Daniel E. Markle's Blog

From Motorcycle Adventures

I have been looking at Honda CBR250R's for a while as a next bike to try, and had settled on the red white and blue model with ABS. In the course of looking for it, this one became available used. Being orange and a significant cost savings over a new one I jumped on it.

Not many people watch it in the US; this paint scheme is a replica of the Honda Powersports team in MotoGP, a worldwide motorcycle racing circuit.

Seating position is similar to the GS500F, but the power profile is much different. This is more of a buzzy sport bike with little low end torque; whereas the GS500F likes to hang around 4k RPM for peak torque, this one needs wound up to 7k+ to get moving. Once up there, it's similar to the GS500F up to about 45MPH, over which it becomes noticeably less powerful. Less weight results in a bike more fun to flip around on the twisties, offsetting the power disadvantage. The fairing provides noticeably less wind protection, handy in this hot summer weather but which may prove a downside during the rest of the year.