[Rory_L]

. . . now that I've got your attention, I'll explain myself.When I chose the cbr250r and made the commitment to buy, I wasn't really in the market for a sport bike. I might have just bought a bigger scooter. There was other logic in play.

I had come to the conclusion that as fun as the metro was to ride around town at some point I would ride myself into a situation that I couldn't ride out of. I needed something with a higher top speed and acceleration. All the new scooters (at least the ones that are any good) are pricey. Some casual research brought me to the conclusion that if I wanted to keep riding and do it more safely and economically a motorcycle might be a better ride. Well, OK, nobody had to twist my arm to switch to riding motorcycles. Bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, I love riding them all.
Since I've ridden many motorcycles but never owned my own I had to give this some thought; this is the first that I have owned if you don't count the rusting hulk of a 400cc Suzuki dirt bike that I bought to make a chopper when I was 17 years old (another story, another time). I'm really just getting back to it so hopping on a 600cc bike is probably not a good idea. That's how I stumbled across this Honda. I was already riding Honda and like their products. They had other scooters but again, the price and the engine size (though I would have gone for a "Super"-Metro if they put this 250cc fuel-injected engine in it; that would be a great scooter). Other small motorcycle offerings were not numerous at least for street bikes. I didn't care for the looks or seat height of the dual-sport style bikes and I have nothing against cruisers (but am not their biggest fan). There are not a lot of what used to be called a 'standard' motorcycle anymore probably because they all suffer from sportbike styling and engineering.

Anyway, the thing I noticed about many of the reviews and comparisons that put CBR250r against Ninja 250 or the Hyosung was the statement a lot of the reviewers were making about CBR250R '...not being a REAL sport bike'. Hmmm, It kinda looks like one to me . . . and they do race them. I saw this often enough that I think one of them said it and the rest started parroting (No, my journalists wouldn't do that . . . they read every word of the boohk and watch every minute of the movie).

I think it's a sport bike . . a small one but still a sport bike. It suits me just fine. But I'll put it to the panel. Is CBR250R a real sport bike?

 

[MrShadow]

I think it's a "Frankenstein" - a bit of everything. But unlike the old saying "jack of all trades, master of none", this bike is a master of fun.Man that sounds soo freakin cheesy.

 

[miltonch76]

It is called CBR, but it does look like a VFR. It has neither the agressive position of bigger CBRs nor the cruise confort of VFR. It's just a great conmuter bike with some "value added" features like ABS, EFI and so on. An autentic all-arounder.

 

[putoff]

It's a sport-standard.

 

[Wynne G Oldman]

I think of it as a sports commuter. There is no way that the CBR is a pure sports bike. This is a good thing for me, because I knew exactly what it was like before I bought mine. Let me explain. Most pure sports bikes are uncomfortable over long distance, are a PITA to ride in traffic, and are not very economical. The CBR is a good mix of economy, great handling on real roads, comfort and the engine, though not what you'd call sporty, is very good. It's got a good spread of useable power, that makes it a pleasure to ride on real roads, unlike a pure sports bike, which is usually gutless low down in the rev range, but much quicker at the top of the rev range. I'm very happy with mine, because it does all I want it to, is great fun to ride, and very economical.

 

[shisoshin]

when the journo says 'not a sports bike'
the comparisons are with other bikes designed
and made within certain power to weight ratios
braking capacities, suspension and so on,
more similar to a racing motorcycle..
high power at high revs etc etc..

hondas would be termed 'RR'..
on the other hand, this honda shares
such as clipon bars, single seat design,
a sports style fairing, with sufficient
power to weight, gearing, tire size,
weight etc to be considered 'sport'
style, even tho built to a high
enough standard and design
it is nevertheless also targetted
towards novice riders, commuters
and others capable of recognising
a very nice lightweight, well balanced
tight motorcycle with ergonomics
suggestive of a sporting riding
style yet with high fuel economy
and so on [such as me, a re-entry
motorcyclist raised on hondas]..

also, as this excellent forum shows,
many cbr250r owners upgrade their
bikes when tires need changing,
perhaps suspension and so on..

[i just installed yoshimura rear set
step plates to slighly raise and move
rearward the footpegs, and replaced
the stock beep beep horn with
another more like a buick]
so this bike like typical road hondas
can be upgraded and modified
to suit you, and your pocket..
unlike recognised high end sports
bikes where the bike comes with
all the costly bits and pieces..

as to your attitude and past bikes etc,
without doubt you will enjoy this
great little honda motorcycle..
it destroys traffic [safety feature]
handles confidently and well
within its design parameters..
has long service intevals,
top fuel economy, easy on
tires, chains, yet can be
and is described as "fun"
by many owners...

its wheel diameter [compared to
scooters] is large enough to go
over instead of into, potholes..

to me just sitting on it
feels like preparing to ride,
rather than like, just go somewhere..
i ride mine 2 - 4 times per day in
more or less suburban commute type
situations, with some nice roads,
and look forward to it
every time...

so a words a word, but 'sport'
as a descriptor seem appropriate
and relevant to this contented
cbr250r owner

 

[ecustu7]

Its a smaller buzzier VFR and I thinks its great. To me the best thing is the weight. Even with my low weight I can throw it around, whereas the sportster I had, I could lean all the way over and it still wanted to stay upright.

 

[woolf]

I think is just plan FUN CALL it a motorcycle ride it and have a great time on it WELCOME to the world of the CBR250R

 

[Rory_L]

Thanks, all! I am enjoying this motorcycle(and hearing everyone's opinions). It is everything everyone has said so far. Another reason forselecting this bike was I wanted something that I wouldn't outgrow any time soon. Yeah, there will be upgrades (like sliders and spools) but probably nothing engine/exhaust until the warranty runs out.

