2011 Honda CBR250
 

I am starting this thread as should I buy-informational thread for anyone considering this bike.

In case you haven't heard the Ninja is getting some new competition. The Honda dealer claimed 36 HP, 7000-8500 power band and 10500 red line. It is a fuel injected single, 320 pounds. He also claimed 88 MPG combined.

I am starting a new job with a 30 mile each way commute. It is 28 miles of country roads then 2 miles of small city with 5 traffic lights. My commute would be 300-420 miles per weak. I own an S10 (20MPG) and a 1200 Goldwing (40MPG). I plan on running the GL as much as possible this summer and picking up a under 2K 35mpg car Honda, Metro, yoda , ?. Next spring I would plan on the CBR.

Here are some questions I have

How many miles can I get out of this bike?
How often will I need Tires, chain, oil change, valve adjust?
What will the cost of all this be?
I want to add all purchase and operating cost up and determine a cost per mile to make my decision. Help from the Ninja guys would be great. I haven't rulled out the Ninja yet, but I am a Honda guy and I like FI. Thanks!

the truth of the matter is, if you buy this bike new, it will never pay for itself because of the cost of ownership: bike price, maintenance, insurance, fuel, tires, gear, taxes, and a few other things. if you are just getting this bike to save on gas, you never will. if you are getting this bike just because you want it, then it probably would be a good commuter bike too. i have a ninja myself, and i think honda really screwed the pooch with this bike. i just dont like the way it looks. it looks just like a mini VFR. they should have called it the VFR250R. look at pics of this bike and a VFR1200 side by side and tell me what you guys think.

Thanks for the relies so far. Can anyone tell me how long tires and chains will last, and how long the whole bike should last? What I want to do is figure the costs over the life of the bike.

Can't call it a VFR (vee four), VTR (vee twin) it would have to be a VSR, but that doesn't make sence as it's not a Vee. 1SR, nevermind CBR works. (they did sell a vtr250 in the states back around 88-89)

The big question is how long will it last, Ninja 250's have been reported to do over 100,000.

I had a KLR650, 1st chain lasted about 15,000 miles, on a FZ1, sold bike with 28,000 mile on original chain. How clean do you like your bike, chains like lube, lube goes all over. I lubed the FZ1 chain more often. I'd never use chain wax's again the buildup on swingarm was really tough stuff.

Tire size 110/70 x17 front, & 140/70 x 17 rear, it didn't mention radials or not, I'd expect them to be radials, price a set them and use 10,000 miles for life costing(could easily be 7-15k). Will you install tires or have dealer/shop? Since you already have a bike I'm sure you've dealt with dealer vs mail order tire prices.

On my Ninja 250, i have Kenda K671 touring tires (inflated to 65psi, they are rock hard) and have 20,000 miles on them, and they don't seem worn out at all considering their use. If i had to guess there is about 70% tread left. They are AWESOME touring tires for the money. My bike will never have another tire brand and model on it for as long as i have it. They are the best bang for the buck.

The stock chain on my bike lasted pretty long. I had to replace it because my sprocket setup moved the rear wheel rearward (moreso than stock) and the chain stretched, and i could not tighten the chain any more. I opted for a RK XSO X-ring chain, and it's holding up really well. Some forum members have over 20,000 miles on the chain with not one single problem. As long as you clean and lube it regularly, it will last a long time.

There are people who have put over 100,000 miles on their Ninja 250's with an original drivetrain. These bikes certainly last a very long time as long as you take care of it.

I had a Kenda on my Ninja 250 as well, but I think was a 16" rear. I don't know if economy tires are available in 17" rims yet. I have no problem running radial front & non-radial rear, but some people do.

I think newer Ninja 250 got 17" rims too, so hopefully there's some tires out there to choose from that will last longer than OEM. If it shares rim/tire size with the newer Ninja, a 250 Ninja forum would be the place to go.

the bike should last a very long time, as long as you take care of it. change oil and filter every 4000 miles, etc. keep the chain lubed every 500-700 miles, adjust every 4000 miles or so, and i have got close to 30000 miles on a chain. but chains and sprockets are pretty cheap anyway. if you want some real good, real long lasting tires, get the MICHELIN ME880 high mileage cruiser tires. they come in pretty much every size. this is what i will replace mine with, and i have used them on a few other bikes as well. they last a very long time. i think i got about 27-28000 miles out of them on my vstar i had, and that was a heavy bike. on a light commuter bike, they should last alot longer. plus, they're michelin, so you know they're good quality.

Thanks for the input. So lets do some math for 60,000 miles, anything more is a bonus.
purchase price including tax 4,250
4 sets of tires15k each, installed $300 1,200
3 chain sets@$175 525
valve adjust @ 16k 4@$150? 600
Gas figuring at 75mpg = 800 gal x 3.40 2,720
3 Batteries @$60 180
1 major repair 800
2 Helmets 400
insurance and reg over 8 years @$200 1,600
Total$12,275
divide by 60,000 price per mile $.204
under 21 cents per mile, how does this sound?

your numbers are kinda close, but like i said before, if you are getting this bike just to save money, you never will. i dont mean that bad, i am just trying to point out some stuff. well, i guess the bike might pay for itself in about 20 years, but most people dont keep them that long.

Aren't those ME880's Metzeler tyres ?

