2011 Honda CBR250R

The world premiere of Honda’s all-new fully faired CBR250R was held in Bangkok on October 27, with journalists from all around the globe on location to witness the official unveiling of the Combined ABS-equipped machine.

And with good reason, as the CBR250R is the largest capacity bike to be produced in Thailand and all with an international market in mind – including Australia as an entry-level machine, where it will go on sale in the first quarter of next year.

Production of the CBR250R will also be extended to India during the first half of 2011. That will not only satisfy demand in the rapidly expanding Indian domestic market, but also neighbouring countries and South America. And in those segments, which are saturated with smaller capacity machines, the CBR250R should be one of the hottest tickets in town.

The CBR250R, Honda's first sporty quarter-litre machine in a number of years, is powered by a Euro 3-complied, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel injected 249cc engine, with styling based on the “mass centralisation form” unashamedly borrowed from the VFR1200F, with also a smattering of inspiration from the all-conquering CBR1000RR.

The 76mm x 55mm bore and stroke engine shouldn't be short of breath with a voluminous 5.5-litre airbox, and there’s a primary balancer to soften any vibrations. To meet Euro 3 configuration, there’s a catalyser fitted inside the “irregular pentagonal section” stainless-steel, black-coated muffler. And it's a big 'un, too -- the muffler that is.

Power is 26hp at 8500rpm and torque is 23Nm at 7000rpm, with both attractive propositions for the single pot machine. Especially the torque, which out-muscles the twin-cylinder mills in the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Hyosung GT250R.

The introduction of Combined ABS is a first for the 250cc class, taking the kerb weight of the ABS bike to 165kg – four more than the standard machine. Both the ABS and non-ABS versions will be sold in Australia. The disc sizes are 296mm (front) and 220mm (rear) respectively, gripped by Nissin calipers.

Fuel tank capacity is 13 litres, the seat height is 780mm, and the chassis is a steel diamond design.

The CBR-R tracks on cast aluminium wheels, with a set of five “gently arching spokes”. And the tyres sizes are 110/70-17 front and 140/70-17 rear.

The suspension consists of a conventional 37mm fork and a signature Honda Pro-Link rear with five-way preload adjustment.

So why was Thailand chosen to produce the CBR250R? According to Mr Fumihiko Ike, the Managing Director for Honda’s Regional Operations in Asia and Oceania, the country -- and the wider economic region it belongs to -- makes a compelling economic sense.

“Although the economic crisis occurred two years ago, much of the world is still trying to recover,” said Ike-san at the launch. “However, here in Asia, we have already broken trough the economic downturn.

“And this occurred much more rapidly than we expected, so the changes taking place in Asia are not just a sign of recovery, but signal a new era of growth.

“At the same time, in other motorcycle markets where recovery is still underway -- such as the US, Europe and Japan -- motorcyclists are looking for more value for money while retaining their desire for sporty recreational models.

“Under such circumstances, we have an opportunity to create new value by providing a new sports motorcycle to the world right here in Asia.”

The end result, in Ike’s words, “represents the first real sport motorcycle produced in Asia”, and one which is destined to be exported to more than 20 countries around the globe with sales targets in the tens of thousands.

With due respect to the PCX125 stop-start scooter, the CBR250R is also the first real big-ticket launch under Honda’s recently announced 2020 Vision, focussed on “creating products that maximise the joy of customers, with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions.”

Pricing is still to be determined in Australia for the CBR250R, but in Thailand the bike will retail for 100,000 baht ($A3333), which is a third below that of the popular, carburetted Ninja.

In Australia the Ninja is priced at $7499, which is a figure that Honda will definitely eclipse – but by how much we just don’t know yet. And there’s the GT250R ($6990), which will also be factored in during Honda's pricing workshops.

The CBR250R will be produced in five liveries: candy ruby red/accurate metallic silver, sword metallic silver/accurate metallic silver, metallic black/silver metallic, metallic black, and blue/white/red.

Check out the colours in the accompanying photos, where you will also see two CBR-Rs that have already been given some aftermarket wizardry by Moriwaki and Mugen.

Today, the riding component of the CBR250R two-day press launch will be held in the popular holiday location of Pattaya, located in the Gulf of Thailand. Stay tuned for a full launch report on the Bikesales Network in coming weeks.