No Quarter: 250 Battle Heats Up Rise of the modern 250: Japan aims low and hits the competition where they least expect it.

October 26, 2012 By Blake Conner 36 Comments
Photographer : Illustration by C.G. Design

Extravagance has its place…if you’re a one-percenter. But for the rest of the population, $28,000-a-pop Panigale Tricolores, $10,000 European enduros and just-shy-of-$40K factory-custom H-D CVOs just don’t jibe with economic realities.

Thankfully, the motorcycle industry has listened. In particular, the Japanese, who have taken quite a beating in the press the past four years for not matching the technological advances of European manufacturers.

Despite appearing to have been overly cautious while weathering the financial maelstrom of the past several years, Kawasaki and Honda now seem to be quite savvy for attacking the opposite end of the motorcycle market with bikes like the $4799 Ninja 300 (brand-new for 2013), Honda’s $4099 CBR250R ($4599 w/ABS) and new-for-’13, $4499 CRF250L.

“The entry-level market is very important to Honda and a segment where we’re seeing a lot of growth,” said American Honda’s Manager of Motorcycle Press, Bill Savino. “A lot of the younger buyers are coming in and looking for high-quality, inexpensive, fuel-efficient machines like the CBR250R and CRF250L. But we are also seeing a lot of people reentering the market after being off of motorcycles for three, five or even 10 years. These 250s and bikes like the brand-new NC700X are key to getting both types of customers riding.”

Future options for these consumers appear to be quickly expanding. Some of the following machines will soon be joining the sub-$5000 party, while others we can only dream about.

2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300
Team Green is upping the ante with its all-new Ninja 300, which impressed us at the bike’s launch and should prove to be a big hit for Kawasaki in the years to come.

2013/14 Yamaha YZF-R250
With all the movement in this entry-level area, we predict that Yamaha is planning to get in on the action in the U.S., as well. You heard it here first, because we aren’t just passing along the rumor; we’re starting it!

Yamaha currently sells numerous small-displacement sportbikes in other markets. In Europe, the YZF-R125—powered by a liquid-cooled, sohc, 125cc four-valve Single—has been sold since ’08, while in Southeast Asia, it’s the YZF-R15, a liquid-cooled, sohc, 150cc four-valve Single.

With small-displacement bikes in the limelight, the Tuning Fork company is surely considering filling the gaps in its lineup. Currently, the only models that play the part are the relatively pricey WR250R ($6590), ancient XT250 and TW200 dual-sports ($5090 and $4490), and $4190 Star V Star 250 cruiser.

If Yamaha decides to go the single-cylinder route, it already has the fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, 250cc four-valve engine from the aforementioned WR250R. The real question is whether Yamaha could price such a machine competitively (under $5000) using a variation of this engine, which currently has trick (read: expensive) features such as titanium intake valves, a forged piston and EXUP exhaust valve.

Consumers are demanding fuel-efficient, inexpensive transportation, and manufacturers see these machines as a way to ensure their own future livelihood by getting the next generation on motorcycles before it’s too late. Either way, unless fuel prices suddenly get cut in half, we expect to see an explosion of growth in this segment and can’t wait to see what other fun bikes the future brings.

Kawasaki's 2013 Ninja 250: Will it be a 300 in the U.S.?

Honda's CBR250R has been a huge success.

The 249cc Single from Yamaha's WR250R would make a great basis for the YZF-R250's engine.

Filed Under: Dual-Sport/Adventure, Features, Sportbike Tagged With: 2013, CBR250R, Commuter, CRF250L, Entry-Level, Honda, Kawasaki, Ninja 250, Ninja 300, YZF-R250

rohorn

When will someone make a street bike a Moto3 connection?

Dave

KTM claims to be working on this right now with a faired version of the Indian made Duke 350 due in the US next year. HP figures I have seen are optimistic but it should be pretty neat.

jfc1

These bikes are even more of a joke than a $14k R1.

Sure they’re a better value and much more reasonable in terms of performance for street-riding, but still I can pick-up a used R1 for this price. The big saving is in insurance.

But what happened to the days when I could get a brand-new FJ1100 or GPz1100 for $2500? The problem is really no further than all those expensive low-weight high-perofrmance castings and forgings, the 15k redlines, the 150hp+ at the rear wheel…good-grief we’re talking about streetbikes here!!!!!!

Still any day of the week I can go on the Internet and find a much-better deal than a new bike and that is the MAIN problem that Japan is dealing with. Their new bikes are just not worth the money except in very rare cases.

In any case why would I want to buy a screaming-yellow Lawson replica like this?

jfc1

…it’s not the technology or the lack of it. It’s the credit.

