The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is the current king of the quartre-litre sports bike category with performance focused handling, aggressive riding position and most importantly a punchy 250cc parallel twin engine pumping out almost 30 BHP. The Honda CBR250R is more of an all rounder with a higher, more comfortable seating position and a laidback refined single-cylinder 250cc engine producing just 22 BHP of power (the figures quoted here are of the US spec motorcycles). However on a track, can the Honda CBR250R keep up with the fierce Ninja 250R?
The Honda CBR250R and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R were prepared for track use with many modifications to make the bike lighter and pump out a few more horses out of the engine. The stock CBR250R was lightened and given a free-flowing lighter Leo Vince exhaust, free breathing air filter and updated EFI module tuning box, all of which added-up to a total of 26 BHP. However it was still 6 BHP less than the similarly tuned Ninja 250R, which belts out 32 BHP. However the CBR250R is lighter so the ultimate power to weight was pretty close.
On the track, what matters is punchy power delivery, low weight and extremely brilliant handling characteristics. Though on the straights, the CBR250R turned out to be slightly slow compared to the Ninja 250R, overall the CBR250R never fell behind the pack. Due to the light weight, better braking and very balanced handling, the Honda was able to pass the Kawasaki and keep up in between turns as well. The Honda CBR250R was very much at par with the aggressive performance oriented Ninja 250R. Watch the video below to see the CBR250R dive ahead of the Ninja 250R in corners, while the Ninja 250R pulls it all back on the straights.
So with little bit of tuning and slight modifications, the CBR 250 can be as fast as the famed Ninja 250. The CBR offers excellent everyday practicality and performance with lot of comfort, so with an added shot of power, the CBR can become the ultimate performance bike as well.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fVnxNo9aPA 540 375]
Source – MotorCyclist
