even rtr 180, this bike might not give you the rush that you are looking for.. in my opinion nd as per my test riding its 5 sec faster then the ex fastest Indian bike in 0 to 100 category by just taking 7 sec to reach 100 kmph mark. p220 takes 12 sec n rtr 13 sec.
Hi Atul,
Yes you are absolutely right with the timings that you have provided and its much faster than the the mentioned bikes.
My point was simply that it being a Honda, the bike is every bit Honda in being very smooth, and I should say at-least for me it did not bring that smile on my face when I gave it a good throttle . :)