I saw that Suzuki has a 250 single standard styled motorcycle (heard it just passed CARB so it may even be available in California soon) but too late for me, I'm riding Honda now (but I will go and take a look at it when they get it in the shops).

 

[Asako]

As Morpheus said, "what is 'real'?"

 

[CBR250R ABS]

The CBR250R is a Lightweight or Entry-Level Sport Bike designed to appeal to riders seeking less extreme performance features and a more relaxing riding position. Other machines in this same category are the Ninja 250R, the Ninja 300, the Hyosung 250R, and the new CB 500 class. It is everybit a Sportbike and can be raced in any 250cc 4-stroke class in WERA or CMRA events.
The Honda F4i fills a similar niche in the Middleweight category.
The single R moniker at the end stands for RACE
The double RR moniker at the end of the inline 4cyl CBR250RR of the nineties stands for RACE REPLICA and graces machines offering the most extreme levels of performance commercially available to the public and offering the latest race technology updated with frequent design revisions.
Not all Sport Bikes are Race Replicas.

 

[Tyrian]

Is it an UJM or a sport bike? Hmmm,

.

 

[MrShadow]

Nice to see you have those crappy ads as well... "Why don't we have both?" "Why don't I punch you in the jeans?"

 

[lewiCBR250R]

Nice to see you have those crappy ads as well... "Why don't we have both?" "Why don't I punch you in the jeans?"

don't chop the dinosaur daddy!

 

[lewiCBR250R]

in response to the question, i undrstand what the reviewers say. It is marketed as a sports bike and is even under the "supersports" category on the honda website in Australia for some weird reason. But the cbr is not really a real sportbike. It has sporty fairings and clip on handlebars although the bars are pretty high and apart from the fairings, the engine doesn't resemble a sportbike, more like a dirt bike motor in a sportbike looking package.

It's considered a commuter or sports commuter like someone mentioned because they are designed primarily for commuting and riding around on the road in comparison to a 600cc supersport which is a race bike with lights. so i will say sports commuter but not really a sports bike in comparison to the older cbr250rr's which were an inline 4 cylinder engine which revved out to 20k rpm

 

[Empty Sea]

When I started my search for bikes, I was informed that there were basically three "classes" of sport bike: lightweight, middleweight, and super bike. I don't know a lot about the history of these things yet, but it seems to me that the CBR250r would fall into the lightweight sport bike category. No one ever i encountered ever called any of the bikes I looked at a commuter bike, but they did refer to some bikes as being better for commuting than others. It's all semantics, really.

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet

 

[6fOOt6]

Sport/standard I feel is the best way to describe this bike.

 

[epic250]

I think its what you make it. With all the work done to mine its a lot easier to say its a sport bike now.. A small sport bike but a sport bike none the less..

When it comes off the show room floor, I'd say its more of a blank slate as it does many thing well but not much great until you start modifying it.. Commuter, sport tour, sport bike, stunt bike, sport commuter.. It can do it all , you just have to make it your own.

 

[Lee15k]

Swiss Army Knife

My classification .....swiss army knife. I have read of numerous posts from riders trying to point how the CBR250 is actually fast, can race etc. I say call it like it is. Any honest 250 rider knows that when you are going 80mph your tach is at 8,500 rpm and if you attempt to quickly pass a cager then it simply won't happen. You need a wind at your back and about a 1/2 mile of real estate to go from 80mph to north of 87mph. So don't try and tell me that it is a sport bike. I like to instead simply focus/enjoy on what the lil 250 does. I can commute 50 miles per day with this fantastic machine and have a smile for every mile while getting 70mpg. I does this not babying the 250 the least bit but making it work and get me to work in a timely fashion. I have no buyer's remorse with this machine. The $20/month in insurance is easily justified by the monthly fuel savings vs. driving my truck which gets ~ 15mpg. I have also used the 250 to haul my 13 year old to soccer games, errands, etc. While I am not ready to perform a cross country trip w/ two on this lil machine, I have had no problem at all performing local trips/errands with 2 up riding (Note - The passenger belt/handles from Outlaw Racing ($25) are very helpful)). Like I said... I use it as a commuter and drive it rain or shine. Have driven it in pounding down rain and haven't had any issues. There are safety concerns with the 250 when it comes to 25mph+ crosswinds. Not saying it can't be safely done but one needs to be knowledgable about how to handle those situations (e.g. leaning, no death grip on handlebars, knees tight against tank, etc.). The 250 is a blast to ride. With this cycle, I feel like I can make any turn on a dime, I just think about leaning and I am leaning. Finally... I don't know quite what it is but every time I get on the 250 I feel like I could drive it all the way across the USA. A writer from Canada described this as the "Honda Effect". The machine is built well and performs in excess of my expectations. I place a high value on what I am able to accomplish on this machine and still get 70mpg. My wife has started learning to ride using the 250 and the next one in line to learn is the oldest boy. Bottom line - this cycle is staying in the family! I will service/maintain it to reasonable standards and hope that I can get at least 135,000-150,000 miles out of it. It's already in the 10,000 mile club and I like it better without the rear OEM tire. The Bridgestone Battlax that I replaced it with has a great deep tread and grips real good. Crazy idea department - I am considering modification of the motorcycle trailer (trailer that a motorcycle can pull) that Harbor Freight has. Its a lightweight trailer w/ 12" wheels that runs about $300. Its not something I would use beyond local trips but I would really dig being able to use the 250 to haul a trailer to help me accomplish errands and such. If I perform the project and 250 is able to haul it in a safe manner I will certainly communicate that on this forum.

 

[pete_falcone]

Its a standard with sporting pretensions. A true small sportbike would be an NS250, RS125, RS250, ZX2R....