The days when someone with less than stellar credit (not to mention any sort of an insurance risk) could go out and get a $12k loan for a new bike with $2500 down are long gone. These bikes are cheaper…they’re also lighter and smaller and even easier to steal. And it’s not like you can’t wreck them because they’re only 250cc.
jfc1

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

says that a $2500 bike adjusted for inflation would cost $7500 in 2012 dollars.

So why is an R1 twice the price as a 1980 FJ1200 adjusted for inflation?

Is it twice as fast on the track? Of course not.

is it twice as good on the street? LOL

A new R1 is just a fraction of the value of a 20 year old literbike, when it comes to street riding. How does a new 250 compare? It doesn’t compare at all. Unless you run out of gas and have to push the bike uphill why would you want a bike this small, with this little power & torque? 350lbs with 30hp ? Be serious.

By the way that inflation adjuster says that a middle-class income of $50k/yr would be about $140k today and that $1.00/gallon gas would be $2.81/gallon. Where’s the extra value from the real vs adjusted price?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Will-WIlkins-III/22912611 Will WIlkins III

Quite frankly I’m confused why most people buy new bikes at all. Bikes are treated like Jet Skis; rarely used and sold for cheap to clear out garage space. Few are ridden to death(unlike asia!) beyond repair.
Patman

I guess you just don’t like Eddie? I’m working on a YSR 50,converting it to an electric motor attached to the Yamaha gearbox.By using a 1000W motor with Lithium batteries,I’ll be able to commute to work,plug it in,and ride home for pennies per mile! I’ve ridden raceprepped RZ500′s,this will be close in scale,with the immediate torque from the electric motor,will leave you and your”big” bike in the weeds!

FreeFrog

I for one am happy to see small displacement bikes making a resurgence… though for us “larger” American riders a 250cc is a little under-powered; I’m more a fan of 400-500cc bikes for that reason. It’s not always about bang for the horsepower buck (though I admittedly ride an older 1000cc bike for just that reason nowadays), but for entry-level or commuter types, I really don’t think a 600cc (or larger) supersport bike is a “good” first intro — great bikes for serious canyon carving and track days, but more than is needed for newbies or for most city streets it’s not idea or ecomonical. People need to first learn to ride, then migrate to more power if they want to. For some, the fuel saving and improved handling of smaller displacement bikes is likewise just what the doctor ordered.
johnny mars

Yamaha: Bring back the RD-350!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Will-WIlkins-III/22912611 Will WIlkins III

second that!

Patman

Fuel injected 2 strokes with tiny cats on them,clean,economical! Bring back the RZ350 & RZ500 !!

Kalaazar

Small motorcycles are a blast to ride! For you *haters* out there that don’t believe that small bikes have a place in the world, let alone in the US, you are wrong. Sorry if that hurts your feelings…
Small bikes (250-500cc) have huge benefits for ALL riders, not just the newbies. There are way too many people crashing all types of bikes because of a lack of rider skills. (Yes, probably even you) With your **basic** 600cc sportbike, you can do roughly 100 mph in first gear. How is THAT useful for commuting or getting to the store? Lower HP motorcycles let you ride more safely in any and all conditions.
Yes, even on the freeways, because even the lowest 250cc can exceed any posted speed limit.
Motorcycling as a whole is under attack from those that view our passion as a wasteful and dangerous activity. When people see the *squids* out there doing wheelies on our freeways, the majority of those people join the forces of haters that want to shut us down. We the riders have to understand our responsibilities and act accordingly.

jfc1

I am sure that they do have a place, just not under me.

And I’m quite sure that there are a lot of people who crash because they lack skills. There are also a lot of people who crash because they’re simply bad drivers, and also because they ride bikes that are too unresponsive to avoid idiotic drivers, that make the rider take extreme risks (like taking forever to pass) . I could go on. You simply would not catch me on one of these bikes nor would I advise one for even a beginning rider. Get a decent standard that has some real power and can get out of its own way. And as far as riders behaving badly on the street, regardless you’re going to have people doing that. I can show you plenty of Youtube videos of people pulling wheelies and stoppies on mopeds.You don’t need a Gixxer600 to do that. Kids will be kids, regardless of what they ride.

Again, enough with the half-logic.

asiabiker

Less power = better/safer for newbs. When they’re better drivers they can better appreciate the power increase.

I rode a 250cc as a daily commuter for years. They have more than enough power to overtake any cager or get out of trouble.

“Real power” lol, I regularly drove 70+mph in cities and 110 mph on country roads. 250cc is a decent sized engine; don’t confuse it with a 50cc scooter engine….those will get ya killed for lack of power.

jfc1

“Less power = better/safer for newbs.”

