1. I wouldn't say you're too tall or weigh too much. I'm 6'1" and weight 175. The bike is great for me.
2. It depends. What are the intended uses? I feel like a need a bigger bike going up and down hills with two people on the bike, in a head wind doing 70 mph. 300 + pounds. Other than that, I Love it and it's plenty fast enough.
3. Slip on exhaust, full exhaust, there's K&N filters, Bazzaz fuel injection...

 

1. You are smaller than me and several of us, so no, you are not too big.

2. Depends what you mean. If you have a 'need for speed' and nothing else matters, you may get bored with it. If you're more interested in learning how to properly ride, and in having fun with the bikes strengths, then you'll never grow out of it.

3. Performance wise? None, really. Tires (eventually). After that, it's really all about looks. There isn't much to gain from 'performance mods.'

 

I'm 6'4" and 220lbs. I really think it's fine for me.

The only thing I'd warn you about is mine won't go 75mph without tucking and ducking if there is any wind at all.

 

I'm 5'10" 255lbs. So, no.

I plan on keeping the bike for a few riding seasons at the very least. The only reason I would change is if I decide I need more acceleration on the highway. I have no problem cruising at 70mph.

 

It's a lot of bike for a newbee or anyone. Plenty of room to grow. If you drop it you won't be crying all night either.

 

1. Size? - I'm 6'1"/200lbs and ride with a passenger all the time.

2. Trading "up"? - If you buy this bike intentionally, you won't grow out of it. It'll do 80mph with 2 people on it and still get 65mpg. Never seen another bike that would do that.

3. Mods? - Keep in mind this is an efficiency bike to many of us, and a beginner sport bike to move on to higher performance for others. There's nothing you can do to make this comparable to a super-sport. Most of the good mods for this bike improve handling and comfort. Many of us have bought the CBR250R after owning other bikes.

 

6' 220#. It's everything you need and it's on two wheels so you have the ability and the gods of physics permission to have fun. It's all about the corners any ways. Straight line speed is good at the flats and good for speeding tickets. It hauls me and 65# to and from work 80 through the hills with several 6 and 8% climbs some up to two miles long. Kick it down a gear or I prefer to tuck and you'll maintain 70 mph at least. It is liquid cooled but I've only heard the fan once on a 80*F day up a 10% hill with a load on keeping it at 50mph. Highway no problem. City it excels in. Fuel economy, this bike is the only one I've ever owned that I could really expect to recoup the investment in any reasonable time frame. Layout it's big enough to lay across but you'll want a tank bag to get comfortable on. Upright it was fine on my last two day trip with my large/tall tank bag. Two up riding. Mind your Ps and Qs about the weight but there are loads of positive stories coming in.


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I'm 5'11" and the scales tilt on me at 245. I haven't done any mods on, nor do I intend to at the current time. I'm still on the break in. I've got a second bike, my avatar, I really like my sidecar rig, but I've been missing the ease of riding two wheels for the three years I've had my VTX. I've got 50 years of hiking behind me and if I have my way, another 50 to go. I've gone through all kinds and displacements, from 49 cc mopeds to 108" motorcycles I've even riden big block Chevy 's on strikes. I bought this just to get back to basics.
You didn't mention your age or skill level, except that you were fairly new to biking. Have you considered taking at least a beginners course for motorcycle safety, MSF, or some other organization. Bikes are wonderful vehicles, but in uninformed hands can become fatal. 60-70% of all motorcycle fatalities are riders with one year or less riding. Not trying to scare, just that I've worked emergency rooms on three different continents and I've seen the worst that can happen and didn't like those stats. I've seen someone on another thread call these "donor" cycles. Sometimes they're not even good for that.
A good quote to listen to is "there a lot of old bikers and a lot of bold bikers, but few old, bold bikers."
Welcome to the forum, it seems to be a great bunch of international riders.
Ride safe


Doc

 

Thanks for all the replies! I expected one or two, but this is clearly one of the better and mature forums I've been a part of. I now feel more comfortable and plan to purchase a shiny new red CBR250.

@doktor, I am taking a MSF June 15th. Immediately following that I will purchase my bike (unless for some odd reason I decide I don't like it).

I am 32, and have had my class 5 for 14 years. I also own a car with a manual transmission; not the same for sure, but the same general idea.

I "had" a bike when I was 20 for a couple of months. It was a Honda CB360, but only rode it a couple of times locally on a dirt road (slowly) and had to sell it when I moved. I never had a chance to get a licence or permit.

I'm really looking forward to getting into it! It will be used to commute to work (to help justify the spending through gas savings) and for a few rides on some local winding roads.

 

Smart move, here in SC, apparently there's also an advanced motorcycle course, however, I've never done any further research on that.
When I got back from Korea and was stationed at Ft. Riley, KS, the instructor put an end to the idea that, "you can't take the MSF course on a big bike, when he ran it in real time with an Ultra Classic HD. The trick is to 1. know your bike, and 2. to quote Dirty Harry, "you've got to know your limitations."
Glad you are going the right road to start out with.


