[isodope]

Does anyone else feel that the instrument cluster looks derived from the Civic's?

[-NUT-case]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Apparently, this pic had become the discussion point on other forums, and it looks like there was a TRANSPARENT PLASTIC stuck to the bottom of the panel! The same stuff they use to cover other scratch prone areas like front visor and indicators!

On seeing the pic closer, i think its true! The texture and finish doesn't look like paint at all! And see the shine!



Can anyone from Chennai confirm? I wont be able to go to thousands lights showroom till next weekend.

Did you try both bikes? Would love to know your take on the CBR!

I was the one who uploaded this picture. When i was taking the picture, another guy who had come to see the bike said the same thing about it as you, that it was a protective film. In the picture i have circled a black spot where he tried to scratch teh film only to expose teh underlying black plastic. So it was definitely defective paint and not a clear protective film that is wrinkled.

Originally Posted by gsferrari

Overdrive for example talks about lifting the wheels just by opening the throttle in first gear. This is a LOAD OF TOSH! I went to WOT and the bike barely whistled along. I shifted back in the seat (all 110 kilos) and went WOT (which would lift the front end of a Karizma/Pulsar with EASE) and nothing...no drama.

It is not as powerful as these reviews make it seem. I found the overall experience quite bland and the vibes at higher rpms were pretty intrusive. Given the asking price, I am not interested in this bike anymore. I get a heck of a lot more laughs out of my old RD350 and TZR250 on a short ride around the block than I did over a 4Km ride on the CBR.

But I agree...when it comes to D-Day it is YOUR money. Just as long as you are aware that YMMV you should be ok

I cant comment on the power as i am yet to test ride the bike . But take a look at this. Seems to be opposite to what you say.

YouTube - CBR250R

Some pictures of a red CBR that was displayed today. Same bad plastics and paint as in the black CBR , especillay the circled areas. The Honda -Stunner and the Twister have better plastics for the same parts than the CBR at 1/3rd the cost.




It definietly looks good though

[Spitfire]

Since its a high-res picture if you magnify it. The wrinkles do appear to be the paint.

[gsferrari]

Originally Posted by -NUT-case

I cant comment on the power as i am yet to test ride the bike . But take a look at this. Seems to be opposite to what you say.
YouTube - CBR250R

Could be different sprocketing. Wheelie was done with the clutch...listen to the engine noise just spike before the wheel lifts. People can do wheelies on bullets using the clutch method. Overdrive made it sound like you could just open the throttle and lift the front wheel...which is rubbish.

[veyron1]

Tested the bike today. Couldn't rev her as I wanted to, so can't comment on top-end performance in the last three gears; the executive who was sitting with me on the bike would have weighed a good 75 Kgs (I weigh 96 too..), so I got a brief preview on the bike's torque through the rev-range.

Here's the lowdown.

Throttle response: FI grants the bike very crisp response in the initial 50% of throttle travel. Good.

Ride quality: Good. My test bike was set up on full soft (Pre-load) though. Need to see what stiff would look like.

Handling: Smooth. Very chuckable. Riding position is pretty much spot-on, helps you ease through the curvies. Very nimble. Quite stable for a 250. Is not affected by crosswinds; small surface undulations, however, tend to upset the lean angle due to the suspension setup. Front dives a bit too much under hard braking as well.

Braking: The lever lacks bite; feel, however is positive, and progression is very confident. The pedal feel is pretty good. R15 still the benchmark here on brake bite.

Performance: As said earlier, couldn't pull the bike hard enough; just about 9 grand in the first three gears, and maxxed out at about 110-112 kmph in about 300 odd metres. The showroom exec squirming uncomfortably in the rear & shouting "thoda dheere, saar....itna mat kholo..naya gaadi hai..." whilst banking & going WOT didn't help matters much.. . From what I see, the bike behaves like an overgrown ZMA, and a proper one at that. Should be good enough to do a true 148 odd. The most disappointing part, however, are the tyres. The 140 rear and 110 front, although good on profile, lack traction. Those Continentals are a big let down, and I could hear them squealing in protest under hard braking...

Ergonomics: Very comfortable and spot-on. Extremely rider-friendly, and quite the smoothie. Although quite cliche'd by now, let me egg on to repeat that the geometry does not mirror the scalpel-sharp R15. The plastics, however, are of suspicious quality, and the side panles on the fairings were rattling. Already. In a brand new bike. Hm.

Overall: Very good VFM. Considering the Ninja. Imagine being able to creep up to the Kawi on highways and keep up on the twisties. This will not, however, beat the Ninja. For sure. Think of the CBR as an able tourer with the cojones to keep up with the bigger machines on twisties, provided you have the rubber to go with it. As always, being a Honda, you can expect the mechanicals to last the trip to moon and back...which I think, should be reason enough to plonk in those monies. The very fact that Honda is offering tests when no other company has done on a bike costing >80K till date, is very commendable. Kudos.

