2011 Honda CBR250R Review

[Duken4evr]

Aw man. I was hoping for a 13,500 rpm 40hp slice off the CRB1000RR. Too much to hope for I guess. Seems the new WR250 reviewed just previous makes about the same power.

The price is definitely right though and it looks cool.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Duken4evr

Aw man. I was hoping for a 13,500 rpm 40hp slice off the CRB1000RR. Too much to hope for I guess. Seems the new WR250 reviewed just previous makes about the same power.

So you want noobs riding an engine that starts to make power at 10K? A fine idea, however, for non-noobs like us!

The WR actually makes more power than the Honda. 26 crank hp will convert to about 23 rwhp.

[Overload]

I just remembered something. They're calling this a CBR, but that's against Honda naming conventions, I think.
VT= vertical twin; VF=vertical twin; CB= inline motor, twin or four.
The old CBR250 (brit bike) was a 4 cyclinder; the CB250 Nighthawk is a twin. Have they done a street single other than the GB500?

[Overload]

And doesn't the $3999 MSRP make the CRF230M seem overpriced at $5399? Or is the CBR250R just a great value?

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Overload

And doesn't the $3999 MSRP make the CRF230M seem overpriced at $5399? Or is the CBR250R just a great value?

You're not the only one. Honda's website indicates the 230M hasn't been imported since '09. The 250R is indeed a great value. Thank Kawi.

[Duken4evr]

The CBR1000 has such a fat midrange boost. One pot off that thing would have mid and top end out the wazoo in this bike. Hmm. Maybe Honda needs to compete with that little Yamaha dual sport / Motard too.

The CRF230? Booooring. A new fuel injected 13,000 rpm dual sport with a wide poweband and good suspension? Now I could get behind that! In the context of the CRF230, this bike really is a drop dead awesome value. Perhaps it is how Harley was/is with the Sportster. A bit of a loss leader with the goal of moving them up to 600s and 1000s later.

[mscuddy]

Duken, you have to realize 130,000 rpm is about the limit of metalurgical technology in a single cylinder for stroke. That's why the new breed of 250 MX bike (designed like a works bike of 15 years ago) blows up so violently whne they finally "let loose".

Now build a 250 four stroke with some common-sense engineering in it, would sell like hotcakes. Give me a cam follower with a 10mm bolt and a screw adjuster for the valves, a stout top end assembly, and an over-engineered lower end/transmission and I'll show you a 1970 Honda 350 twin (sans the lack of cam bearings). And last I checked a 1970 CB 350 put out 36 HP at 9K rpm, and weighed around 325 lbs.

I know I'm being a luddite here, but do we need all that technology that takes the bike out of the hands of the rider, and puts it in the shop every few thousand miles? That test on the Yamaha 250 that weighed almost 300 lbs. is the industry going in the wrong direciton, if you ask me.

And since I was going to race a CRF230 in the '07 Baja 500 for Off-Road.com before an SUV ended it, it had to be the slowest, pokiest dirt bike I ever rode. Like a big Honda 100 motor, you could rev it to bright read all day, without a wimper. That's what we need for the new rider. Not complex technology that ends up with a 250cc motorcycle weighing about the same as a 1962 BSA A-10.

[Duken4evr]

The rev limiter on my DRZ400S cuts in at 11,000 rpm. It is a pretty run of the mill engine. Even my lowly DRZ has a cool short skirt piston and thin rings in it. Not that much point in revving it that high as it peaks around 8,500 and it is a mid range rpm motor, but sometimes while on the gas and turning left, the left leg is busy and away from the shift lever, so occasionally I rev the nuts off the thing down a short straight to the next corner. Nice to have the overrev.

The liter class sport bikes with this size cylinder rev to near 14K rpm and last many miles. 13K peak rpm is no problem for a modern 250cc cylinder to live to. These guys have making them last at high rpm down. The durability of the liter class sport bike engines in general is impressive. Maybe 13K is a little aggressive and best reserved for shorter fuse competition MX bikes. I will give you 750 rpm in exchange for a fan and more oil capacity in the enduro models the interest of longevity. 12,000 rpm should be enough for anybody.

The advent of FI on these things is great. My current street bike has FI and it is like your car. It just works. Carbs were a lot more trouble to tune and maintain. I agree though, it would be nice if they were lighter. A lot of weight is in the cat equipped tanklike exhausts. My DRZ400 did not have a cat, but it's stock exhaust was many pounds heavier than the Yosh system that took it's place. Aside from the power increase, the lighter exhaust made a noticeable difference in handling.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

Did you (or Honda) mean on any 250cc single-cylinder motorcycle-engine? I ask, as a roller-follower setup is quite-common on DOHC engines; has been for years.

Upon further investigation, Honda literature says "a roller rocker arm was adopted by a DOHC motorcycle engine for the first time in the world." It adds that the roller rocker arm layout is patent pending, so there is something new to the architecture.

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

Upon further investigation, Honda literature says "a roller rocker arm was adopted by a DOHC motorcycle engine for the first time in the world." It adds that the roller rocker arm layout is patent pending, so there is something new to the architecture.

Ah, makes sense (I think!). Looking at the cutaway, other than the lack of hydraulic lash-adjusters, it's very similar to a Mitsubishi design of which I'm very familiar-with.