Initial Impression of the Honda CBR250R..
"I Enjoy the Quality", this is the current tag line of Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India Ltd.'s (HMSI) in India. Which actually reflects how the brand is perceived in India. i.e. Honda = Quality.
I was therefore surprised to read the initial reports of the CBR250R (HMSI's flagship model in India) which reported of "Chipped Paint", "Not so great Quality of Plastics/seat cover material" and even leaking cylinder heads..!!
[Check out these reports on Team-Bhp & xBhp].
I finally went to the HMSI showroom the other day as they had recently put a CBR250R on display. Sadly I did not take my camera, therefore am posting a few pics which has been taken from Team-Bhp & xBhp. Test rides are still not being offered, therefore this is just the inital look and feel evaluation of the bike.
CBR250R first impressions:
- Looks: Ok. Size is not too big & not too small
- Fit: Ok
- Finish: Should have been better on certain parts
Although I did not come across any chipped paint (like posted on Team-Bhp & xBhp and shown below), the quality of certain parts definitely should have been better for a premium flagship product which costs Rs. 1.5-1.8 lakhs.
For example, the seat cover on the CBR250R looks like a cost cutting exercise. Even the seat cover material of the 110 cc CB Twister has a better quality and finish.
The back plastic used generously on the side panels and the rear portion doesn't give that impression of a premium product. Even the finishing of the alloy clip ons weren't the best that I had seen on current Indian models.
The Karizma ZMR might have an ungainly fairing but there is no dispute that the quality of plastic on the ZMR is better than that of the CBR250R. Even the clip ons of the ZMR has a premium feel to it.
The initial quality issues of the CBR250R can be forgiven as teething issues/niggles but then the quality/finish on body parts is left wanting. Having said that, there will still be guys who would buy the CBR250R for its still is a value for money product.
Photos from Team-Bhp.Com & xBhp.Com
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Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
3 Comments:
Bro, after my test ride of the bike yesterday, all I can say is that at that price tag, small itsy bitsy issues can be overlooked (you would really need some hard scrutiny to notice those). The Honda CBR 250R for India was built with a tight budget in mind to compete in the market and such kind of tight blanket is bound to show your feet somewhere. Unless and until it's a gross quality issue, I guess we can live with the otherwise great performer and amazing package.
But yeah... we have definitely seen better quality from Honda, that's for sure.
I too came across white+red combo cbr a few weeks ago......!!
Totally agreed bro about the plastics quality....they should have been better.....!!
still VFM...since 26 bhp isn't bad...!!
Hmm, the price of CBR 250 R in India seems plenty competitive, no wonder the quality issue comes out. The CBR 250 R that's sold in Indonesia came from Thailand, and while the price is quite competitive too, they seems nicely built, haven't heard any complain much about 'em quality.
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