My name is Ram Varma and I am going to share my ownership report of my Honda CBR250R. This report starts from the very first time I heard about the bike till today. It all started when the news about a 250cc mill from Honda came out. I was keen on it as I was not really satisfied with the service offered by Bajaj for the 220. The P220 was absolutely fine but only till the first couple of months, then started rattling sounds from the fairing and other plastic parts, followed by mis-fires and mental torture. The service advisors and mechanics don’t look at problems from a biker’s point of view. All they ever wanted was to get done with a problem for time being. Never did they try to fix a problem permanently.
Jan-6-2011 – It was the day when I got an email from a blog saying the CBR’s bookings are open starting today, I rushed to the showroom in my pajamas not to waste any time and to make sure that I get the first bike, But found that mine is the second booking, Never mind, I’m getting it in the first lot atleast. The wait started and kept on going as the launch date was not officially announced. I kept calling the showroom to check if the launch date is fixed but only in vain. Finally after 5 months of waiting, got to know the launch date and it was the happiest moment of my life.
April-24-2011 – The first lot of bikes have arrived to the showroom, I rush to the showroom to have a glance of my Baby blade but my hard luck played its game. The first lot did not have any black ABS in it. There was not even a single Black ABS sent out to any showroom in the first lot for that matter. Mine being the second one in line, I had no hopes of getting the bike in May either.
May-14-2011 – I came home late from work the other day and slept late, I get a call from the dealer early in the morning, I with hatred answer the call to scold him for calling at that hour to talk about finance and thing (I was assuming it to be a finance related call).
Sales Rep : Good morning sir.
Me : Morning, What is it now?
Rep : We received a second lot today and it had one Black CBR ABS in it.
Me : Mine is the second one in queue, isn’t it?
Rep : Yes sir, But the first one who booked isn’t ready with the finance thing, so wanted to check if you would be interested in taking it.
Me : Are you serious?
Rep : Yes sir.
Me : Don’t start the PDI unless I reach the place, start the billing process and other formalities. I’m on my way to the showroom. I don’t want any ifs and buts after I reach the showroom. OK?
Rep : Sure sir. I’ll be waiting for your arrival.
Me : I’ll be there in 15 minutes.
It took some good 30 minutes for me to assemble cash from different ATMs as the delivery was completely unplanned. Reached the showroom in 30 minutes and started the PDI. A person from HMSI was doing PDI on that day. There was only one Black CBR so hoped that it isn’t faulty. Did a thorough PDI. Checked every possible thing. Refused to get the so called ‘Teflon’ and headed over to the billing and other process. Insurance system server was down that day. T/R was not done yet but I was no way going to leave the showroom without the bike. After an hour, left the place with the bike and invoice. The rep said the papers would be ready by 7 tomorrow and I can collect them any time tomorrow. I was fine with it.
First impression - The bike was smooth, but not as smooth as a Honda should be. I was expecting the smoothness to improve after some miles on the odo. Throttle response was great, fuel economy was superb at 30+ kmpl for a 250cc motor. Braking was fabulous. The gear and brake pedals position was something which took some time to get used to. Clocked 180 kms on day one. Bunked office that day and kept riding to places all over Hyderabad. There was too much of heat being generated by the engine as it was brand new. I was fine with it.
Riding experience - First gear is something which you will not like to keep it in. It’s not a traffic friendly bike. Apart from the first gear, all other gears are rider friendly. It’s a pleasure to ride the CBR on highways. It has ample amount of power to cruise at 120-130 kmph for hours together. It can overtake with ease with just a twist of throttle above 100 in 6th gear. Never did I feel that it’s underpowered. The riding position is also something you will get used to. Initially I felt some pain on my wrist but very soon things changed. Handling was another aspect which will make you feel good on the bike. It is not in the league of the R15’s handling but it’s far better when you talk about a sports touring bike. It can eat corners like a pro (depends on the rider too).
400 kms on the odo and it was time for an oil change (MotoMan’s way of breaking in, read about it here). Honda guys didn’t have oil filters in stock anywhere in AP so had to source one from Bangalore through a friend. Got the filters, oil swapped and there was a big difference. The engine was smoother, vibes from the engine disappeared.
1500 kms on the odo and went for the official first service which included oil change, filter change and some regular so called checks. This is when I changed to fully synthetic oil. After which, every 3000 kms I kept changing my oil just to get the most of my baby blade. It was rev happy, it reached a maximum of 165 kmph and it put so many smiles on my face when it was able to tail a Kawasaki Ninja 250R on the open highway.
