[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by ajnagpur

How do you think CBR250R will do as a tourer? is the riding position just a matter of getting used to?

Although I am yet to test ride one, going by this pic, I do not think the riding posture is ideal for touring! I might be wrong though.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Although I am yet to test ride one, going by this pic, I do not think the riding posture is ideal for touring! I might be wrong though.

That is the main concern I have as I intend to use the bike for long rides. Has anyone tried the bike on long rides to give feedback?

[mantrig]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Mantrig,

you may wish to head over to motoroids to check with doc arn on these questions. He is as detail oriented as you and would suggest some ideas - being a mumbaikar himself.

Though, unlike you - his bike has already done 4000km in the 1st month

He's already having some spares problem with his bike and it looks like Honda didn't expect any bikes to be put down with decent mileage!!

Thanks Phamilyman,

I found the write up by the guy you mentioned above. I will soon be connecting with him to get inputs from him.

Also, the A.S.S. is proving to be disastrous owing to the unavailability of spares.

I got my 1st service done yesterday and those guys have re-used the earlier oil filter as they have not yet received any yet. They will give me call in a weeks time to go again to get the filter replaced.

The washing done by those guys has not even been close to what one would expect, with the grime and dirt still existing at may places. Chain has not been lubed properly and has signs of major rusting. Also, some bolts have already rusted and they do not have any spares at all for the bike.

The guys at service center folks are more than willing to help, however seem to be helpless. They do not even have a race-stand to service the bike and have to source one yet.

After sales support of this bike needs a LOT more improvement. This is not what one expects from Honda and with my previous experience I can say that RE does a much better job on this front.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Although I am yet to test ride one, going by this pic, I do not think the riding posture is ideal for touring! I might be wrong though.

I should be doing a long ride soon, however I have done a ride close to 200kms (round trip) and the bike was not uncomfortable. Still, I would like to do a longer trip (250kms one way) to understand how comfortable the machine actually is. I did 650kms one way a in Nov'10 on my CL350 in 12 hours and that was super comfortable.

Monsoons are keeping me off the inter-states for now, as keeping her clean in this season is a hurricane task.

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

That is the main concern I have as I intend to use the bike for long rides. Has anyone tried the bike on long rides to give feedback?

The bike is comfortable for 100kms runs, is my observation for now. Anything beyond that, I am not very sure and with some more miles on the odo I will be able to comment.

One thing for sure, I find it very comfortable when riding alone or a guy friend who sits upright behind. However with my fiancee behind things are a little difficult as she lets herself lean on my back as she finds it very comfortable and its does leave me with paining wrists for sometimes. For her comfort, I choose to keep silent but this is one thing which you may want to keep in mind.

[SajiNSalin]

Does the ABS version which costs 30K more, makes a difference for road use in India? What about the lube frequency of the exposed chain. Are there issues with crud and other particles jamming the chain?

[ajnagpur]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Although I am yet to test ride one, going by this pic, I do not think the riding posture is ideal for touring! I might be wrong though.

Thanks mate. yes I tested it. Not good for long distance & one more thing that came to my mind is I cant do offroading on it.

So finally booked classic 500 keeping all the practical aspects in mind. Back to Bull.

Though I still love cbr but I ride bike only on weekends & that too only on highway.

[EssYouWe]

Originally Posted by ajnagpur

one more thing that came to my mind is I cant do offroading on it.

Umm.. Why do you feel the Classic is better for this (given its weight, the torque not withstanding)

[ajnagpur]

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

Umm.. Why do you feel the Classic is better for this (given its weight, the torque not withstanding)

I ve been doing offroading on my tbts all these days so classic 500 will anytime do well with almost double the torque.

The main reason for using bullet is when u fall on a hill climb you have nothing much to lose.... Leg guard saves damages mostly. In case of cbr the fairing will b damaged.

[EssYouWe]

Do you feel that you will be less likely to take a tumble on a lighter bike?

Agree with your point about pocket hits on fairings and all the plastic.

PS: Buy a 2-stroke, mod it for the purpose and knock yourself crazy!

[mantrig]

Source:- cbr250.org

Attached is owners manual of CBR250 (Malaysia) which I came across while browsing through one of the forums of cbr250.org and uploading the same as I thought it might be helpful and don't think much is different in our bikes as compared to the international model.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

----------snip------------

2. Touring - Are there enough places to fit saddle-bags safely for long rides? I didn't notice this when I saw the bike up close. Think I can fit the Cramster Colt saddle bags?

5. Speed - I can wait for this one. Let me know once you guys get the Throttle Wide Open!

----------snip------------

Mantrig and other proud owners of the CBR 250R, can you provide answers for these questions? I am on the edge of booking this machine!

[mantrig]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Mantrig and other proud owners of the CBR 250R, can you provide answers for these questions? I am on the edge of booking this machine!

