Congrats for the great review guys.. The photos were world class as usual..

@ Sunny - A small request.. Please upload the Ninja's new console pics.. Also, please focus the dash rather than the ignition slot.. I'm sure you can find the new white console's pic on the internet.. It'll do the bike a LITTLE bit more justice and your review will be much more complete.. Cheers..

Very informative review for those who want to know how these two little beasts are different..each word worth reading.
The only ground which stands valid for comparison of Ninja and CBR250R is displacement being same. Both have huge difference in price tag which won't be the reason for comparison in any case.

CBR250 is already a success in Thailand, Malaysia so Honda didn't want to be partial with Indian riders who were left with not much options in this segment. P220/ZMA-R/R15 users can look forward to upgrade to this with a little weight on their pocket !!

good comparo

Good clean comparo - looking to see the real world performance of the CBR in the coming months

+1 .. good notice on exhaust .. just before saying "not fair review" would have clarified with sunny or some one else about it [ofcourse through PM]

i didn;t notice any speed review .. all i read was handling/riding/comfort in this review .. did i miss any speed related points

surely its an upgrade from the P220/ZMA/R15 .. i don;t believe ppl saying its not upgrade from P/Z/R bikes .. there is big difference between 150 and 220 and 250

Wonderful review team.

Exactly the way i expected it to be. Job well done.

Did you guyz get a chance to ride the ABS version? If you could, kindly check the braking prowess of the unit. And do the comparison. It will help many people who might be confused between the base version and the ABS one.

@Sunil: How comfortable the bike is for the people of our height? Considering the touring part.

Thanks a million everyone for taking the review in its true light and not twisting things towards an unnecessary comparison fest. Each and every bike has a distinct and unique identity of its own. And the confidence to be able to evaluate them on an absolute basis rather than just understanding a bike by comparing it to another known benchmark is a measure of your knowledge about the tools of your passion. If all you can do is compare and announce a verdict, its only a reflection of your own intellectual paucity and has nothing to do with the real characteristics of the bike in question.

The arrival of the CBR is a very welcome change in the India motorcycling scenario. When I was riding around on the Rajdoot and the Yezdi, a bike like the Karizma was a dream, what of something like the CBR and Ninja being available here. So lets revel in the newness and excitement that the arena of this amazing sport is seeing in our country and celebrate the goodies you can lay your hands on now and in the days to come.

'Nuff Said!

The Divider.....

now that leaves no thin line between the two.

but may be a test comparison between the two would create that gap. but how far? what would still slice the gap is the price tag. so what does it mean? i have more questions as well, but not here, could drop us into a argument...

could some one give a final call?

well ill re phrase old fox's statement ..

The point is , there is no final call. Both bikes are extremely different and need to be enjoyed for their own unique purpose -

High revving excitement of the ninja parallel twin
Smooth torque distribution and easy touring on the cbr ( not that ninja aint a good tourer but still )

put the ninja and the baby ceeber in a straight line drag , and its pretty obvious that the ninja will pull away. But things are really different in an everyday riding scenario .. no one is going to miss the extra 7 horses while overtaking an autorickshaw in the city or overtaking a cage on the highway ( with the 21 horses of the 220 , i find it effortless to maintain and overtake at high speeds on the highway, so both the ceeber owner and the ninja owner are going to be happier than me ). So 26 horsepower on a bike that can really use it properly is powerful enough. That said , the ninja is not the best 250 in the world for nothing - kawasaki has extracted a lot from just a 250cc mill ! Hats off to that 2 cylinder screamer !

And Since no review is complete without pitting a bike against its nearest competitor , this review has been made. And it clearly is not a comparo of performance .. Its just the positives and negatives about each bike. At the end of the day , a cbr owner and a ninja owner are going to be equally happy on their respectve rides -
the ninja guy having the sheer advantage of two cylinders a high redline and the honda guy having the refinement and power ( obviously lessr than the ninja but more than the other indian bikes ) of the single cylinder but at half the price !

Both bikes rock in their own ways !!
Peace

^^ shottouts likes this can't determine one as winner ..

as said by members its just the comparison without tilting the needle to either side .. just comparison of all characteristics...

if Ninja announced as winner .. then wt abt CBR pricing ? if CBR announced as winner [by features like CABS,digital console , new tech] ...then wt about Ninja performance ?..... see both have some +ve and -ve points .... although both are almost equal in all the senses with slight variation .. both are good bikes and both are worth

i like this kind of reviews .. just compare and show which bike has what ? and let the others prospective buyers to decide which one they want

nice review ,,
hope yamaha launches, a R25 soon ,

+1.... Finally it's just your personal choice. Choose what's best for you!

Nice Review.

It made me even more impatient to ride my CBR!!!!

An excellent review, Sunny. The best part, in my opinion was the frank and truthful conclusion that these two bikes address two completely different segments of the biking creed. That took courage - to not compare apples with oranges.

This link has a similar review though it is definitely not as unbiased as the one by you.

Honda CBR250R vs Kawasaki Ninja 250R - Motorcycle USA

A particular point that I found strange was the torque comparo where the Ninja cruised (as per the reviewer) at 70 mph at a full 2000 rpm lower than the CBR. Also contradictory (insofar as segment appeal is concerned) was the higher gearing of the Ninja vis-a-vis the CBR. The above two attributes point to the Ninja being a better tourer, despite the decidedly sporting ergonomics.

Sunny, a personal request from me. Could you do a review of the two (at your convenience) from the tourer perspective? I will lend great credence to your test as it will be a) from an Indian rider and b) on Indian roads.

Again, thanks a ton for the superb review and LAVISH photos. Beautiful camera + expert clicker = a sight for sore eyes.

Regards,

Maneesh

+1 to that waiting eagerly

and it was a great review loved every bit of