But if you just drove the GL1200 60,000 more miles how much less would it cost than getting another bike. The goldwing it can probably more reliably take you to 200,000 than a CBR will to 60,000.

$5100 gas, $1200 tires, say $2000 repairs. $7300/60000 miles is $0.12/mile. Just over half the cost per mile of a new bike.

my bad, i dont know what i was thinking. they are metzeler tires. i dont know why i said michelin, but yes, metzeler ME880.

The CBR 250 should last at least as long as the Ninja with good maintenance practices.

Using a Scottoiler or other auto chain luber can extend chain life 3 to 5 times - really.

Learning about your bike and doing the basic maintenance on it yourself can save you a ton of money. I think you stated the tire cost too high. This light of bike and selecting touring tires should extend life well, well beyond 15K miles. Learn to change them yourself, it's not all that difficult with the tubeless tires.

As stated, nothing is cheaper than using and maintaining what you already have. The CBR is a nice bike and I'd consider one if I was buying new. I was really suprised when I saw it at the motorcycle show priced directly in line with the Ninja. I expected the usual too-proud Honda price would be about $5K.

Get one and report your mileage and riding impressions!

Thanks to all that have responded.

I will keep the Goldwing regardless of what I do, It is a wonderful 2 up cruiser. It is not as economical as a small car. Any cheap sedan will match it's fuel millage and beat it in maintenance costs. I am looking at the CBR as both practical and fun transportation. We live in the country and I am a believer in having spare vehicles in case of breakdowns and maintenance issues. My job will be a a no excuses, "just be here" kind of situation. It will also involve lots of hours, so I expect to have most of the work done on the bikes. My wife has also expressed an interest in riding. She commutes 100 miles per day. I figured it might be a good first bike for her also. Who knows, we may end up with 2 of them.

I figured the cost as "worst case scenario", so I put the max cost on all repairs and expenses. I figured it at 20.4 cents per mile, could be less with careful riding and maintenance. I did forget to add in oil changes. It is cheap to insure all vehicles out here and I have room for storage so I figure costs on miles of use. Any mile put on one vehicle saves expense on another. Figuring expenses on a used car is so much more difficult.

Thanks again to all

$3.40 is probably way cheaper than gas will be next year, higher the gas price the more you save, your cost per mile will be higher than projected, but percentage wise it will go up slower than anything else you own. At $5 gas, $7500 gas useage, $9000 gas useage at $6 a gallon with the GL. CBR will use 800 gallon for same 60,000 miles so $4000 @ $5/ga, $4800 @ $6 gallon.

The gas savings pretty much covers purchase price, so you get a new bike and didn't cost anymore than riding the GL.

Rooster, I like tour thinking on the "free bike". Unfortunately I agree with you about gas prices. $5 per gallon is likely this year or next.

Probably not going to be what you want to read, but I'm going to say it anyway -

Buying something newer (or with less miles) is almost never a better deal than just sticking with what you have and fixing it up.

Do you have a bike already? Can you do anything to make it more fuel efficient? Could you possibly sell it and/or trade it to someone for something they have that is more efficient? Remember, most guys on bikes are going to want something bigger, with more power... If you have that, let them take it. Take their "first bike" and spend your maintenance fees on it to get it into shape. Take care of it.

Unless you really like the CBR250, I wouldn't buy it new. There will be plenty available for half price in a year or two, if you're still interested.

I would consider trading or selling the Wing but not at this time. It does not much value at this point anyway. As far as getting better millage , I have not done any hyper-milling yet but I will. I have after-market pipes and re jetted carbs which helped allot. I think one of the biggest problems with it is it is over-geared. It has enough torque to cruise 2 up at 1200-1500 rpm but on the highway it is revving 3500-4000.

My dad had either the last year of GL1100 or first 1200, I used it a few weeks commuting while repairing a car, I got something in the 32 mpg range. It was a 5 spd, no much for aero, I doubt their's much you can do to help them but slow down. I was surpised how high the RPM were. Throttle response was great, mpg not so much.

A 2-3 yo Ninja 250 could be an incredible by to save money, get one for $2000 and 3000 miles could be a great buy, the valves are easy to adjust (screw & tappet), cheap tires, etc... But a modern piece of hardware with FI, modern engineering, modern look, brakes etc.. is beyond saving a few 100 or 1000 dollars if that's what you want.

I had a 2004 Ninja 250 and wouldn't spend $1000 for another one. Didn't care for the bike, the feel, MPG is great, but if I won't ride the bike, it's a waste of money.

According to Cycle World (my favorite cycle magazine) the Ninja is 356lb dry, got 53mpg in their tests, 25.5 hp, and 13.5 ft-lb torque. The Honda is 337lb, 57mpg, 23.7 hp, and 12.7 ft-lb torque. They also say the Ninja needs more maintenance, for what it's worth.

I'd still get a Ninja, albeit used, since the price is so much lower vs a new Honda. But who knows how much the mpg could be improved with mods :P

Hey Rooster, gas went up 15 cents today, the climb begins. The 40mpg i quoted was probably max. Before the mods, I think I struggled to get into the 30's. I was originally thinking of a used Ninja, until I found out about the Honda. Maybe by the time I purchase I can get a used CBR. I do hate buying anything new.