My CBR300R adventures

[travelingaaron]

Hi folks. I wanted to have a place to track what I am doing with my new bike and how it is performing. I have had over a dozen emergency room visits due to head injuries so my memory leaves a bit to be desired. Therefore, having a place to put the info as it happens seems ideal.

I have been following some of the threads on here for years, i owned a 650 vstar at one point and seeing the mpg of the 250 ninjas around made me a bit jealous. Finally had the opportunity to get a new bike and decided to go that direction. I liked the fuel injection and single cylinder style of the Honda CBR250s while i was watching the progess of people on their ninjettes. When it came time to buy the 300 was out and I liked a lot about it.

Some people may prefer the recumbent seating position, I personally do not. My old cruiser used to make my back hurt quite badly. I fractured my L3-L4 while in the military and it never healed properly, the tucked riding position relieves the stress that cruiser styling causes. My only issue now is that I have no padding for the tank yet and my upper back hurts from trying to save some pain in my sternum from resting on hard metal. This should be fixed soon.

Right now I've got close to 700 miles on it after leaving the dealership with 1.5 on it. So far (due to the tiny tank) I have 4 fill ups on fuelly with an average of 74mpg. I haven't been trying to get good numbers either though. I got my break in service done at 600 miles and it seems to run a bit better now. My last fill up, includes some mileage driven post-servicing, saw me at 78.7 mpg! I was looking forward to finding my baseline, i had no idea it would be so high. I don't see there being much difficulty finding 110+.

I am fairly small at 5'9" and 160lbs. tops in full gear. This bike is the perfect size for me though. I can flat foot both feet at a stop, though just barely. I enjoy tucked riding as it takes strain of my wrists, both have been fractured in the past. I tuck almost all the time which probably helps my fuel economy. One issue I have out here in the high plains of the rockies is wind tossing me about on the highway. I am not sure I will rush into a ton of aero modding (full fairings and boat tails anyway) since i don't want to make it any easier for these winds to toss me sideways. I have no issues doing over 80 (75 mph speed limits out here) into a headwind so aero mods aren't my main concern anyway.

Where I do plan to start is gearing. A 15t sprocket up front will likely be my first mod. I think first runs out too soon and often look for a 7th or 8th gear. Lowering the rpms at highway speeds should help quite a bit. Depending on results I will determine if I should get a smaller back sprocket also. I like the idea of going with higher quality, lighter materials in the drivetrain to reduce loss between engine and tire. I am looking into a better quality chain with out o-rings and a chain oiler to keep everything smooth as well as lightening it up even more.

I also plan on working on my hypermiling techniques now that the bike is broke in. We will see where it goes. After I see the numbers on hypermiling + drive train upgrades, I will then consider where to go with the aero. The only things I have considered so far are adjustable handle bars so my hands aren't as high up when I am tucked, and rear fender elimination is being contemplated. I may do some tuft tests to see if the rear fender is as much of a parachute as it looks like.

Stay tuned, I will try to detail the changes as much as possible as I go along since I always enjoy those type of threads better myself. Thanks for reading, please know I welcome any and all suggestions or ideas.

[MobilOne]

Hi,
Welcome to the site!
I lived in Colorado 1961-1964 while I was in the USAF in Denver.
Be careful on that bike!

[travelingaaron]

Thank you for the welcome, I have been around this site for half a decade or more now though . I have a feeling this place has changed a tremendous amount since you lived here. Just in the last couple years since pot was legalized the place has changed dramatically with so many people moving here. Cheers!

[user removed]

Welcome aboard, just took my GZ250 out today, last tank was 74 mpg, fun to blast around in a 250 single, but my back likes the opposite (cruiser style). I had a CBR250 and a Ninja 300 as well as a TU250x, half a dozen Rebels, and a few others, but this $650 75 mpg bike is just plain fun. Saves wear and tear on the car and the short haul local rides improve the cars mpg.

regards
mech

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by travelingaaron

.... I like the idea of going with higher quality, lighter materials in the drivetrain to reduce loss between engine and tire. I am looking into a better quality chain with out o-rings and a chain oiler to keep everything smooth as well as lightening it up even more......

I second your opinion on using a non-oring chain for final drive.

I just purchased a new 2012 CBR250 which has an oring chain, and I would estimate that the rolling resistance of that chain is about 3 times higher than a similar sized chain on the old 500 Interceptor.

Road example: with the Interceptor, I can shut off the engine about 1/8 mile before the parking lot at work and still slightly increase my speed while going down a 1% grade. On the CBR, I almost loose too much speed to the point where I have to start the engine just to make the same parking lot. Big difference.

The speed down the hill is only 20 mph, so air drag is not much of a factor, but the difference in chains is.

Jim.

[travelingaaron]

Sounds like a fun list of bikes Mech. I was torn between the rebel and the 300 but sitting on them told me that my back was the one making the decision. This is the first sport bike I ever sat on.

Thanks for the input Jim, I may change it sooner rather than later in light of that info. Was going to wait for this one to near wearing out but now I'm not so sure.

[user removed]

You would like this one, 89 GS 500 E, first year with clip ons (only year).
Been sitting waiting for me to get off my arse.

regards
mech

[sendler]

I am over 90 mpgUS lifetime on my CBR250R.

[3-Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

You would like this one, 89 GS 500 E, first year with clip ons (only year).
Been sitting waiting for me to get off my arse.

regards
mech

Mech,

That Suzuki is absolutely pristine and beautiful. Did you own it since new?

I've been working on cleaning up the Interceptor for sale over the last month, including sandblasting the rims, adding new black paint (stock color), taking the exhaust system apart and painting the headers and resonator flat black, and detailing the entire bike, but it still does not look as nice as your Suzuki.



Jim.

[user removed]

LOL it's far from pristine, paid $750 for it barely running. think it had 9808 miles. now a little over 10k in 26years. Had it close to 2 years.

regards
mech