It was time to see how good it can handle the ghats and bad roads so took it on a road trip to Ooty via the Bandipur forest. A Ninja and an R15 were along with me so it was a good time to see how the CBR250R would perform when compared to the other two. On the highway it was more of a joy ride for the three of us but when the ghats started, it was a different ball game all together. CBR250R was easily going up the hill on the hairpin bends without changing gears often where the Ninja and R15 were refusing to climb with less gear changes. The riders of the Ninja and the R15 complained the same.
Braking on the wet roads in the ghats was a concern for all 3 of us but CBR did the job very well. Both the Ninja and R15 fishtailed a couple of times during panic braking but CBR’s ABS unit worked it’s magic. After this trip, I was so impressed with the bike that I decided not to sell the bike for the rest of my life. I was mighty impressed with the quality, power and handling abilities. Soon after 6 months of ownership and 7500 kms on the odo, It was time to keep the CBR to an ultimate test. The durability test. It was time to do the Iron butt association’s Saddle Sore and Bun Burner rides which would test both the ride and the rider’s endurance levels (read the complete report on it here)
36 hours of non-stop riding covering 2560 kms with no breaks, no oil change and no low speed riding is something which every bike can do. I had hopes in my CBR250R as I’ve maintained it up to the mark and it had no issues since day one where other owners from around the country had multiple issues. All throughout the ride, the bike handled well, Was able to cruise at 110-120 for hours together, tires never gave up, neither did the engine. The headlight was great on the highways. Adequate spread to munch miles on our highways. The mileage was a shocker during this endurance ride. I was getting a good 31 kmpl on an average throughout the ride.
After this endurance ride, I was impressed the most. It never let me down till date, be it a city ride or an endurance ride though it is from the initial lots which faced many problems. The tires are still going good after 11000 kms on the odo, brake pads are still stock. No problems till date with the bike. It’s a bang for your buck motorcycle. Go for it is my suggestion if you’re considering it.
Oh, and by the way, as on 1/29/2012, My Honda CBR250R is the world’s first CBR250R to complete the Bun Burner and Saddle Sore challenge.
- Ram Varma
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Amol January 30, 2012 at 12:19 am
Awesome stuff there Ram, the enthusiasm you have is really nice, doing such things on the CBR is not easy and a feast in itself, keep revving that sweet honda motor.
ram January 30, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Thanks for the kind words.
arun January 30, 2012 at 12:29 am
Imagine A PULSAR DOING saddle sore or bun burner LOLZ
ram January 30, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Pulsar can do the saddle sore and bunburner too. Infact there was a pulsar 220 which did a saddle sore a couple of months back. It can take that pressure.
Aryan January 30, 2012 at 9:05 am
is it a common sense to compare P220 with CBR 250??????? both r very different bikes. P220 costs u @90K while CBR 250 ABS 1.8 lakhs. almost double cost. there is almost 30cc different in both.
I thought u were a good rider & understands the diff between P220 & CBR250.
in any sense if u comparing P220 with CBR 250 why didn’t you compared CBR250 with a Ninja or Hyosung bikes, then ofcourse CBR250 will be a saddle sore or bun burner infront of these bikes.
come on dude don’t compare a maruti 800 with a BMW. u will always get blues from BMW.
vijay January 30, 2012 at 12:08 pm
yes off course….both bikes are different.
ram January 30, 2012 at 7:01 pm
It was never a comparison between these 2 bikes. I mentioned that I owned a pulsar before owning the CBR but I never compared these two. I mentioned about the service offered by both the brands. No offense meant to any. The actual comparison was done with a ninja and an R15 only because I was riding along with them and I took live feedback from both the owners of the bikes who are my very good friends and they speak unbiased facts about the bike.
Sumit January 30, 2012 at 9:58 am
Good Stuff Ram. And @Aryan, No he is not comparing P220 with CBR. He is complaining about the lousy service being offered by Bajaj and many of us feel the same. Pulsars are terrific bikes (I should know after owning a 1st Gen P180) but alas I always came back unsatisfied after the services.
