I think VFR 250 is going to give Ninja 250 a serious competition in areas like looks, speed and especially price because Indians are very price sensitive no matter what ever the features the bike has, but if they find the price not appealing for the respective product, they may not purchase it.

It ultimately comes down to the buyer profile...

1.A LOT of people will buy these bikes merely to impress girls on the road..for them bike's got nothing more than poser value...so for them, choosing is simple...posers with a lot of money will buy a ninja...not so much cash, buy a CBR250 (those insanely rich posers will obviously get an R1 or a Busa)

2.Next are the enthusiasts, like most of the beings in xbhp...
...some are avid tourers...for them comfort, reliability, effortless cruising matter...I dont know about the touring comforts on a ninja..with all that power its always possible but its more of a track focussed, peaky? supersport..whereas from the specs and the initial reviews alone, CBR seems to be more of a tourers delight..and given the honda reliability and refinement and the relatively low price, this bike should be a better choice for this category of people
...whereas for some its all about corner carving on twisty roads, top end rush, and fun on the weekly/monthly track days...they will look for handling and performance more than comfort...we dont know the performance of the CBR yet..should wait for data from a thorough track test or better a shootout with the ninja to comment...however ninja's prowess is well known...but again money can be a deciding factor...budget decides the choice here

3. and there are people who go crazy even if there is a 0.02 sec difference in 0-100 performance...who are obsessed with setting the fastest lap times...these people will even sell their soul to the devil to get the ninja or whatever

i would pesonally prefer a bike with better offroading (most of the roads around my place qualify) capabilities..full fairing will be a hindrance i feel..so a naked bike is my choice(say katoom)..buts thats off the point here

Any takers to say about the GC of CBR 250R compared to Ninja?

Hi Guys,
I've been following this thread & others related to CBR250 avidly. I must express my 6 months of expereince with Ninja-250R.

I've been on many short (300 Kms) weekend blasts & also on a 1000 Kms trip recently (which includes riding up Kolli Hills with 71 very steep Hair pin bends) on my Ninja. I've found out that it's amazingly confortable & reliable for Touring.... . The riding position is really flexible. What i mean is that, you can take up an aggressive position or a commuterish position depending on your mood....

Of course, it can't be as comfortable as my Karizma-R; but i had no body pain/fatigue whatsoever after my trips on the Ninja.

And yes, the top end helps on the long Stretches on the Highways & Expressways..... Also, you can give all those small hatchback cars a run for their money...

Its a simple thing.
My dad would choose the CBR.
I would vouch for the Kwacker.
(obviously, assuming we have the moolah )

My dad would tell his pals that he and his son, both have a 250cc bike.
I would tell my friends that my bike is a twin and my dad's is a single cylinder.
My bike churns 33bhp..while dad's gives out 26.

My dad would tell his pals that his bike has got a fatter rear tyre than his son's bike, while I would tell my friends that my bike is more track oriented and hence, corners better!

The kwacker was made with an aim - To provide a 'starter' bike for guys who might wanna upgrade to upgrade to a bigger machine, hence the more track oriented behaviour.
I still haven't understood the aim for the CBR??!
We, in India, required a bike that would be more of a sports tourer than anything else!
But since, its a global launch, it clearly shows that Honda didn't make the bike keeping only India's want. That's the only question that bugs me.

Its funny how you seem to have concluded that Ninja corners better than the upcoming CBR250R. Obviously you haven't ridden the CBR (have you?), I would assume you have ridden the Ninja though. Both have similar chassis and suspension development. How can you conclude that Ninja corners better than the CBR? What we know is Ninja would definitely be quicker and faster, but that is it.

It is!

It is not.. P220 at ~70k and CBR250R at ~170k? How can we even compare?

Mere 6bhps ain't gonna make difference to an enthusiast too.. Lakh Rupees difference is not justified for this..

The reason for the difference (CKD) is irrational to the consumer.

BTW, being enthusiast doesn't mean an irrational consumer nor being dumb.. Of course there are maniacal enthus.. no doubts..

I have seen enthusiasts in ardent love with RX100, and they won't care looking to new babies.. They are content with it.

