2011–2013 · Supersport · Buyer's Guide
The Bike You Learn On
The CBR250R is a sportbike shape wrapped around a 249 cc liquid-cooled single, and Honda never pretended otherwise. Twenty-six horsepower is not a headline figure, so the engineering went where a rider actually feels it: a chassis that stays calm, controls that ask nothing of you, and a 355 lb (161 kg) wet weight that makes the bike feel smaller than the fairing suggests. The six-speed gearbox and 296 mm front disc handle the job without ceremony. ABS was available, though it was never standard equipment. In its class this is the accessible end of the supersport look, built for use rather than lap charts.
This is a bike you grow into rather than fight. Light handling and a 30.7 in (780 mm) seat make first miles genuinely low-stress, and the running costs stay low enough that riding often is a real option instead of a budget decision. Reliability holds up over the years, and the aftermarket gives you plenty of room to change what you dislike. The honest caveat: 26 hp and a 95 mph (153 km/h) top speed set a hard ceiling. Riders chasing pace on fast canyon roads will find it before the bike does. Electronics amount to the brakes and your right wrist.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 26 hp (19 kW) |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 249 cc |
| Engine | Single-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 296 mm |
| Front tire | 110/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 140/70-17 |
| Seat height | 30.7 in (780 mm) |
| Wet weight | 355 lb (161 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.4 gal (13 L) |
| Top speed | 95 mph (153 km/h) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
The single sounds workmanlike at idle, a flat thrum rather than anything theatrical, and it never turns into noise you have to shout over. Vibration is present through the pegs at higher revs, honest but never numbing. What surprises people is the riding position. The bars sit higher than the bodywork implies, your wrists carry almost no load, and after an hour you are still comfortable rather than counting exits. The 110/70-17 front tire steers with a light, low-effort touch, and the bike changes direction with a flick of the hips instead of a shove on the bars. At real road pace on a flowing back road, it settles into a rhythm and stays there. Nothing about the machine feels nervous. Your feet find good ground clearance long before anything scrapes, and the 3.4 gal (13 L) tank means the ride ends when you decide it does.
Intermittent engine stalling
A small number of early bikes exhibited stalling when coming to a stop or at low rpm, possibly related to ECU mapping. Some dealers resolved it with a reflash.
Cam chain tensioner rattle
Some owners report a distinct rattle or ticking noise from the cam chain area, especially between 4,000-6,000 rpm. Often remedied by replacing the tensioner.
Where this Honda CBR 250 R pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CBR 250 R is actually built for.
The CBR250R will hold a line through Angeles Crest and never scare you, but it runs out of engine on the straights. If precision practice is the point, it fits. If pace is, it will not.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
Light handling and generous lean clearance make this a genuine skill-building tool on the Dragon, where corner speed matters more than horsepower. It rewards clean technique and forgives the rest.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
Cheap to run and comfortable enough for a full Hill Country Saturday. The 95 mph ceiling and the highway miles to get there are the honest trade you accept.
Made for Austin / Texas Hill Country · Twisted Sisters · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda CBR 250 R. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
