Honda CBR 250R

Set for its Indian launch in April 2011, the Honda CBR250R is a well-rounded new bike for the world, and promises to have something for every sort of rider - all that at a great price point

The muggy morning in Pattaya makes things inside the helmet almost as sticky as the friendly ladies on the streets the evening before. In the pit lane of the local Bira Circuit however lie promises of a good morning, neatly lined up in rows. Riding an all new bike is almost always like venturing into untested waters, but what’s special is that this time around, the territory is uncharted for the manufacturer and the market too. That ought to justify the nervous excitement at the time of the launch of the bike, barely 24 hours back in Bangkok. This has not been tried before, and while everyone can see its potential, no one knows for sure if everyone else can see things the same way.

The CBR250R, for one, marks a bunch of firsts for the world’s largest motorcycle company. It is the first sportbike from the company to be manufactured completely in the ASEAN region, with Thailand and India as the only manufacturing hubs. The shift towards smaller displacement, more accessible bikes has been obvious worldwide, but the quarter-litre CBR breaks new ground in this category as well, by becoming one of the first modern single cylinder sportbikes with this displacement. It is not just about the displacement and the engine configuration though, the CBR250R marks a new way of thinking from the Big H. And it all starts with the bike’s design.