Hope your love for the bike remains high :)
Aryan January 30, 2012 at 11:37 am
@ sumit … its not the problem with Pulsar bikes or bajaj auto its the problem with Service centres who don’t give fair servicing, which you people has to bring into focus of company. Bajaj don’t know how are their service centres unless you people complain them about the service centres.
not all service centres are same don’t apply generally.
people having their personal experience good or bad apply generally to all of them (ofcourse human mind)
ram January 30, 2012 at 7:06 pm
In my pulsar’s case, I did notify the higher officials about it and the response was quick, But, The mechanics who work here are in a hurry to get done with things as they have loads of bikes coming in every day for service and other reasons. With that pressure in their mind, they tend to be a little reluctant to take time and look into an issue. Even after the complain, their attitude towards you will change and what happens after that is a known fact.
It is the companies responsibility to have enough service garages based on the number of bikes in the market.
Ja February 2, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Aryan,
You are a blithering moron and you dont know it. Please shut up and let the good man share his views on his bikes in peace.
Deepak Dongre January 30, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Very nicely written. The seating does take time to get used to- same was the case with me. But with time it becomes second nature. Same goes with the handling….you don’t get the confidence straight away- also coz the bike is new and you don’t want to crash it pushing too hard ;) Am surprised by the mileage am getting with the CBR- my ZMA used to drink like crazy in traffic. The CBR gives a good 7-8 kpl more to a litre. I wish the seat padding and cover/ gear pedal/ brake pedal was of better quality. Mine is from the latest batch hence no quality issues as such as was with the first batch. Am more than satisfied with the bike :)
@Arun: Pulsars are more than capable of doing the SS/BB. There are many who have done it.
abhisek January 30, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Deepak its surprising to know that ur CBR250 gives 7-8kmpl more than ur ZMR (I hope u mean ZMR) since ZMR is much low on power and also smaller engine. That shows how incapable Hero are I guess.
ram January 30, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Congratulations on the bike. My friend owning a ZMR complains the same taht he doesn’t get good mileage. I know his driving habits and it is sane. He still gets nothing more than 28 kmpl.
neo March 23, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Hey, ZMR does return good fuel efficiency man. Its all upto riding habits. The CBR is a awesome bike. My three friends have it. Have riding it a lot. It never returned more than 28 kmpl….where as my zmr returned 40 kmpl. And in one occasion it gave a shocking 44 kmpl. My ZMR is tuned and fitted with K&N air filter though.
Faisal March 23, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Neo, but ZMR is not even half as quick as the CBR or Duke.
Deepak Dongre August 22, 2012 at 9:11 pm
To get 28 kpl from a CBR, you will have to strangle it to death. On rides both long and short, at 100+ bursts the worst I have got is 32 and the best of 41 .
abhisek January 30, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Ram your review seems to be one of the best and unbiassed reviews I have ever read.
About the servicing I would say that previously I had a Bajaj bike and the service center (in Ranchi) was good though not very good. But on the other hand all companies service centers are not good I feel. I go to Haiku Honda service center in Bangalore and have complained about some error in my bikes fuel gauge but they tend to argue that the capacity is less and am not very satisfied with Honda’s service either.
ram January 30, 2012 at 7:13 pm
No company can give you best service is what I feel, That is because every customer and their needs are different. Some might get everything they want and some might not due to some XYZ reasons. It all depends on how you deal with your service adviser and the mechanic who works on your bike. For me, I have a good rapo with the mechanic and the service adviser. Maintain a good relation and your work will be done in the best possible way. It worked for me with my cars and bikes.
Deepak Dongre January 30, 2012 at 12:39 pm
^^^Na, I got a ZMA. ZMR gives good mileage from what I have come to know from friends. Even at 100+ cruising the ZMR gives in excess of 30kpl. My ZMA used to drop to the near 20s when going around 110-120 on trips. The CBR is a real delight.
Kedar January 30, 2012 at 4:47 pm
@Ram Verma wow what a write up. I liked it tooooo much. Reading your story was a good experience. Congratulations for completing Bun Burner and Saddle Sore challenge :-)
Ride Safe. Take Care.
ram January 30, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Thanks you.
Ride safe.
ram January 30, 2012 at 7:28 pm
@All – Comparing bikes is something which always kick starts an argument. This is because no two persons can have a common understanding and opinion on a bike. CBR was compared with R15 and Ninja, However, ninja, R15 and CBR are 3 different bikes built for 3 different purposes. I chose the CBR not because I dint have money to buy a ninja, It’s because I wanted a bike for touring. Touring on an R15 or the ninja is not as easy as touring on the CBR because of the driving position, Economy, Cruising speeds etc. Yes, Comparison can be done between like spec bikes like the commuter bikes which every brand has, but not between these purpose built bikes.
