Honda CBR250R.

[7point62fmj]

Originally Posted by Navin

Somebody has to keep the penny pinchers in line, you'd think this was a KLR thread!

I think you might have kept a 300 if you had tried that. The power difference is enough to qualify the Kawi as a "real" motorcycle, where the old Ninja 250/CBR are fine, "for a 250", if ya know what I mean. Fun to ride but not really enough steam to make it an all arounder, every day, every purpose street bike.

shhh..
In the interest of civility don’t tell anyone I did this.
http://www.cbr250.net/forum/cbr250-parts-accessories/5720-my-long-distance-gear-review.html

Also for heaven sakes don’t click on this.
http://www.cbr250.net/forum/ride-reports/1721-artic-circle-journey-usa-southeast-midwestern-states.html

I have heated grips now and I drive to about 28ish degrees as long as it is dry. My average drive time is about an hour and a half round trip to work and back total. I live an hour from Omaha and use it for anything I need there that I can pick up and fit in the bags/ back pack or on the rack. I have daughters I plan to be taking camping this year on the bike as well as they already ride pillion with me on the losses hills scenic bypass.
As someone who is still pretty new with motorcycles I have to say that I am blissfully unaware on what I should not be doing with this bike.

[Navin]

7point, that's great. I'm glad it ticks all the right boxes for you. Tell me, how much LESS power could you live with in the CBR250?

I've had a few Ninja 250s, a bunch of Honda MB5s, a DT50LC, a few 100-175cc 2t dualsports and have ridden them like yourself. A 25ish HP bike, or less, is great fun. I just don't find it quite up to the task of an every day, every ride, ony bike kinda bike. I find that power bracket fine as a spare bike. Right around 40 HP seems to bring it right into a full time slot, more power than you actually need just about all the time, but not so much you can't actually use all of it often. My RD400 and EX500 were like that too. Just a little too much, not like hey, that's just too much!

[scooterspirit]

That cbr500 looks like a snoozer to me. But you get the same mileage on the kawi300. Mine's paid for, I'm cheap, I'm keeping the one I got.

I remember when larry was here, that was the height of 250 culture, a 170 mile commute. Now he rides a gold wing, ah well...

[scootrboi]

Originally Posted by 7point62fmj

shhh..
In the interest of civility don’t tell anyone I did this.
http://www.cbr250.net/forum/cbr250-parts-accessories/5720-my-long-distance-gear-review.html

Also for heaven sakes don’t click on this.
http://www.cbr250.net/forum/ride-reports/1721-artic-circle-journey-usa-southeast-midwestern-states.html

I have heated grips now and I drive to about 28ish degrees as long as it is dry. My average drive time is about an hour and a half round trip to work and back total. I live an hour from Omaha and use it for anything I need there that I can pick up and fit in the bags/ back pack or on the rack. I have daughters I plan to be taking camping this year on the bike as well as they already ride pillion with me on the losses hills scenic bypass.
As someone who is still pretty new with motorcycles I have to say that I am blissfully unaware on what I should not be doing with this bike.

You can get away with cold weather driving for a long time. But ice is terrible stuff when it gets you. Sometimes it works too fast for anyone's reflexes. Sometimes it doesn't even look like ice. And the cold makes coping with any difficulties far more difficult. A bike with a short wheelbase and average center of mass can go down like a mousetrap.

[7point62fmj]

Originally Posted by Navin

7point, that's great. I'm glad it ticks all the right boxes for you. Tell me, how much LESS power could you live with in the CBR250?

I dont know but I know a guy who has done more with a cbr125 then most larger biker owners I know of or even I could ever hope to do but to answer your question, I guess it would all depend on how much more riding skills would I have to aquaire to make a smaller HP bike move well, in lieu of just being able to make up those deficiency by twisting the wrist.
It does not check all the boxes for me, I mean lets be honest how many of us only want just one bike.
On the other there is more torque on the cbr through ALL of its own entire RPM band then with the ninja 250 (not much) so dont beat on the HP drum too much. This is important when it comes to the need to shift and rev while driving in the city or at sub 70mph speeds.