Doc

 

Man, I tell ya; if I had a nickle for every guy telling me that a 250 is too small in the past two days, I would have about 60 cents... but the point is everyone is saying that a 250 is:

-physically too small for me
-useless on the highway

One guy even said that a 600 would be too small! I mentioned the points that were raised in this thread and they call B.S.

How much of that is based on bike culture?

 

All of it.

 

dude! you're 5'11 and 205, that's pretty average for all of the US owners. My friend's dad is 6'1'' and 265 and the CBR carries him around just fine... Also I ride 2 up with my wife quite a bit now and the bike takes it like a champ. In fact it almost feels as if the bike likes the extra weight from a second person because it runs better when we ride 2 up.

At the end of the day it's your money and most importantly your decision and nobody else's. People that gave me **** about my two-fiddy now envy me because of my excellent gas mileage at 68mpg average (which is rather poor compared to most everyone on the forum)

 

They're used to older 250 cruisers that put out less HP and have lower top speeds? I can verify mid-60's MPG and 80 MPH riding 2-up on the highway. A lot of people don't wanna believe it because bike culture tells them "bigger is better". Those people need to get with the times. The game has changed.

 

5.6 on a good day 230lbs (iron rat) not to small. Some times I ride with my 7 year old daughter. Still scoots fine.

 

1) 6' 200lb, no issues on mine. Don't listen to uninformed opinions from people that are concerned with their image. The cbr will do just fine with you on it.

2) I think that probably depends entirely on what your wanting from a motorcycle. If you want to haul ass and peel wheelies then you need to look elsewhere. If your looking for something to learn on, to get great gas mileage on for commuting, or just a good all around bike that won't get you into trouble then it's a great choice.

 

Another factor is: What will your main purpose for this bike be? I really think it is sufficient for almost everything. If you plan on doing a lot of touring you might consider a bigger bike for gear and visibility and comfort. Another bike in time perhaps? That's my plan. Even then many people here will tell you that the 250 can tour with the best of them. Jury is still out on that for me.

 

1.) You're not too big for the bike, get over it.
2.) You can own more than one motorcycle in your lifetime, its not a crime.

 

HELL NO Im 5'10" 255lbs

 

Just add to what everybody else is saying here.

Me 6' 200 lbs. and I have no problems. I love my 2012 cbr250r.

That being said I will not blow by other cars at 75+mph but I dont need to, I'm to green anyway.

 

Next time they give you grief about having a 'dinky little 250' just tell them you don't need to make up for 'other' things. May as well ask if they have a Corvette while you're at it lol (no offense to Corvette owners, you probably already know the joke anyway).

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This bike is intended for anyone who wants to ride and have fun. If you are worried about what other people are going to say about your bike, get a bigger bike. i am 5"11 and weigh 260 and have no problem keeping up in los angles traffic and still getting 60-65 mpg. Have fun and be safe.

 

I have received nothing but compliments on my CBR250, from riders of all types, on all different kinds of machines. The "but people will make fun of a 250" syndrome is overblown. Maybe small groups of jackasses are like that, and if those jackasses are your friends, you probably just need new friends.

 

My work's motorcycle parking is 9/10 cruisers and most of those cruisers are big bad harley ultra classics/road kings/etc. I've got nothing but positive reactions about the 250R when I talk with them. Not that it matters one bit to me, but this perception that 250cc motorcycle riders are pussies is ridiculous.

I'm 5'11 and 240lbs and I bet I look like a gorilla riding a banana. However, not one person has talked **** to my face, and if they want to snicker behind my back, let them. lol.

 

I'm 6'2", 200 pounds, 71 years old with medical issues in my legs and I can ride the CBR for hours. I've sold larger bikes due to ergonomic/comfort issues but this bike is fine for me. I'm planning on getting it to the track soon and we'll see how that goes.

 

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and riding in general (man, this feels like an AA meeting...), and I have a couple of newbie questions:

1. I an 5'11 and 205 lbs, am I too big for this bike or should I look for something physically bigger/bigger engine.
2. Assuming I'm not too big, is this the type of bike that a person could buy and not "grow out of" too soon? (trust me, these rookie questions are making me shutter, I feel ya)
3. Finally, in a nutshell, what upgrades would you recommend to improve performance on this bike, that are "cost efficient" (i.e. K&N, etc.)

Thanks guys, and assuming you've read this whole thing without too much eye-rolling, cheers!

1. Is that 'big' to you? this is not weight watchers anonymous, only you can contol your weight.

2. Are you 16 and still growing? if so when you reach 6'4 inches maybe.

3. Rider training , rider training, and some rider tarining.

~skewers eyes with knitting needles~