The safest thing for a newbie is to not ride a motorcycle at all.
Second safest is to not ride them on the street.

Once they get on a bike and ride it in traffic, it’s inherently unsafe. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 250 or 600 or a 125 or a literbike.

This continues on until they become safe riders. Which is not a function of the power available on tap…there is virtually no correlation between rider safety and engine power.

“When they’re better drivers they can better appreciate the power increase.”

…likewise there is very little correlation between rider experience and rider “quality” and “appreciation of power”. Some people will never appreciate a powerful bike because (drum roll please) they just will never make use of the power. A completely inexperienced newbie can easily hop on a powerful bike and twist the throttle and enjoy the heck out of it. Many do in fact!

Your opinion is thoughtless and disconnected from reality yet delivered in an offensively pedantic style reminiscent of a high-school traffic-safety instructor. Take my word on it. Hundreds of thousands of new motorcyclists prove you wrong every year.
jfc1

for every plus that you can think of, when it comes to motorcycles, there is a minus. Sure a low-power bike is harder for a rider to lose control of, there is less of a risk of them getting too aggressive on the throttle and looping it. The other side of that is that they feel more comfortable on the bike more quickly and begin to ride at their limits in an overconfident manner. One thing that a powerful bike will do is command respect from a newbie. If they don’t flip themselves off it in the first few miles, they are likely to be as safe on it as on anything less powerful.

And face it you can do stupid things on a bike any day of the week, at any experience-level.

The sheer fact that you are on a motorcycle riding on the street in traffic is inherently unsafe. All else is just lipstick on that pig. But in my mind, the best lipstick to put on that pig is to have the HP to run away from traffic in the blink of an eye.

Even so, and trust me on this, I have seen more than enough riders tailgating and otherwise riding too close and too inattentively trusting traffic and road-conditions too much and just riding around almost looking to get into accidents. On slow “low-power” bikes. On mopeds. On *scooters*. As long as you’re on two wheels you’re in the same boat.

Plain and simple unless you’ve got some physical handicap and can’t pick up a bigger bike when it tips over or maybe a size limitation so you can’t deal with anything over 35″ say I’d start with a 600 and work my way up from there. A 750/800 I could easily recommend for an entry-level rider. But still if you’re mature enough there’s no reason that you can’t start off with a decent 1200 or so.

And that’s based on 30 years of riding experience. Not some half-baked quarter-logic.

These 250s are just overgrown mopeds. And sure you can see scooters doing 75 in traffic too you know. Plenty of them now.

jfc1

plain and simple: riding a sportbike isn’t going to make you Eddie Lawson any more than riding one of these 250s is going to make you Edith Bunker. People who are poor riders are going to be poor riders regardless of what they ride, same with unsafe riders.

ducatirdr

Back in the 80′s I remember seeing grey market VFR400′s and GSx400R’s around. Full on factory replicas in street friendly displacement. Yes the tiered license of some countries forced that size upon them. Yet those bikes were so freaking cool. I’d love to see the 250/300 market heat up into a technology-price war.

I really think that image of the YZF-R250 in that KR paint scheme is KILLER!
Joseph

I hate how you tricked people into thinking a new 250 is coming out.
sgiffordtx

When gas prices go permanently higher (and with the world on the downside of the oil-availability bell-curve, they will), small and mid-size (500/650cc) bikes will have a major resurgence. It will be a nice change from the focus on razor-edge sport bikes or fat, heavy cruisers. It will interesting to see how Harley responds to the need for much higher fuel-efficiency. Maybe another Italian-sourced small-bore Harley…

artist_formally_known_as_cWj

Gas prices are already permanently higher.

I am already seeing more scooters and 250s on the road.

AND more bicycles.

artist_formally_known_as_cWj

Gas prices are already permanently higher.

I am already seeing more scooters and 250s on the road.

AND more bicycles.
artist_formally_known_as_cWj

Language.
jfc1

you really ought to learn how to read properly.
jfc1

In deference to the mod here I’ll keep this brief but the point needs to be made: I think it’s ludicrous to worry about what is “more than needed” or “ideal” or “economical” when you’re talking about motorcycles. No one needs a motorcycle, it is in no way “ideal” transportation unless you’re using it to cut through traffic in decent weather, and most definitely not “economical” at $5k for a brand-new 250 compared to a decent used bike that has more power at that price or less or is just much cheaper. Sorry. Buying a bike is about one and only one thing, in a credible sense: pure enjoyment. Even then there are a lot of ways to get your jollies on, on the road, that are much more useful, versatile, sensible and economical. Enough with the half-sense.
jfc1

Depends on the market and the markup, but in any case you can play the same inflation game with either price. A 3x price increase over the past 30 years simply due to inflation. Against that, 30 years of bike *sales* with depreciation each and every year, and at most a 50% increase in peak horsepower and a reduction of perhaps 30% in wet weight. .That means a lot of old bikes out there that are more than fast enough and handle and brake well enough for most riders, for a lot less money than a new bike.