And once again, This is my personal opinion and not a verdict. :)
Peace. Ride safe.
Pramod Chennai January 31, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Ram,
You said it correctly..comparison always kick starts arguments. It happened to me as well when I was comparing my P 220 F with my own RTR 180 and Zma R. As you rightly pointed out, the needs and expectations from different people are different.A person’s statement of him being happy with his machines depends on what he expects out of his machine and what it delivers, sam ewith dealer satisfaction too.
Cheers and very well written
PS: Am waiting for my CBR 250R C- ABS next month,which is my 20th bike so far I have owned.
Pramod Chennai
pavan February 17, 2012 at 12:09 pm
awesome post ram…!
joe_clubfirewheeelz February 17, 2012 at 12:32 pm
@ram
first of all, congrats for the great job that you have done….it s an unbiased open minded review….really nice….
I m joe, from delhi….I am planning to take a CBR by next month…. I am totally satisfied with the bike, except the tail lamp design….it looks like very ordinary bike….
presently I am using P150 (2007 model) here….I select CBR for my daily commuting as well as weekend tours , though I am not a race maniac…. Shall I knw the fuel economy that you are getting in both city ride and highway ride…. My office is almost 15 kms far from my home and I have to ride the bike through the nonsense traffic with 5 signals….Should I wait for CBR 150 with more fuel economy or can I go for 250 ???
sambit mishra March 1, 2012 at 1:08 am
hi all
ram really grt yaar
thanks
and ya well said comparisons start a heated argument
real riders know what and how thngs go on
but just to mention i got pulsar 180 ug4 and have completed saddle sore and bun burner in that
2431 kms in 35 hrs and 39 mnts
ram bhai
need your help
seriously yaar
want to go for the golden quadrilateral record
cbr will do ?
maitaining 120kph through out the day will be a problem ?
pls help
and thanks once agn
my email id sambitmishra4one@gmail.com
waiting
sambit March 2, 2012 at 2:04 pm
hi ram bhaiya
need your help
want to know about the way you did the break-in of your bike
pls explain me in details
m aware of the motoman’s way but how to implement it exactly is something m confused about
so pls mail me
id- sambitmishra4one@gmail.com
Sam October 21, 2012 at 11:42 pm
thanx 4 such nice narration with unbiased. Details. After reading this I got some courage to go 4 cbr 150r. I was stuck between r15 v2 and 150r..still i feel r15 v2 has edge over cbr 150 regarding pickup looks and handling..bt as i have to ride bike 4 80 km daily so with r15 v2′s sitting posture i would nt be in comfort..so what do u guys think should i go 4 cbr or i would get used to ride r15 after some time. Also i have heart r15 has fuel pump and over heating issue..plz suggest me guys.
sandeep November 5, 2012 at 7:48 pm
very interesting read… u had me gripped till the end. i’m not so much of a bike freak, but this was a wonderful read :-)
elbin sunny December 16, 2012 at 8:50 pm
i had a problem to my cbr 250r that there’s an annoying sound from engine when i suddenly increase my throttle. the sound just like a ringining a bell.
Faisal Khan December 17, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Elbin, did you show it to a service centre?
elbin sunny December 18, 2012 at 11:59 am
yes. i think it wa solved. but sound is more when engine gets hot
elbin sunny December 16, 2012 at 8:56 pm
is there any problem to ur bike@ ram. please help me
elbin sunny December 16, 2012 at 8:59 pm
please mail me elbinsunny69@gmail.com
Shashank Shirole April 19, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Hi,
I’m thinking of switching over to a Honda CBR 250, after having owned a ZMR for close to 2.5 years. My ZMR gives me a mileage of 44kpl on the highway with controlled riding, and 39-40kpl in the city (with Shell petrol and oil). Of late, it has developed a knocking problem which refuses to go away. Different mechanics say that the design of the fairing is a defect inherent in the bike’s design. This does not allow proper cooling of the engine, and it is even more evident in city traffic where it heats up and starts knocking after 10 minutes in a traffic jam. I cannot ride above 40kph after the jam clears up.
Does the CBR also have the same problem, given the full-size fairing that it has too?
Faisal Khan April 20, 2013 at 12:14 am
Shashank, nope the CBR250R doesn’t have knocking problems.