3 Honda CBR250R Review: Looks, Fit & Finish

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.

5 2011 Yamaha FZ Series (New Colors + Kick Starter)

Yamaha freshens up its FZ series for 2011 in India..

The 150 cc motorcycle scene in India is getting quite predictable and a bit boring..

First launced in 2008, Yamaha India had unveiled its entire FZ range (FZ, FZ-S & Fazer) by 2009, and then it gave the lineup new colors in 2010. In between it also launched limited edition all "White" colored FZ's in 2009 and all "Black" colored FZ's in 2010. Now Yamaha India has once again decided to "freshen" up its FZ range for 2011.

So what we get are new color combinations, a blackened exhaust cover and slightly redesigned stickers. Apart from new colors, there are two other things which stand out for the "keen eyed" biker.

1. Kick start has been added to all the FZ variants (Why..??)

2. Yamaha seems to have dropped the "16" from the original FZ16 and is now being branded as just "FZ" (at least in the official press release)

2011 Yamaha FZ in new Colors

Posted below is the 2011 FZ-S in "Yellow Streak" color. Other new 2011 color combinations are also posted below..

2 Avenger (or any Classic Cruiser) is not a bike for bad roads

Classic Cruisers like the Avenger are not the ideal set of wheels to ride/tour on bad roads..

Two of my friends with whom I went on the recent bike trip to Tawang, had been Avenger owners. One of them has switched to a Royal Enfield Classic 500,the other still has his Avenger with him. The reason for both of them going for the Avenger was because they were into touring.

This is the common image of a motorcycle in the Classic Cruiser format. i.e. a bike suitable for “touring”. In reality, a Classic Cruiser motorcycle is comfortable to ride only on perfect, smooth roads. These kind of motorcycles are not at all suitable to ride on bad/broken surfaces, leave alone touring on off road terrain.

Why are bikes like Avenger not good on bad roads?

16 Hunto..!! Pulsar, India’s No. 1 Sports Bike! [2011 Pulsar TVC]

Pulsar TV Commercial makes a "Hunto" comeback..!!

Q 1: What's common between: Bullet trains, Yakuzas, Samurais, Sushi bars & Geishas ?

Ans: All of them belong to the land of the rising sun, Japan.

Q 2: So what’s it that they got to do with our "desi" Pulsar..??

Ans: Check out the latest TV Commercial to find out.

5 2011 Hero Honda Karizma ZMR? Not really

Look closely.. Hero prepares for it's imminent divorce from Honda..

Hero Honda designers/painters have added a bit of color here and there, that's all. According to me it’s definitely not an upgrade for the Karizma ZMR per se.

Where has the paint been applied this time?

1. Body colored rear view mirrors and rear grab rails

2. Copper (dull gold?) colored silencer heat shied

3. ZMR branding replaces the Hero Honda branding on the Speedo console

4. Engine has been untouched (yawn)

According to me it is the 3rd point which might be a subtle but represents an important change.