Honda, CBR 250R Vs. Kawasaki, Ninja 250R

[SpudRider]

I think the comparison between the new, Honda, CBR 250R, and the Kawasaki, Ninja 250R bikes is a fascinating topic. I enjoyed reading the review, and watching the videos located at the following thread.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/9/9134...inja-250R.aspx

Spud

[mizke]

im going to be checking those out in a minute, but wanted to say this over in msc thread. i think this would be the better place to say it so it can be talked about in the correct place


the reason why i am prolly going to stick with getting a 2011 ninja 250r and not the cbr 250r is that kiwi has had over a decade to perfect a 250, where as honda while being a great company with amazing quality has not had the track or road time with a 250. plus i really have never liked the looks of the cbr

interesting that honda made the cbr 250r a 249.4cc and the ninja is a even 249.. i got a feeling thats just a marketing scheme.

here is a side by side comparison for you guys..

http://www.woodsfuncenter.com/new_ve...2=206665&go=Go

[SpudRider]

I think you make a very good point, Mike. Kawasaki has been perfecting the Ninja 250R for twenty years! 8O The Ninja 250R is a great little motorcycle. However, I am glad Honda is trying to compete in the 250cc sport bike market.

Spud

[mizke]

page 2 of the link you posted says it all for me. i already know what i dont like in terms of how i dont want a bike to feel. i lower my cars so they ride stiffer, corner flatter and how i can feel the road at high speeds. if you take 2 cars that are the same and both completely stock. lower one and leave the other one alone. now take them both out for a high speed run, the completely stock car is going to feel like its floating on air and not rolling across the pavement, the steering feels sloppy and it just feels unsafe. but when you take the lowered car for its high speed run it feels planted, you can feel every bump and crack in the road, you can feel what the car wants to do, you also feel like you have more control and just feel flat out safer because of how the car feels.

i did not like what they said about the cbr how it did not feel planted, and how when you apply the brakes the nose of it dives hard enough and deep enough to check you off gaurd. to me for a bike geared towards new comers like myself to this sport a bike should feel planted and predictable as well as have predictable brakes. even tho i love that bikes and quads are now going the ways efi, im still leaning towards the ninja so much so that i might just fall right on over. i just think after reading that link you posted spud that the ninja is a much SAFER starter bike. you know what its going to do and when its going to do it, it feels planted and predictable and all of that is due to the what 20yrs kiwi has had to fine tune the ninja 250r. but look at how little they have had to change to it, why mess with perfection..


on a side note i cannot wait to see what yamaha and suzuki are going to roll out with for 250's.. you know they are going to jump into the market after they see if the cbr 250r is accepted or not into the biking community

[SpudRider]

I definitely would not want to get the ABS option on the Honda. :roll: I'm sure the ABS option is also very expensive. 8O I wish Honda had introduced a 2-cylinder, EFI engine on this motorcycle!

Spud

[mizke]

abs is going to 500 bucks, i wouldnt abs.

[SpudRider]

I think the Honda will appeal to many beginning riders, especially those who want to ride primarily in town. Don't get me wrong; I think the Honda is a good motorcycle. I just like the Ninja 250R better.

Spud

[mizke]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I think the Honda is a good motorcycle. I just like the Ninja 250R better.

Spud

x2

[suprf1y]

Congratulations to Honda for releasing a bike that's probably almost as good as the 25 year old bike that is really the only other bike in the market.

A great example of just how lame the motorcycle industry can be. I read that the Honda will be $4500 in Canada. We'll see how long that lasts. You can now buy new CBR 125's for $2500. My guess is that it will take a year before the 125 is off the market, and 2 before it's saturated with 250's, and you can buy them new for less than $3k

[SpudRider]

I just found another review comparing the Ninja 250R with the Honda CBR250R.

http://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle...omparison_test

I haven't read this review yet, but I hear reports it is more favorable to the Honda.

Spud

[FastDoc]

As a 250 Thumper rider I see the appeal of the torque at lower RPM's for street riding. That said I really liked my Ninja. I might have kept that one longer except I stood to make a decent profit on it and I didn't care for the green. :?

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

As a 250 Thumper rider I see the appeal of the torque at lower RPM's for street riding. That said I really liked my Ninja. I might have kept that one longer except I stood to make a decent profit on it and I didn't care for the green. :?

Hence the red, Kawasaki KLX250S.

Spud

[SpudRider]

I just finished reading the Cycle World bike comparison; they make the Honda sound much better than the earlier report by Motorcycle USA! In fact, I feel a lot better about the little Honda after reading this report. The Ninja 250R is a great little bike, but I'm glad somebody is finally manufacturing a competitor for it!

Spud

[david3921]

Spud, I've read three comparos and all three picked the Honda over the Kawi. Two of them included the Hyosung GT250 (tested as the ATK GT250R). This a quote from Motorcycle Consumer News (they except no advertising) that pretty much sums up what the three said;

"If sheer performance is all you're after, and you're not concerned with fuel economy, then the Kawasaki is still a great choice."

Based on what I've read, the two bikes are so close that it really just come down to intended use.

By the way, heres what MCN showed for MPG for the three bikes;

Bike H/L/Ave
CBR250R 59.5/54.3/56.5
Ninja 250R 48.3/42.5/45.7
GT250R 44.7/36.8/41.3


Interesting to note that the Ninja's best MPG is lower than the Honda's worst. Also, the ATK's (Hyosung) price, $4295, is higher than the other two! If you add the ABS to the Honda, it comes in at $200 more than the ATK. Why anyone would buy the Hyosung over the Honda or the Kawasaki is beyond me. The guys over at www.korider.com love um though.


(I am hankering for a GT650 naked myself, though)

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by david3921

Spud, I've read three comparos and all three picked the Honda over the Kawi. Two of them included the Hyosung GT250 (tested as the ATK GT250R). This a quote from Motorcycle Consumer News (they except no advertising) that pretty much sums up what the three said;

"If sheer performance is all you're after, and you're not concerned with fuel economy, then the Kawasaki is still a great choice."

Based on what I've read, the two bikes are so close that it really just come down to intended use.

By the way, heres what MCN showed for MPG for the three bikes;

Bike H/L/Ave
CBR250R 59.5/54.3/56.5
Ninja 250R 48.3/42.5/45.7
GT250R 44.7/36.8/41.3


Interesting to note that the Ninja's best MPG is lower than the Honda's worst. Also, the ATK's (Hyosung) price, $4295, is higher than the other two! If you add the ABS to the Honda, it comes in at $200 more than the ATK. Why anyone would buy the Hyosung over the Honda or the Kawasaki is beyond me. The guys over at www.korider.com love um though.


(I am hankering for a GT650 naked myself, though)

Please do post links to the bike comparisons you have read; I would enjoy reading them! The bike comparison I referenced in my first post preferred the Ninja, hands down.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/9/9134...inja-250R.aspx

I imagine fuel injection is the reason the Honda gets better gas mileage.

Spud