For thrills, however, I'd look elsewhere. But then, I'm speaking from an SBK perspective. In all honesty, the CBR is worth every asking rupee. I'd, however, go in for the non-ABS version & plonk in better tyres, if I were in the market for a CBR...

[mantrig]

Hey Veyron1 - That was a great summary of your test ride, it certainly will prove to be very helpful along with the first impression write up from Gsferrari which was added by Sheel.

Btw, which showroom in Mumbai is giving the test rides?

[isodope]

Originally Posted by mantrig

Hey Veyron1 - That was a great summary of your test ride, it certainly will prove to be very helpful along with the first impression write up from Gsferrari which was added by Sheel.

Btw, which showroom in Mumbai is giving the test rides?

Vihaan Honda in Thane (Ghodbunder Road, near the Tikujiniwadi signal) is offering test-rides. You can call Tejashree @ 022 -41123333 for more details.

@Veryron1: Did you ride the C-ABS version? if you did, well, even the system on the Fireblade doesn't feel very good to use. I'm quite sure that the standard brakes will have much better bite.

[PatienceWins]

Thanks Veyron and Gsferrari for the useful reviews.

Originally Posted by veyron1

I'd, however, go in for the non-ABS version & plonk in better tyres, if I were in the market for a CBR...

Any particular reason other than cost for not choosing ABS version along with better tires? I find ABS a very useful feature for indian riding conditions.

[gsferrari]

Reposting my own post from another forum:

Just got a call from someone at Honda who has seen my ride-report and videos. They are now claiming that the bike I tested at Vihaan Honda had a clutch issue and therefore the bike has been removed from test-ride duty until this has been serviced. I have also been requested to have another ride on Thursday to see if I am satisfied with the bike.

Others like Rossiter who I trust implicitly with his feedback said that the bike pulls away cleanly.

Given this information I am reserving judgement on the initial throttle response until I ride the bike post service. Someone has obviously abused the bike badly during a test ride...maybe tried to pull wheelies or something and burnt it by the time it came to my hands.

Crying shame...the dealership should have known better...anyone riding that test-bike would have hated it.

So there is hope for my next Ladakh bike yet! I'll post a revised ride-report when I get the chance.

This should address the poor throttle response at low revs. The clutch was not functioning properly. It was not burnt - that would have been obvious to me. There was some other issue with it.

[veyron1]

@mantrig: I tested the bike (Red and silver colour) from the Malad showroom. I'm not quite sure if they offer tests to people who haven't booked the bike though...

Yup, rode the C-ABS version. The primary reason for me preferring the non-ABS version is the brake feel. I need bite from the levers, and need to know exactly what's going on with the front end. Personally speaking, an ABS equipped bike doesn't quite cut the glass with me as it feels like a re-worked drum brake. Although quite useful as a safety feature, it takes away the purity of the mechanicals. I do believe that the ABS unit is worth the extra money however; but, it detracts you from honing your skills as a rider...

The tyres are hard-compound, as I could make out, and does not warm up easily. Obviously manufactured to last, and to a cost...under normal riding, the grip factor does not come into the equation; a 110 front and 140 rear for 25 horses is more than at par for the course. It's only when you begin pushing that you really start freaking out and wish you had invested in better rubber than ABS...

[mantrig]

Originally Posted by veyron1

@mantrig: I tested the bike (Red and silver colour) from the Malad showroom. I'm not quite sure if they offer tests to people who haven't booked the bike though...

Thanks Veyron1 - I had the booked the bike on 5th of Jan and while I had visited the Mahim showroom to check if they atleast had a display vehichle, they suggested I visit their Malad showroom. So your note confirms that and I should pay them a visit shortly.

Also, when I asked them (Om Sai Autoworld - Mahim) for a tentative delivery date I was told that I need to wait for 2-3 months which was something I could not digest as I had booked the bike a couple of days after the bookings commenced. They stated that there were more than 65 bookings at the Mahim showroom by the EOD on Jan 1st itself, this is not something I trust.

Had dropped a note to the Honda folks asking for more clarity in the delivery process and allocation of bikes. To my surprise, I heard back from them within a couple of hours and they asked me to share my booking details stating they will get back with an answer. The only reason I decided to check with them is because I learnt from my mech that they have been promising deliveries in 2 weeks time to some folks by charging them a premium of 10% and this is a regular practice at the Mahim showroom.

Lets see, I have shared a scanned copy of my booking receipt with the folks who are monitoring the delivery process across the West Zone and waiting for a feedback.

[Mpower]

Thanks for the great review.

Originally Posted by veyron1

Performance: As said earlier, couldn't pull the bike hard enough; just about 9 grand in the first three gears, and maxxed out at about 110-112 kmph in about 300 odd metres.

