All Tests – Honda CBR250R Test: a real little sports car! – A motorcycle for everyone … Whole

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Honda CBR250R test: a real little sportswoman !

All Tests - Honda CBR250R Test: a real little sports car! - A motorcycle for everyone ... Whole

It was a short ride in the all-new Honda CBR250R, but it allowed us to see in this mini Fireblade a real sporting potential. Fast, rigorous and stable, it will allow novices to have fun ! Contact.

A motorcycle for everyone … Whole

After seeing the last Honda CBR600F tested (read our), we took to the handlebars of the all new CBR250R. The road having dried up, Site was able to push the mini Fireblade to the limit … so that the approximately 60 kilometers traveled seemed very short to us. !

The 4 differences game

Between the last development prototypes and the motorcycles finally marketed, certain values ​​of the technical sheets are likely to vary. This is the case on this CBR250R, some data of which has changed between the preview presentation (read) and this press launch. Our most attentive readers will therefore have noted that the saddle height has lost 4 mm, that the full weight has dropped by one kilogram and that the engine has gained 1 horsepower and 0.9 Nm. !

Honda is counting heavily on this new CBR250R (read): only in Thailand, its country of origin – it is manufactured in the Bangkok factory, like the CBR125R and the PCX – the world number one hopes to sell it "several tens of thousands of copies, even a few hundred thousand", suspiciously considers French officials, before recalling that"the first year of their commercialization, the Honda CGs had reached 200,000 sales in Brazil".

On Honda’s international site, the CBR250R takes pride of place: the interview of its designers shares the front page with Honda’s anniversary in Cross Country (40 years!), The Jazz update, the brand’s results in January 2011, the announcement of the new Goldwing, the presentation of the Moto3 NSF250R and the Android application Asimo.

In France, of course, the sales targets are beyond measure: "we ordered 300 units for this first year", announces Christophe Decultot, general manager of Honda France (motorbikes and cars). That is to say values ​​higher than those reached by the only direct competitor of Honda, the Kawasaki Ninja 250 R: 163 immates in 2008, 181 in 2009 and 168 in 2010.

Cautious, the Honda France staff warns that in the event of commercial success a second wave of CBR250R could be launched: "it is quite possible, the Bangkok factory allows this kind of readjustment. It happened last year with the PCX: we were counting on 4000 units for the first twelve months, we finally sold about 7000", rejoices the French boss.

But the time has not yet taken stock, quite the contrary: it is first of all to discover this novelty for 2011, a "real novelty" since it does not come from any pre-existing model in Honda production. , unlike – some MNC readers have not failed to point out! – to the CBR600F (faired Hornet) or the future Crossrunner (redesigned VFR800).

At the heart of this CBR250R beats an all new 249.6 cc, 4-stroke single cylinder – "what else" these days? -, double overhead camshaft, four valves, water-cooled and developing 23.8 Nm at 7000 rpm, then 26.4 horsepower 1500 rpm higher.

"Twin cylinders are more pleasant ("fun" in English in the text, NDLR) high up in the towers", readily admit Honda engineers,"but single cylinders also have their charm ("fun" in English in the text, Editor’s note!). The solution was to find the right balance".

With the aim of making their engine small – “small” for us Europeans, but “big” for bikers from emerging countries! – both lively, economical and reliable, Honda has resorted to several different techniques.

The mono is notably equipped with an offset crankshaft in order to limit the frictional forces of the piston in the cylinder during combustion (see manufacturer’s diagram above). "This improves the efficiency of the engine: increase its power while reducing its consumption.", summarizes the Honda team.

On the other hand, the new mill – water – is equipped with a double shaft distribution each having a single cam: "this therefore controls two valves via a rocker activated by a bearing that we can unfortunately only guess on the cut of the engine", describes a Honda France manager on Site (see opposite).

In addition, the Reds insisted on coating their piston liner (76mm bore for 55mm stroke) with molybdenum. And it was not so easy! "Our goal has always been to limit costs without compromising quality", say Honda engineers.

Also, facing the "local purchasing department (Thai therefore, Editor’s note) who sometimes complained, claiming that it was impossible to achieve what we (the Japanese, Editor’s note) wishes to do", they had to make concessions. But not with regard to the surface treatment of the piston:"we insisted on getting it", reveal the Honda men !

Naturally, the injection is of the PGM-FI type: it is the one found on the vast majority of Honda products with two or four wheels. "The CBR250R’s new single-cylinder engine features a busy, actionable torque curve while being fuel-efficient", summarize the Japanese. According to the WMTC standard, it would consume 3.7 l / 100km.

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