Go for CBR.....Service & support will be much better then Duke & on highway you will leave duke 200 eat dust......

I ride a duke to work most days of the week. I used to ride an rx-100 when I was in college. Wish I had a duke back then. You need to ride both the duke and the 250r yourself through traffic and a highway before you decide for yourself.

The Duke is a lot more fun to ride than the 250r (my opinion, your mileage may vary). If you enjoy watching revs climb really quickly, razor sharp handling, fun peg scraping, the Duke is your friend. In my opinion, the CBR is still an excellent bike, but it lacks the kind of personality or the sense of urgency that the Duke enjoys, and isn't really a fun college going bike. The CBR on the highways for 300+kms of near straight high speed cruising is just perfect. In the city, the Duke just slices through traffic, threads through eye of the needle sized gaps and reaches 120 kmph quicker than you realize, all leading to a continuous grin plastered on your face throughout your commute. This does not imply that the 250R is any less exciting if revved hard in the city, the duke is just better at that.

The only reason I would choose a CBR over the duke is if majority of my commutes would include a pillion. If not, I'd go with a duke any day. Go take a test ride or borrow a friends bike before you put cash down on either.

Whichever bike you get, don't compromise on gear. Save up your allowance and get the following before you go out riding.
1. Good spec full face helmet. (would recommend SOL & LS2) (3.5k to >30k INR available range)
2. A protective motorcycling jacket (textile/mesh with appropriate armor) (6k to >50k INR available range)
3. Leather riding gloves. Sweaty palms are better than exposed knucke/finger bones. (1.8k to >10k INR available range)
4. Boots (Proper Riding boots or el cheapo steel toe, as per budget)

Minimum budget for gear could be approximately 15-20k. But stagger these purchases out, or get in touch with some other guys here/ on facebook groups for group buy's that bring down the prices.

Ok, now I'm really really confused right now . At first I was very strong with going for the duke since I thought my dad would never agree to spending over 2 L. Now when I've explained to him about ABS and the stuff about CBR, he wants me to give it a try too. Should I really go for the CBR 250 R? Is it really worth shelling out so much? I mean I'm not a tourer right now (You can't tour with an activa ), but I'm planning on big rides after my first bike. Also I want a bike that I'll be riding for a long time. The thing that hurts me the most about CBR is that I don't know of any good ASCs(most are crap, atleast that's what I hear) for Honda here in Chennai. Especially for a bike like the CBR 250 R (If anyone knows a good ASC, can you mention it pls?)

Just go for the CBR...

Now that ur mom dad are convenced, just take it...

Cause after this bike u'll have to wait a min of 2 yrs before u can even ask for a new (Bigger) bike...

And the duke is already maxed out as it reaches its top speed (Limited to 138) at around 10,000 rpm...
So even if u remove the limit by changing the ECU in the future, u would propably end up getting 150-155Kmph at its read line...

Where as the CBR reached 145 at around 8,500 rpm (Limited to 153 by ECU)...
So if u were to change its ECU in the future, u can expect 160+ speeds at 10,000 rmp and even more if u go to its red line...

And once u taske these speeds and power, u just want more and more...

So if ur parents dont get a new bike, atleast u can change the ECU of ur CBR to get much more performance (U can do the same on the duke, but it already almost maxed out at its Top End)

Just take the CBR, and again ABS is something u just cant overlook...

@kidpikoon Looks like I'll mostly be booking the CBR 250 R ABS, anyway I'll test ride it soon (sooner than expected due to my dad's urge). If I'm convinced with the riding position and suspensions in the city roads, I'll be taking it happily. Now I just need to find a decent ASC here in Chennai

You mean in 6th gear or anything lesser? And what is this ECU limiter thing? Pls explain.

Wow; how can one do this? Can you educate pls?

I guess he meant the revlimiter. You can do an ECU remap to increase your revlimits for getting higher top speed. But I would tell you to stay away from it until you have a decent reading on the odo. Don't do it on a new bike.

KTM All the way bro,
Zips through moving traffic ,Like really "QUICK" ,Amazing 0-60 kmph,
And its Really Attractive on the streets .

