Updated review : 23/8/2013
This review is my personal experience with the bike. It should be useful to you.
This review wont provide any tech. Specs . If you are reading this means you must have basic information about cbr250r
I have a non-abs version but i suggest you to go for an abs one. May you wait for a month or two but abs is worth for the wait.
Pros :
1) the acceleration of the bike is biggie. It will not disappoint you. 0-100 about 9 seconds (tested by me) . I bet hardly a few vehicles can catch you when you are off the signal. You will definitely love this.
2) the wind shield : not like any ordinary bike the wind shield really serves the purpose (only at very high speeds) . You hide behind the wind shield once you cross 130kmph and you can see its magic. Speed will increase because of better aerodynamics.
# my personal experience : full throttle open and bike was topping at 148 kmph. I crouched on the tank (hiding behind the windshield) and could see the difference. I managed to hit 155kmph.
3) the suspension is spot on . For riders who dont know : cbr has got different modes of suspension rated for 1 to 5. You can change the settings with a simple spanner. 1 to 5 is smooth to hard . By default it is set for 2 which is optimum for city riding.
4) you should not be looking at mileage aspect when you are buying a sports bike. But cbr proves that concept wrong. You should be getting a mileage of 27-36 kmpl which is pretty decent for a quarter liter bike.
5) exhaust sound : cbr sounds like a normal conventional bike when the bike is running under 4000rpm. You cross 5000rpm and people around you will find your presence. The bike sounds like a sport one and eventually it is one.
If you want to get a big loud sound then you can remove the air filter cover that is placed beneath your seat. The bike will roar like hell. Remember its the cover not the air filter.
Cons :
1) the second gear is a big disappointment for the bike. The torque is low and you would hate that when you are driving in cities.
2) tail lamp build is cheap and conventional honda type. Could have been better.
3) the turning radius : bike has little more turning radius than you would expect. You will get used to it.
4) you can see the wiring for the headlamps when you are sitting on the driver seat ( a cheap look)
5) the contigo rear tire is not up to the mark. It is below the par level. I felt that fz-16 (my previous bike) had better grip when compared to this one.
To do/ not to do stuff :
1) i can bet that the initial days will be struggling for you to handle the bike. The seating is a crouching type ( you have to bend a bit) . So for the first few days you will be having shoulder pains. Do not panic . Your body has to be adjusted to the new seating posture.
Explanation : when you ride the normal indian bikes ; the whole torso weight is distributed around your spine (which is a common sitting posture) but here in cbr you have to bend a little and drive hence the torso weight falls on your shoulders which in-turn start aching. You should give sometime to your shoulders to strengthen . 500km on the odo and i think that is enough to get you in the comfortable zone.
2) you will be surprised to find that there is no center stand for the baby fire-blade . Reason is pretty simple. Sports bikes do not have center stand.
3) do not rip up the engine for the first 500-700 km . Give sometime for the engine to be tuned. Be smooth on acceleration and do not cross 5000-6000rpm.
Reason : the piston and cylinder have nano-particles left over them (very minute particles left after manufacturing of these parts). Hence the engine oil need to remove all these minute particles from the engine. If you rip up the engine frequently there is a possibility that those particles may scratch up the cylinder liners or piston skirt which eventually damages your engine. The engine oil change is done at 1st servicing. Once the oil is changed you can start the game.
Things to buy for the bike :
You would be shelling out 2 lakhs for the bike. So why not a little more for accessories ???
Must buy / do things :
1) extended warranty - rs.1200
2) honda road assistance - rs 300/per yr (honda service center will pick up your bike no matter where it is - in case of accident/bike not starting. If you dont buy the road assistance package you have to pay for transportation charges which can be much more expensive)
3) helmet a must (for any city) - preferably ls2 (rs: 2800-3000) /agv (rs: 4500 starting) helmet. Its a shame to ride a sports bike without a proper helmet.
4) join the cbr250r group in Facebook as well as the forum https://cbr250.net. You will find it useful once you join this. Big cities have cbr250r city groups which are pretty helpful.
Optional accessories to buy :
1) riding gloves : spartan ( starts at rs 3000) / pro-biking : (rs 350-600)
2) riding jacket : spartan / fox . Starting from rs 5500. You can get fox for 1200 in ebay.in
3) frame slider - rs 1500 - rs 15000 ( depends on brand)
4 rear stand - rs 2000 to rs 3000
5) dunlop rear tire - around rs 3000 (if your looking for some sporty action)
6) chain lube - rs 650 - rs 800