Combine that with the credit-crunch?

That is what’s killing the market.

Fiscal sanity. At last. After years of “no money down, no license required, 3% financing of a $10k loan in 15 minutes as long as you have a steady source of income.”
jim

I like to see this segment get more attention also. If you get on one and ride, you may find you like the going through the gears fun factor. I think motorcycles have gotten oversized and clumsy looking. See what Honda is doing with the new 500′s? Neat.
Shavuotis

I have been riding off and on since 1976. I have piloted everything from minibikes to 1300cc cruisers. Personally, I think the bike market is pretty blase’. You now have crotch rockets (and I have ridden more than one), standards(which are crotch rockets without the fairings, a style made popular by crotch rocket riders who crashed them and couldn’t afford to replace the fairings. You have all of the “cruisers” which, let’s be honest are all HD/Indian knock offs. Crotch rockets are great for speeding tickets and hospital/mortuary visits. They are race bikes with lights. Great for profiling on main street. Lousy on the long haul. Cruisers are nice and comfortable if you can afford them and not everyone wants a bike like that. What happened to mid range utilitarian motorcycles that don’t look like a lab experiment gone wrong? The Suzuki Tu 250 is a step in the right direction but needs an engine upgrade to 500cc. I know this is just my opinion and everyone has one. But the market to me seems to have a large hole in it. Honda made a step in the right direction with the introduction of the CB 1100 but I wonder how many people will have the money to pay for it? I agree that more smaller displacement bikes for street use need to be made available. I also agree that putting a newbie on an R6 is like putting a machine gun in a toddlers hands. Being able to hit 70mph in a 30mph zone or popping wheelies is not an indicator of skill. Owning a motorcycle and calling yourself a rider is like owning a guitar and calling yourself a musician. I learned to ride on a Honda SL 175 and spent a fair amount of time off road and on city streets. It had plenty of power for a beginning street rider and enough to keep it interesting in the dirt. It was a good way to learn how to handle a bike and learn just what it would do. Just MHO.
Shavuotis

I disagree that motorcycles are just for enjoyment. A fair portion of this planet uses them because they cannot afford cars. The cost is becoming ridiculous for taxes, tags, insurance and upkeep. There are a lot of bikes out there that don’t cost a lot and can be maintained and serviced for the most part way cheaper than a car or truck. Many bikes out there now get mileage that would as one writer put it ” make a Prius owner green with envy.” Yes motorcycles are fun. But if one uses common sense, they are also very practical and can easily pay for themselves in fuel cost saved and wear and tear on the family vehicle. The truth is that we jump in the car to get a loaf of bread when we could easily take a bicycle, scooter or motorcycle and save some $$$ while at the same time putting a smile on our face. Something which doesn’t happen enough nowadays.
Jim

“Around” 5k is not acceptable to me. Maybe I am just ignorant of the time and money devoted to R&D on these bikes, but for a BUDGET bike I feel these bikes shouldn’t be stepping over 4 grand! I bought my first motorcycle over the summer and my first step was into a Honda dealership to look at a new CBR250R, and at the time, 4099 didn’t seem too bad as a price. But when I looked at the dealer dead in the eye and asked the OTD price, it ended up at $5067! So for me, I can’t fathom buying a small displacement bike for 5k, because in the end it will be close to 6 grand! And for that kind of money, well, you can buy a used Honda Civic for those bad weather days and a nice used 90′s sport bike. Maybe I am missing the point, but I feel that these prices still don’t reflect the goal of a 250cc bike. CHEAP AFFORDABLE transportation and enjoying it all the way.
Carbs

I am having a hard time understanding why these small displacement bikes weigh so much. Shouldn’t they weigh just a little more than a 250cc dirtbike? If they had that kind of power to weight ratio they would not only be economical but extremely fun! Maybe squeeze a hopped up 450cc in the frame.
Dave

It all comes down to the old motorcyclist saying which nobody can deny: “Its more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.”
http://www.facebook.com/dochardiksolanki Hardik Solanki

what about katoom’s Duke 390??? why was that conveniently left out??
jfc1

how about some performance data to go along with this “news”?
djrhamz

all i can i say this bike this is very nice,plss yamaha fz250 bring this in the philippines,,.
Mikebike

I like it,but a sub 400 lb curb weight 500cc would be better.