I have done 155kmph (approx 9k+ rpm) on ECR, chennai to be specefic on my stock blade. No mods at all (except for removing saree gaurd :P)

I was also confused when I got my blade. I won't get into which on you should go for, but can tell you why I choose CBR over Duke.
Reasons for not choosing Duke (with all due respect to all DUKE lovers. I don't mean to offend anyone. Just putting my perception) :
1. I didn't like the exhaust note of Duke.
2. Pillion seat is not comfortable.
3. It looks amazing. But when a rider sits on it, he almost completely hides everything.
4. Too much revving. i.e. a lot of gear changes. So in traffic, you will have to keep on changing gears. [Edited] For ex, CBR can do 100kmph at gear 3 but Duke need to gear 5 to reach 100. Correct me if I am wrong. [Edited]

Reasons for choosing CBR250R:
1. HONDA
2. ABS. Trust me its really required in Indian roads which are filled with mud and water. ABS saved me two times.
2. Better performance.
3. I can say the best suspension setting for indian roads.
4. Very flickable in traffic. You get RTR-ish feel in flickability.
5. very comfortable pillion seat.
In chennai, Didar honda(egmore) and JSP Honda (Ambattur) are good.
2011 CBR250R had some parts issues, but 2012 CBR250R doesn't have any.

For more info on CBR250R, check @aargee 's signature.

Somen - I didn't mean disrespect, if there's something Kidpikoon knows that I don't, then I thought to learn from him

All this noise is not helping the OP in his decision making.

@Ezilkannan, for any specific queries on the power stats, specs and other technical stuff, please browse through aargee's threads on his CBR, and/or PM him directly.
aargee sir, sometimes people pull out all sorts of numbers, we're relying on you for the bottom line as usual.

@Ezilkannan: You are in good company if you book the CBR in chennai. I'd have preferred the duke (for myself), but the CBR is really more practical on an open highway. As far as touring is concerned, I personally do not think you need to be able to cruise at 150kmph to be able to tour, or else how anyone explain the bullet tourers over the years. If the bike can do 100-110kmph with enough to pull out and overtake 4 wheelers at about 120kmph, that is sufficient for most roads here in India. Of course, if a safe 140kmph cruising speed can be maintained, having a bike that can keep that pace without stressing out will definitely be more bang for the buck.

All that aside, my way of thinking about it can be summed up by this analogy. Say you buy an apartment, and get a 2BHK that costs more than a 1BHK, simply because a couple of times a year you may have guests sleeping over for a weekend or so. For the remaining 355 days of the year nobody uses that room. Is the extra cost and capacity justified? Now, apply this to a pure street bike (Duke) vs a more expensive bike that can do the streets as well as highways reasonably well (CBR). Its upto you to take the call on the extra cash spent.

Nothing like that Aargee!! Kidpikoon and you both are CBR owners and riding tough!! So your both answers will guide us here in future!!

Every one here knows you well and your nature too.. So disrepect from you is a wrong word at all.Infact Kidpikoon will too become more knowledgable in this all stuffs!!

We all here are there to help him out or learn from him.
Yes every one can't have all knowledge of all, and each should be ready to learn by any one or small ones too!!

KIdpiKoon : you are on right track dude!! Healthy discussion is only the way to learn and share!!

My Best wishes to you both!!

I have done 160kmph in my stock CBR and i can cross 9k rpm in 6th gear on any given day. Ninja 250 can do more than 160. (OT: And also the speedo difference between N250 and CBR250 (lesser) is 4kmph, i.e., when N250 does 60 on speedo CBR does 64. )

@Ezhilkannan: There are few good SVCs in chennai, don't worry about that and also you have CBR 250 Guru RG there for any help. Please go through the links in RG's signature, you will get an idea about CBR 250.

@ Aargee
He might not have brains but you do right? All I'm doing is suggesting here about the post that I read previously and that my friend does not require me to own a CBR or a Duke. I have chucked the discussion after reading your posts, but Kidkipoon making a postof having speed runs that attracted my attention and so for his good and others i posted.

Sincerely sorry Aargee Sir, I dint knew you require to own a respective bike to post in discussion which might just endanger someones life just for proving others right or wrong.

I rest my case.

Woah guys, chill it down pls. I think we are going Off-topic here.