[7point62fmj]

Originally Posted by scootrboi

You can get away with cold weather driving for a long time. But ice is terrible stuff when it gets you. Sometimes it works too fast for anyone's reflexes. Sometimes it doesn't even look like ice. And the cold makes coping with any difficulties far more difficult. A bike with a short wheelbase and average center of mass can go down like a mousetrap.

Yep ice is the only thing I hate more then heavy fog. I have had to drive home with sleet pinging off my wind screen..not fun.
I enjoy driving in the light to moderit rain but I live kind of out in the boonies so I dont have to mess with cars throwing crap on me.

[Navin]

Originally Posted by 7point62fmj

I dont know but I know a guy who has done more with a cbr125 then most larger biker owners I know of or even I could ever hope to do but to answer your question, I guess it would all depend on how much more riding skills would I have to aquaire to make a smaller HP bike move well, in lieu of just being able to make up those deficiency by twisting the wrist.
It does not check all the boxes for me, I mean lets be honest how many of us only want just one bike.
On the other there is more torque on the cbr through ALL of its own entire RPM band then with the ninja 250 (not much) so dont beat on the HP drum too much. This is important when it comes to the need to shift and rev while driving in the city or at sub 70mph speeds.

I wasn't specifically talking HP, just power in general. I'm a Ninja 300 rider right now. It, IMO, breaks thru the "too little power" line to be a viable all arounder. I've had the Ninja 250s too, they couldn't pull that same duty for me. Like I said before about the CBR, great, for a 250. Long history with tiddlers myself, there are some things skill cannot overcome though.

[LoJack]

28 degrees, eh? I gotta finish wiring my heated grips then. I was struggling with the cold at 35 degrees. 100 miles round trip through farm country, I was getting cold even using my gerbings jacket by September last year and had to switch to four wheels sometime in October.

Considering our highs are still in the 30's at best with a few feet of snow, I have a little time to finish it up yet. Can't freaking wait.

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by scooterspirit

I remember when larry was here, that was the height of 250 culture, a 170 mile commute. Now he rides a gold wing, ah well...

Sorry.


Sat on it for a month to see if the 'wing could handle it.

It can.


The 250 is in the flea market:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...2#post21025432

[larryboy]

Well, I looked around and I'm finding new '12 models for $3700. It seems my $3450 is too high. It has the most miles of any CBR250R is the USA, so I gave it the lowest price of any...$2850.

What do you guys think?

Any lower than that and I may as well keep it for a spare.

[Navin]

Originally Posted by larryboy

Well, I looked around and I'm finding new '12 models for $3700. It seems my $3450 is too high. It has the most miles of any CBR250R is the USA, so I gave it the lowest price of any...$2850.

What do you guys think?

Any lower than that and I may as well keep it for a spare.

Want me to talk to a guy about building a 300-350 kit out of it?

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by Navin

Want me to talk to a guy about building a 300-350 kit out of it?

No, I have an RZ350 engine sitting here.

[Navin]

Originally Posted by larryboy

No, I have an RZ350 engine sitting here.

That engine deserves better & you know it.

[Reconstructed]

Originally Posted by larryboy

Well, I looked around and I'm finding new '12 models for $3700. It seems my $3450 is too high. It has the most miles of any CBR250R is the USA, so I gave it the lowest price of any...$2850.

What do you guys think?

Any lower than that and I may as well keep it for a spare.

My two cents worth, I am thinking seriously about picking up a used 11 model with 2800 miles for $2700. That is from the local stealership. You have ten times the mileage, and are asking quite a bit more. I would never consider buying a bike that has around thirty thousand miles when for another six or seven hundred I can get a new one.

I would either drop the price to $2500 tops, or keep it.

Just sayin.

BTW, your input, as well as the input of others in this thread have heavily influenced my decision to pick up one of these in the near future.

Edit: ok, maybe not ten times the mileage, but 23,000 is a lot more than the one I am looking at.

[NateLePain]

Saw this today at my local Honda dealer and it is absolutely a great looking 250. Just awesome.

nlp