Hello Naveen,

Just to answer your questions :-

Luggage/Saddle Bags :- I don't think Cramster's Colt would go well with CBR 250R. Though I haven't tried them, the reason I say this is only because their website claims that Colt is not suitable for Yamaha Fazer/FZ16. Source:- Cramster® - India's Favourite Riding Gear and Motorcycle Luggage: Saddlebags Tankbags Jackets Gloves for Touring Racing Motocross on Royal Enfield Pulsar Bajaj Karizma

I will call their customer support over the next couple of days and update you accordingly. However, I feel Turtle should be a good bet or any other tank bag. I personally am not much in the favor of tank bags as they end up scratching the paint if any granules are caught between the magnet and the tank. However, if used with a layer of soft cloth between the tank and bag they are way better.

Also, we can go ahead by tying luggage using some bungee cords but that makes it a solo rider. The pillion seat will be utilized in the process. One more option that I came across in some forum was a rear rack. Pics below for reference :-







Speed :- Speed is something which I feel is subjective and different for all. The bike is very responsive and guns off the mark much faster than many bikes out there. And, I say many bikes out there is only because CBR 250R is marginally better than ZMR, P220 or R15. And again, things depend a lot on the riding styles. If you are determined to shoot off, you will always be way ahead of others unless you have a equally determined rider next to you on a Baby Ninja.

As far as touring goes, the bike effortlessly cruises at 105-110 kmph @ RPM of 6.5K with a pillion and that's where her sweet spot lies. Yesterday, I went for a 200km ride with my fiancee and none of us faced any discomfort. The max we touched was 115kmph and that was with the RPM @ 6.5 to 6.7K.






Riding through the hills was never a problem, nor was little bit of off-roading that I did.

Especially, the incline (45%) where normally other bikes have often struggled even with a solo rider forget with a pillion this bike climbed up gracefully with both of us aboard. The only other bike to have done that so easily was my last ride (CL 350). And I admired the fact, that despite of a slippery surface the bike was rock solid and there was not a single moment where I lacked the confidence while going uphill. My worry was going down hill, as it had rained quite a lot since we got home. But even that never seemed to be a problem and the tyres did their job pretty well.







At the end of everything, I came home with dirt smudged on my face and bike completely messy but was a happy soul.

Do I regret my decision?
No, I don't. I feel this bike lived up to my expectations and is serving very well the purpose I had for her in mind. She is a mile muncher, helps me get to places way faster than I did earlier and does provide the comfort I expect from a bike much different from a bull I rode earlier which was highly generous when it came to comfort.

And yes, she does not burn a big hole in my pockets either - 34kmpl+ at speeds around or above 90kmph on highways is great. Again, thats what I feel about my decision as I didn't expect her to perform like the Baby Ninja as she ain't one. For the money I have spent, I have got myself the best it could buy.

Some more pics from the day to enjoy.

[akshay4587]

Cramsters Colt,fits the CBR perfectly,tried it yesterday,and its a perfect fit.
Went on a 400Km ride with one this weekend,and this is how the luggage was mounted,and the guy tried my cramster's and is going to order his soon
And yes,we had another Ceeber with us,which was past its running in,and it was gunned to the max,and it managed 146 with a tank bag,and it felt good for another 8-10km\hr,as the rider was not able to crouch properly.
and,since i was riding a Zma,it is considerably faster than the current crop of indian bikes,and i literally had to rip the **** out of my zma,to keep up with it.
On bad roads it would be a different story though.

[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by mantrig

Do I regret my decision?
No, I don't. I feel this bike lived up to my expectations and is serving very well the purpose I had for her in mind. She is a mile muncher, helps me get to places way faster than I did earlier and does provide the comfort I expect from a bike much different from a bull I rode earlier which was highly generous when it came to comfort.

And yes, she does not burn a big hole in my pockets either - 34kmpl+ at speeds around or above 90kmph on highways is great. Again, thats what I feel about my decision as I didn't expect her to perform like the Baby Ninja as she ain't one. For the money I have spent, I have got myself the best it could buy.

That was a really motivating and crisp review. The pics are tempting me for a ride as soon as I get my two wheeled devil.
- It was the Goa highway right ? Where did you go - Kolad ?
- Did the bike hold well in windy conditions ?

Also have heard about nut-bolts rusting within 48 hours of delivery for somer guys - whats your status on using the bike in monsoons ? Any special tips or suggestions that you have used to keep it clean and rust free ?

p.s: I remember writing to you about my confusion between Quarter litre Ninja's & CBR's - well I am not confused anymore

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by mantrig

As far as touring goes, the bike effortlessly cruises at 105-110 kmph @ RPM of 6.5K with a pillion and that's where her sweet spot lies.

At the end of everything, I came home with dirt smudged on my face and bike completely messy but was a happy soul.

Sweet! Thanks for the crisp answers mate.

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Cramsters Colt,fits the CBR perfectly,tried it yesterday,and its a perfect fit.

And yes,we had another Ceeber with us,which was past its running in,and it was gunned to the max,and it managed 146 with a tank bag,and it felt good for another 8-10km\hr,as the rider was not able to crouch properly.

Thanks for clearing that up, Akshay. Now to go ahead and book me one!!

[PatienceWins]

Mantrig, thanks for sharing the experience. I think I have made the right choice.

I have an unused Cramster Stallion bag which I bought at the end of last year. I should have gone for Cramster Colt.