[altius]

I am also going the same route as @Abhiranjan. Made a booking on 1st January. Will test drive when the bike is available and then decide!

[wanderlust]

The Honda dealerships in Bangalore have the infamous attitude. I had experienced it when I had accompanied my friend to book the Activa about 10 years ago. My friend was so pissed off that he went ahead and bought a Kinetic scooter instead.

In this case of the CBR250R, there is hardly any competition in this price category and we may as well see a revival of this attitude! They know they are selling a quality product at a price point not matched by anyone else and their attitude will match, sure will put off many prospective customers.

[sudhakarg]

HI , this is my first post out here on the forum.I start it an announcement that I have booked the CBR250R. like most of us , I do still have this Ninja 250 vs CBR250 debate still going in my head for whatever it is worth. All in all it appears that one may have to decide between a choice of twin cylinder advantage vs ABS . In the end many of us will vote for the competitive price vs package provided by Honda Technology . I guess I will make my choice when I have a test ride .

I booked it in GOA , though at the moment I am based out of Bangalore . I couriered my Cheque to the Honda Dealership in Goa and they confirmed the booking over the phone today. I must say that the dealership Goa -Rajee was quite helpful. Interestingly i have been told that the new budget may be kind to our wallets and the applicable import duties are expected to reduce!

[-NUT-case]

At last a real quarter liter at a price point which it deserves. A big to honda.

A couple of video links that might interest you guys.

YouTube - Walkaround of the new 2011 Honda CBR250R

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWELSA-596w&feature=related

and a review

2011 Honda CBR250R: MD First Ride, Part 2 « MotorcycleDaily.com – Motorcycle News, Editorials, Product Reviews and Bike Reviews

I think i have to say that the Ninja 250rR is the better bike but the big question is ,
is it really Rs 1.2 Lakhs better that the CBR 250R .

[zaks]

wow, for one who is watching the hinds 250 release I am already late! I want to book it asap but is abs really a must for this bike? because this costs a good 30k extra here.

and any idea what the otr prce will be ?

[JVH]

Originally Posted by zaks

and any idea what the otr prce will be ?

The price along with the colours is a mystery right now. The tentative pricing is 1.5L ex-showroom for Non-ABS and 1.8L for C-ABS in which case, Bangalore on-road price can be around 1.8L and 2.1L. The coming month might reveal some concrete info.

Yes, me thinks, ABS is a must.

[v.anand]

^^ I don't think ABS version is worth the premium it commands, unlike ABS in cars. ABS technology in bikes are not as developed as in cars and if its somewhat like the dual braking systems in the current honda scooters I will honestly stay away. I agree I am merely speculating because I have never ridden a bike with ABS but feel it takes out that fun and skill element out of riding along with adding a relatively big premium of 30k to the base price.

I am completely smitten by this bike though, but want to test ride it before trading it for my Karizma. Biking scene in India is at its exciting best with a slew of 250cc's along with Harley Super low and Iron getting launched at realistic prices. Harley test rides are supposed to start from Feb and I have subscribed to take one.

[JVH]

I haven't tried a ABS equipped bike either but know a very good friend who has a Blade C-ABS and swears by it. My logic is quite simple. The C-ABS on road price is icing for a 250cc segment whose closest and only competitor is priced atleast 1L more. The 30K extra premium per se might be on the higher side, agreed, but as a total package it becomes still attractive, No? And why not invest the remaining 1L on the riding gear

Here's some literature on the Honda's ABS
http://www.moto123.com/motorcycle-ne...y?artid=106055

One major grouse from Blade owners is that it eats away battery life glorily. There is nothing much on the 250R C-ABS though for obvious reasons.

[zaks]

That's what I am arriving at- If we are not ripping the bike on highways or city streets then we probably don't need the expensive C-ABS. More over the bike comes with both front and back disc brakes which is extra braking for us all who are used to single disc brakes.

I am not arguing that c-abs is not useful but that it is an expensive option which is not mandatory for Indian conditions and it adds extra weight too which is not desirable in an already heavy bike. We are all used to riding bikes without abs and we can continue in that line unless we want to road test this bikes brakes for stopping power. And 30k for me is a really high cost for this add-on.

[gthang]

Originally Posted by zaks

More over the bike comes with both front and back disc brakes which is extra braking for us all who are used to single disc brakes.

Actually, this might be a compelling reason to opt for C-ABS, since it has ABS as well as front/back brake distribution. For someone not used to back discs, there might be tendency to lock up and/or not distribute as required.

Cannot comment on price, though. 30k is a bit steep, but I guess it has some high tech gizmos in it.

Ride Safe.

[freewheelburnin]

Kudos to Honda for bringing a good bike @ a decent price.The pricing looks very close to the international pricing and appreciate Honda for that.Will this spawn a new era for indian motorcycling?Lets wait and watch!

[zaks]

The attached pdf shows a nice comparison of stopping distance with and without ABS done by the US dept of transportation.

Here they have used bikes from 650CC to 1350CC. Taking the 650CC test, the observation is that the ABS/CABS improved stopping distance by 5%-7% on dry road and 5%-10% on wet road. Note that the comparison took only the best stopping distance in non-abs mode so for the average rider the improvements with ABS would be even more than the above figures.

Finally the conclusion is that the merit in ABS lies in the consistency in stopping distance in all conditions irrespective of rider experience.

But my question remains, if the gains were 5%-7% for 650CC itself, do we really need it for 250CC?

[EssYouWe]

ABS isn't implemented to improve stopping distances. In fact, it would probably increase the distance if traction is maintained.
ABS allows you to stay in control of the bike if it starts skidding. You will be able to turn and maneuver the bike if it starts skidding. Which is something that happens so often on motorcycles.

I feel that it is a great safety feature. Frankly, as of now it seems to put the CBR out of my reach. But if anyone can stretch this far, your life holds way more value than 30,000 bucks.
One thing I stay concerned about is how intrusive the ABS will be. Hope the pulsations don't cause imbalance.

As far as the weight is concerned, it seems like a light bike. Another kilo or two, wouldn't really make much of a difference if the weight is distributed properly. It shouldn't cause the bike to be front heavy.

Cheers.

[mb_jg]

Agree, it doesn't matter how seasoned a rider you are, extra protection in any sort is always good, considering the speeds one hits every now & then.
I remember hitting 140-150kmph on my CB400 & it's piss in the pants fun, but literal :o) when a dog or person suddenly darts across the road. Having disc brakes in the front & rear does help, but ABS would be more sure.

[_raVan_]

Another video of its firing.

YouTube - Sound of CBR250R PGM Fi.mp4