Ergonomics: Very comfortable and spot-on. Extremely rider-friendly, and quite the smoothie. Although quite cliche'd by now, let me egg on to repeat that the geometry does not mirror the scalpel-sharp R15. The plastics, however, are of suspicious quality, and the side panles on the fairings were rattling. Already. In a brand new bike.

I don't see a lot of wows being mentioned as far as performance goes. How the delivery..linear all the way or does it have a kick in the powerband.

Reg handling, it sounds like typical Honda. Soft and safe. Somehow I prefer this. Everytime I ride my friends R1, I scare myself at how sharp and quick the front end turns in. Not good for relaxed riding (commuting)

Originally Posted by veyron1

...
Yup, rode the C-ABS version. The primary reason for me preferring the non-ABS version is the brake feel. I need bite from the levers, and need to know exactly what's going on with the front end. .

What did you not like? The C part or the ABS part? In my mind the ABS should not have any effect under normal braking so it should'nt matter. Bite comes mostly from pad/rotor. Anyway, I'd be curious to to hear from you if you drove the non-ABS version and what you observed.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Xbhp comes out with an excellent comparison between CBR250R and the baby Ninja!

With some nice set of pics to go as well!

Verdict:

"
[COLOR=Blue]After all this ranting, I think this comparison is not justified; the two bikes are completely in different sub-segments under the 250cc umbrella. [/COLOR]The CBR will suit the biker who is upgrading from a 180 CC or thereabouts and is looking for some unadulterated touring and city fun on power packed package.

The Ninja is for the very discerning motorcyclist, who knows what he wants, and of course if he has that extra money. He should be a track junkie, maybe a tourer (the Ninja has been taken to Khardung-La, if that’s any bike-o-meter), and of course if those 7 odd ponies matter (which they do both in brag fests and on the highways).

If I hadn’t got the Ninja earlier I definitely would have considered the CBR-ABS model to be in my stable. That said I own the best 250CC out there so I feel no need to make any such move, but I do feel extremely happy that finally we have a bike which has the go with the show.

[COLOR=blue]Two thumbs us for the CBR. And remember there is no comparison between these two different bikes for different people. Peace."[/COLOR]

When Ninja met its Winged Brother : Ninja versus CBR250R - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

[vkochar]

The above review from xbhp is awesome !! Please go through it people - the photos are superb !

They make the CBR sound so much good - I am tempted again

[veyron1]

@mantrig: If you booked on the 5th of Jan, your bike would be in the first lot, and you can pick up the bike from the Malad showroom in the next week itself. Although you might have made the booking at Mahim, you have the option of producing the booking slip at Malad and picking your bike up from there (minus the 5K for the booking of course). Should save you a lot of hassle...

@Mpower: The power delivery was crisp upto 3500 RPM, where most riders would be hovering in the city for. The engine stays smooth uptil 7500, where the vibes start kicking in; never intrusive though. The torque delivery is seamless, and kicks in from about 4000-odd, till about 8000 RPM where I felt it tapering off. The motor is quite responsive, thanks to the faultless fuel injection. Unlike a Fireblade, however (VERY different league, just taking another Honda as an example), this Honda does not love to be redlined, as you can feel the revs building up post 8500 without any actual translation into velocity..quite surprising, considering this is a oversquare short-stroke (76x55), similarly specced akin to her bigger sister 'Blade...

To be honest, I didn't quite like both; the "combi" part, as well as the ABS part. Let me explain. True, although the ABS motor itself doesn't hamper the master cylinder travel and the overall lever feel, I somehow get the feeling that Honda has played it safe with the hydraulics (no steel braided lines here), and has given us soft compound pads to give a spongy lever feel (which would also assist in the ABS motor pulsing in late, as well as lesser rotor wear) thus helping new riders feel safe to brake at all speeds. Where this backfires is, with the level of traction that the current tyres have, and with the experienced riders who would prefer more feedback.

With respect to the "Combined" part, I do not quite prefer my front brakes linked to the rear. Again, since the hydraulics are intertwined, it plays a pivotal role in absorbing that feel away from the rear pedal itself, and more importantly, slows the bike down more than you want to, if you just want to slide the rear to sharpen the counter-steering angle for quick turn in. Where the Combi ABS would be effective however, are for riders who use the bike more in the city, and the rear pedal more often than the front lever. But I think I can speak safely for most riders who are used to discs, that the Front:Rear braking bias has always been 90:10 (I've not changed my rear shoes in the past 4 years; hardly use 'em), thereby making the system ineffective in all other performance-riding conditions, save for emergency stops.

I haven't ridden the Non-ABS version yet (should get a chance soon enough), but post reading reviews from XBHP and elsewhere, looks like the non-ABS version would not be offering the sort of feel that I'd like either...