Personal choice, but I never liked the look of ANY size Ninja. And the name implies that it will sneak up and kill you, when its probably more likely to run up and poop in your yard
Sorry to revive an old thread... Both the Ninja and CBR were very gently used. The Ninja had 228 miles and had to go to service before I could test ride it as it wouldn't idle correctly. The service department had to pull and clean the carb to get it running properly.
Meanwhile... The CBR started immediately. No muss no fuss. The Ninja was more entertaining, but more work too.
With the bikes sitting side by side, the CBR looks a bit bigger than the Ninja. Wider rear tire and personally, I like the Shamu styling. My 2 cents...
4 previous honda road motorcycles..
checked out engine schematics for new,
cbr250r [compared to out of date kw]
very impressed.. new from the ground up
dohc 4 valve fuel injected, liquid cooled, single[!]
looked well designed [except for add on exhaust]
suited my perception of good motorcycle ergonomics
etc.. got her used [-600km] all black, with abs,
shark helmet/jacket/gloves thrown in for way
less than new price..
might sound trite that 'its a honda'
but after 4 great honda road bikes
[cb72, cb450, k2 cb750/4, k6 cb750/4]
which were totally reliable bulletproof
motorcycles built for road riding,
that was a genuine game breaker;
I was going to get the ninja 300. Then I sat on the cbr250r and it felt better. Did some research and I liked the honda better in every way. Plus honda makes a better bike. Fit and finish is top notch. The Kawi is a good bike, don't get me wrong. But the Honda is a all around better bike.
Mainly because I love Honda (including their cars). I prefer the design of the their bikes as well, which I feel is superior to other competing models.
Honestly though if I had done more research on the N300 and if it was available over the summer, it would have been a really tough decision. I have to admit if I were making the same decision now, the Kawi would probably win. For a few hundred more I'm getting a twin cylinder bike with an additional 17 hp and a slipper clutch. It vibrates less than the CBR's do and is just as forgiving. The one minor downside of the 300 is every single person that reviews it says their right heel tends to rest against the exhaust heat shield.
But over the summer comparing the CBR250 and the N250, that wasn't even a contest (not a fan at all of the N250).
My previous bike was a 2005 Yamaha R6. Too fast for me... to easy to get into triple digits too often. I spent last summer restoring a vintage Honda and got into a good relationship with my Honda dealer that has been in the business for 40 years.
I decided this year that I want to race in the 250 class. My dealer sponsors riders and gives good deals to racers. It seemed natural that I would race the CBR250R.
The local track is a very tight roadracing track which gives the torque of the CBR and advantage over the top speed Kawi. Last year the top 3 riders were on Honda.
__________________
"If you don't hang your balls out there and just do it, you'll never know what might have happened."
-Valentino Rossi
2007 Honda Cbr125r
Stoner
Bella
