Fuel economy of the CBR250R

Today, on the 6th day of the ownership, I tanked up the CBR250R for the second time to calculate its first fuel economy. The odo read 352km and she took in 10.47 litres of fuel, translating into a real world fuel economy of 33.61 km/l. However, these were the riding conditions

1. The bike was kept in 5th and 6th for 50% of the time

2. The bike was ridden with a pillion 50% of the time

3. The bike is relatively brand new.

I dont really push her as she is new and believe that after the first service, the economy might actually go up a little. There has been a strong rumors and myths about the CBR250R's mileage being less than 30kmpl - this can be the truth but only if one rides always in congested traffic, or in the evening around the locality with friends where the bike stays in 2nd / 3rd and 4th.

I feel that 33.61kmpl for a 250cc bike indeed is fabulous! More updates coming soon

Also to be noted is that the fact that I ran the bike for around 30km after the last fuel gauge barstarted blinking.

Nocturnal Bliss - some shots taken at night

Bikes like the CBR do make you fall in love. I spent a good part of my Sunday yesterday cleaning up the bike - this even though she was just 4 days old. At night, I couldn't resist shooting her under the lights and this is what came as the outcome

The CBR250R indeed looks massive for a 250cc. A layman can easily mistake the bike for a much bigger machine and that infact can sometimes massage your egos!

For all those who curse the manufacturers for stuff like the Saree Guard should understand the fact that the company isnt at fault - they are just complying with the norms laid down by the government of India. The Saree Guard u see here will disappear at the first service (1000km) mark :)


The speedometer console of the Honda CBR250R is again picked up from the VFR1200F - the design part that is. It looks fab at night. The tachometer is analogue while the digital display at the bottom houses the speed, temp, fuel, odo and time functions.
At the time of writing this post, the bike had done 280km. Today is the 5th day of her life with me and we are shortly departing for our daily 65km commute to office and back. I might also tank her up today to register her first tankful to tankful fuel economy. Stay tuned!

3 Days and 250km later - the 1st update

I had immediately tanked up the CBR when I left the dealership, Globus Honda, on the 29th September. The tank took in around 11 litres of fuel and now, with over 250km on the odo, two bars still remain in the fuel display section of the speedometer console.
Bobby Roy, a colleague and a dear friend took this snap on the 2nd day and the bike surely shines ;)

I have mostly been riding the bike on 50% highway stretches and hence making full use of the 6th gear. The gear shifts are pretty smooth though I have learnt that being a single cylinder 250 and the way it has been tuned, the bike doesn't like to be below 3500rpm in the top two gears. The engine does feel as if its protesting and hence I am keeping her between 4000 to 5000rpm in 5th and 6th. Also, these are the speeds in 6th at the following RPMs

4000rpm - 64km/h
5000rpm - 82km/h
6000rpm - 99km/h
I also checked the speedometer error using GPS and the bike showed 80km/h with a true of 75km/h!

Mods
I have done one modification, which was important - the seat. I am 6 feet tall and weigh over 100 (as of Sep 2011) and hence the stock seat didnt feel very comfy. It now has more padding and does feel a tad better.

Hoping to reach the 1000km mark soon (for the 1st service) which is also when I head out to the Himalayas for a much needed break!

Here is another pic of the bike that was taken before the delivery

29th September 2011 - Happy Birthday to me :)

The bike being prepared at the dealership

This was more of a last minute plan! Being an automotive journalist can sometimes help. A couple of calls to the good guys at Honda and my red CBR250R was made available to me on the desired date - my birthday, the 29th of September!
The bike was picked up from Global Honda and within couple of hours, I was out of the dealership, riding my new machine which had just 1km on the odo. Brilliant! I picked up the non ABS version due to lacks of funds and the total on-road price including 3rd year warranty came to around Rs 1.58 lakh.
The bike was immediately ridden 40km away to my present office in Gurgaon. Clicked a few pictures enroute from my Blackberry and hence please excuse the quality!

Enroute Gurgaon - my lid and jacket can be seen!

What kicked off my love for the new CBR250R

November 2009

It was long back in November 2009 (when I was with Bike India magazine) when I went to Japan to be among the first few journalists in this part of the world to ever experience the mighty new VFR1200F. I am a touring guy and love machines that are designed for long distances than track days. The VFR had me hooked though I knew that when it comes to India, its pricing would be out of my reach completely. Still, its comfortable ergonomics, looks and handling had me hooked!

November 2010

In November 2010, when I was heading Dreamcarz magazine out of New Delhi, I got to visit Thailand to again be among the first few journalists from this part of the world to experience the all new CBR250R. I had memories of the VFR1200F deep in mind my mind and could relate the two bikes - both were meant for long distances, both had comfy ergonomics and both were typical Honda machines. That day, after riding the bike at the track in Thailand, I promised myself - this would be my next bike!

November 2011

A few weeks later, I was once again on the biggie VFR1200F - this time being the first journalist in India (along with Bobby Roy on the CBR1000RR) to ride the VFR for such a long distance, all 1400km of it, from Mumbai to Delhi. This trip gave me a fair idea of what the VFR was and what the CBR250R could be. The VFR, with due respect, was completely out of my budget. However, the CBR250R was a different story all together!

January 2011

In January 2011, I looked at the practical side of four-wheels and got myself this - the Hyundai i20. Loaded it with alloys, fat tyres etc and basically exhausted my budget that was kept aside for automobiles. I was now also heading the editorial section for www.Gaadi.com and hence, somewhat, bikes did take a back seat... thought not for long!

26th September 2011

Sorry - no picture for this. I woke up with a thought - to be the biker I was, once again! Within an hour, I was on the phone with the good guys at Honda and told them about what I had in mind. My birthday was three days away (29th Sep) and Honda did the unimaginable! Within two hours, a red CBR250R (non ABS, due to lack of funds) was made available to me for pick up on the 29th September 2011. This was nothing short of a dream - this was too good to be true. A bike with months of waiting, ready to be mine in a matter of a few days. Hats off to Honda, HMSI (Honda Motorcycle Scooters India Ltd) - I owe you one for this!

To be continued....