[Please don't take any offence coz of my disagreements, it's just my opinion, we're just discussing here. See I don't got anything to do with 6 mins. left to 2011.. ]

Yeahhh?? Why they didn't or couldn't do something to remain in scooter market? Where was Rajeev Bajaj's so called leadership? Only time will tell pal..

Depends upon it's assembly.. unless until there's an official announcement it will all be rumors..

Amen to that!

From what I know, this Kwacker (Ninja 250) is the first bike for people who foray into biking in countries like Australia.. They learn biking on this.. In India we learn on Splendor, that's a different thing..

A aggressive riding position does help conquer the corners better compared with upright riding position that sports tourer have.

Can you point to the link ?

I am sure if Pulsar 250 is in pipeline, Bajaj will show their cards before the actual CBR launch to hold back some customer who aren't so fond of full fairing.

Also considering, P220 on road goes for about 80K... if P250 is expected to priced at 1.3 L ...it will have some well deserved goodies like monoshock, actual liquid cooling and better suspension. Then question will be...Will P250 eat CBR250's market with around 50K less price tag.


Ninjette being the first bike is also true for USA...but even in USA, new riders complain about Ninja250R not being quick and fast enough for Freeways where 80 MPH ( 130 KMPH ) is normal speed and rider is supposed to merge very quickly in the fast moving Freeway traffic. CBR250R with even less horses is not going to help their cause

@ samy

Here you go-

Pulsar 250

Sunny please dont hammer me for searching out whatever possible substitute to CBR :P

I think loads of people who go for ninja, do so not only because they are performance "enthusiasts" , but also because they cannot afford a 10 lakh superbike, so something is better than nothing..
CBR250 is cheap because alot of it is being made in India... I read somewhere that its the first honda with a CBR tag being made outside Japan ! so this is a big turning point...
From what I have read, this bike is really good... newer than the ninja, and tech. more advanced.. (like abs n stuff). Ninja is a proven good bike around the globe... but cmon, its ageing...

Honda will surely sell more than ninja..

That's a Kwacker 650 due to launch Mar 2011 or so. That's 100% not a Pulsar 250.

yeah sales will effect only because of dumb riders [no offence] who will think both bikes are 250cc who know what ninja is and have enough finance will buy ninja for sure

Happy new year to all riders.

2011 will be the super bike year esp starting at 250 CC.

it seems that the Honda 250 will not give ninja much competition, but the latest issue of bike magazine confirms that Bajaj will lunch a single cylinder 250 cc in the first quarter 2011. it also will have mono suspension. this will turn out to be a honda killer with price and may be performance , again as the fastest Indian 250 CC.

Ninja will remain as the perfect all rounder bike and Honda may have to fight its battle against Bajaj and not with Kawasaki.

the bike india issue also talks about yamaha fazer 250 almost ready for mid 2011 launch.dealers have been breifed too. KTM 200 is also coming

Speaking purely from a Business point of view (as Sunny wants it):

CBR250R: Positives

+ [1] Substantially cheaper price tag (almost 50% less for the base variant compared to the Ninja 250R)

+ [2] Full faired good looks

+ [b] "Honda" badge


Things that could work against the CBR 250R:

- [1] Higher sales could mean loss of exclusivity



Ninja 250R: Positives

+ [1] Honest Super Sports inspired looks

+ [2] "Ninja" badge

+ [3] At 2.7 lakhs ex-showroom, the bike still remains out of reach of most and therefore more exclusive and desirable



Come to think of it, the Ninja 250R sold 1000 units in One year. According to me, the Honda CBR250R has the potential of doing 1000 units in One Month..!!

It goes without saying that the CBR250R will definitely do more units than the Ninja250R in India. But is there a possibility of killing the sales of the Ninja 250R..?? I don't see from where.

The sales of the Ninja 250R still come from the "creamy" layer of guys with enough disposable income to buy a Ninja250R instead of a similarly priced Maruti Alto.


Ultimately

Those who CAN: Will "mostly" go for the Ninja250R
Those who CANNOT: Will "mostly" go for the CBR250R




[Note: Please read the term "mostly" above before getting offended]