I took a look at the Ninja 300 and the CBR250R at my local dealer. After some setting and touching, I got the following impressions. It felt like the CBR is roomier leg wise (For my 32 inseam). The CBR seemed narrower & lighter, almost like a motorized bicycle. That's a good thing if you are looking for the ultimate featherweight machine. In my personal opinion the CBR's combined ABS eliminates any risk of flying over the handlebars under emergency braking but again, what do I know besides marketing mambo jambo hype. The sales executive said that the CBR tops out at 81MPH but it can go faster depending on the riders weight. Design wise, the Honda seems well put together and fine looking to me. Again, this is a matter of personal taste. Now, here comes the Ninja 300. It felt tighter leg wise. My legs were uncomfortably touching the top side of the tank. The Ninja seemed more like a real motorcycle compared to the CBR. It felt heavier and chunkier. That's good if you are looking for something closer to a real motorcycle. The only thing that the Ninja screamed motorized bicycle was the skinny rear rubber, but again, the CBR rubber was the same thing. The ABS set up on the Ninja isn't as sophisticated as the CBR's Combined ABS. The sales executive said that the Ninja tops out at 101MPH. This top speed figures were average after different riders got to play with them (Results will vary based on the riders weight. This applies to the CBR too). Design wise, I really like both except for their skinny rear rubber. The Ninja seemed more like the ZX6/10R on the headlights fairing part. That's a very cool thing in my opinion but again I really like the Baby VFR look on the CBR. Sorry but I don't have riding impressions to share. If I had the cash on hand I could test ride both otherwise just seat and touch. Now, here comes the bonus review. The Ninja ZX6R 636 was sitting there, Kawi green, ABS and traction control. It look cool and aggressive. ZX10R copied front and previous ZX6R butt. The dash looked cheap to me. The tank seemed much chunkier after seating on the Ninja 300. Leg room was within street bike contort. To me the ZX10R felt super uncomfortable for street riding. I wouldn't get a ZX10R. I wouldn't be able to stand that thing in the street for 10 minutes (or the Beemer S1000RR & Duc 1199). The 1000RR seemed to be the only street comfy literbike to me. I hope you guys enjoyed my limited review. Sorry in advance for my horrible writing.
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Thanks for the post! I am debating on getting another Cbr 250 ( repsol) or just getting a 300 ninja when they come out so that I can have something different and more 'aggressive'. Ill def put this in consideration. Thanks!
Mweah. I'm doubting about a CBR or a Ninja (isn't in store here yet); yes, the Ninja has more oomph, but it also seems to be more elaborate when it comes down to maintenance.
... The CBR seemed narrower & lighter, almost like a motorized bicycle... The sales executive said that the CBR tops out at 81MPH but it can go faster depending on the riders weight... The Ninja seemed more like a real motorcycle compared to the CBR. It felt heavier and chunkier. That's good if you are looking for something closer to a real motorcycle. The only thing that the Ninja screamed motorized bicycle was the skinny rear rubber, but again, the CBR rubber was the same thing... Sorry but I don't have riding impressions to share. If I had the cash on hand I could test ride both otherwise just seat and touch...
Just an educated guess on my part... you must be on the fence on whether to buy a CBR250R, or a Ninja 300, yes? Your approach with this thread is interesting. If I were someone trying to decide which of these two motorcycle to buy, I think I'd go to the respective forums and after reading and digesting existing threads, start a thread asking members of those forums for their actual real world riding impressions, as well as any specific questions about the two bikes. I think that it is fair to say that there are a large number of members on this forum who have many, many miles of seat time on the CBR. I'm sure the ninjette forum has some members who have miles and seat time on the 300 as well. That approach would be much more useful to yourself, and others who are looking to make a more educated buying decision with regards to these two motorcycles. Otherwise, your post here kind of comes off as "preaching to the choir", at least as far as the CBR is concerned. Honestly, a review of the bike that you are currently riding would be far more interesting to a lot of us here.
Nice write-up. I have the same 32" inseam, so that observation is helpful. At this point, I'm pleased with the CBR250R and wasn't seriously looking at the Ninja 300. The potential of a new CBR500R and, even more interesting to me, a standard 500cc from Honda, leaves everything else temporarily on the sidelines and keeps me from making any moves for a while.
Just an educated guess on my part... you must be on the fence on whether to buy a CBR250R, or a Ninja 300, yes? Your approach with this thread is interesting. If I were someone trying to decide which of these two motorcycle to buy, I think I'd go to the respective forums and after reading and digesting existing threads, start a thread asking members of those forums for their actual real world riding impressions, as well as any specific questions about the two bikes. I think that it is fair to say that there are a large number of members on this forum who have many, many miles of seat time on the CBR. I'm sure the ninjette forum has some members who have miles and seat time on the 300 as well. That approach would be much more useful to yourself, and others who are looking to make a more educated buying decision with regards to these two motorcycles. Otherwise, your post here kind of comes off as "preaching to the choir", at least as far as the CBR is concerned. Honestly, a review of the bike that you are currently riding would be far more interesting to a lot of us here.
I'll be taking a 250R to go please. According to reviews the 250R is more civilized. Ergo and suspension settings are street bias. More reasonable for the everyday commuter (Like me). Plus, you can't go wrong with a Honda. I never had a Kawasaki consequently it would be a leap of faith on my part.
Funny, I kind of "get" the reference to "motorized bicycle".
When I first got my CBR250R, it seemed big to me because I had never ridden a street bike before (just dirt bikes). But now that I'm closing in on 2000 miles in the saddle, oddly enough just last night while riding after dinner I actually had the thought, "I'm getting to such a point of comfort with this machine that I'm tossing it around like a bicycle with a little engine attached underneath."
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The cbr will top out at 100. The ninja will do 115.
Surprisingly enough, both of these bikes are "REAL" motorcycles. -_-
Hold your horses. I am only using this term figuratively. You are respectfully welcome to skip a thread when in disagreement. It wasn't written with the intention of annoying you or anyone else. Just sharing some info. No need to be jumpy. Cheers.
Dealership visit Ninja 300 vs CBR250R impression
. Beautiful bike, it has got everything.
