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Posting Run: Pune to Rajkot on the new CBR 250R and a brief CBR review
On 24th Apr, I was posted to an NCC unit in the capital of Saurashtra, namely, Rajkot. I had to report for duty from 1st June. Accordingly, I planned on riding to Rajkot on the new CBR.
I will write about the journey and then post some feedback of the CBR experience on this route.
Planning and Preparation: The road trip
The Route I have attached the route as an Excel sheet. In brief:
29 May, Leg 1 (~ 550 kms): Pune to Dahej (I was to stay overnight with a friend),
30 May, Leg 2 (~370 kms): Dahej to Rajkot.
I would do about 950 kms in two days. I charted the route on Google Maps and used a distance finder link to calculate the approximate distance; GM does not give inter-se distances between major landmarks which is the way I do my route charting.
The Luggage I had sent my two metal boxes ahead so did not have to bother about much luggage on the road. Just a Cramster saddle bag with essential toiletries and a change of clothing plus a waist tote with knick-knacks would suffice.
The Expenses During my brief riding in Pune after getting the bike, I found that she was doing in excess of 30 kms per litre. So I took about 30 kms per litre as a ballpark figure for the ride. This meant about 32 litres for the trip and at approx 70 bucks per litre, Rs 2500 for fuel. Add another Rs 1000 for meals, drinks etc and immediate expenses at Rajkot. So I carried Rs 5000 plus my cards.
Leg 1: Pune to Dahej, 29 May 2011Wrong turn I ran into trouble at Thane. Some chap gave me incorrect directions to Fountain Hotel so I rode along merrily towards Mumbai. My sense of direction told me that I was to head north yet was heading west so I stopped and asked for directions again this time from a proper biker. He was explicit enough for me to take the first underpass and turn left to FH. This delay cost me 45 mins.
Breakfast breakNH 8Lunch breakWater breaks I perspire very heavily and the humidity was not helping matters one bit. Between breakfast and lunch, I had had to stop twice for a few minutes simply to hydrate myself. One Coke, one large spoonful of salt and some pepper was the routine. The sugar kept my energy levels high, the caffeine kept me alert, the salt returned that what was lost in sweat and the pepper was, well, to pep things up a bit. I was carrying a bottle of water for personal and bike emergencies and at every water break, I used to consume the heated contents, dump the bottle and buy a fresh sealed one. Useless really as in a matter of minutes, the water used to heat up again but at least clean water went into me.
Two bottlenecksCrosswind drivingDahej at lastLeg 2: Dahej to Rajkot, 30 May 2011Lunch breakDestination reachedPlanning and Preparation: The bikeReview of the CBR 250R
It is still early days to write a comprehensive review of the bike: I have had it for less than a month and only 1210 kms on the odo. Yet, some issues are worth mentioning
The Ergonomics. To me, the very first prerequisite for a GT bike is comfort. The CBR is NOT a GT bike but will be used as such due to its long legs. Now, there is a catch in the ergonomics. If one sits close up to the fuel tank, the posture is more upright, there is less weight on the arms and the back is strained less. But and BUT, one's crotch is jammed up and after some time, the penis and scrotum feel numb. Also, the edges of the seat press up at a place where the elastic of the under brief pinches on some nerve leaving the butt with a very peculiar pain, not ache. Not good, not good at all. So one shifts back and the rear of the seat is quite wide and immediately, the pain reduces and one is actually comfy, in the "front" and the "rear" if you know what I mean. But and BUT, within minutes, the weight on the fingers, the lower arm and the triceps increases to a point where one again shifts ahead. Thus, on a long journey such as the one I made, one is continuously moving back and forth, bartering one discomfort for the other. In the end, all parties involved are aching. After 80 kmph, the wind starts hitting the helmet in right earnest. A practical cruise speed would be about 80 to 90 kmph. Grading: Since she IS NOT a GT bike, 8 out of 10.
A word about the arm pain. Due to the posture, one tends to grip the clip-ons with fists clenched tighter than on normal bikes. This causes cramping in the fingers, the inside of the lower arm and the triceps. I am considered to have strong arms and shoulders and yet, it was a good 3 days before that typical nerves related pain eased. For these 3 days, it was difficult to hold a pen; the arms feel almost lifeless and ached like I had been hit on the funny bone.
Raising the height of the clip-ons by just 2 inches should increase the comfort level manifold. Once I have settled down here, I will get 2 suspension bolts machined with an extra 2 inches of head space and two 2 in spacers. This will turn the CeeBee into an excellent tourer, I hope...
The InstrumentationThe Switchgear I would have expected a much higher quality of this on the CBR. All switches are strictly cost-cutting, parts bin stuff and have to be handled gingerly lest they break, specially those that are used frequently e.g. the horn, turn indicator and flasher. Heck, the Honda scooters have higher quality stuff. Grading: 6 out of 10
The Paintwork The quality, per se, is good. Two small bubbles have formed under the silver coloured paint of the inner fairing on either side of the headlight. When I tried to smoothen one out with a soft handkerchief, the paint peeled away exposing the black coloured base colour of the fairing. No accepted at all, Honda. Grading: 6 out of 10
The BrakesThe Engine. Till the first oil change, the engine sounded harsh, dry, scruffy and set my teeth on edge. Now, after 1200 kms/ oil + filter change, it is much, much smoother. The counter balancer does a fantastic job and it is only at tick over that the crankshaft torque causes the characteristic up and down heave of the chassis and those too are very small migrations from the horizontal. Grading: 8 out of 10
The Clutch. Is super light. The engaging span is generous so there is no sudden all out or all in kind of a response. The levers seem to be billet aluminium and are soft to the touch. Grading: 9 out of 10
The Gearbox. Is slick and positive shifting. No false neutrals. From the toe down 1st, it goes straight to the toe up 2nd without snagging in the intervening neutral. While downshifting it does, at times, slot into neutral and an extra sharp tap is needed to go to 1st. This is as per design, I suppose. The ratios are well spaced. These days, the engine is still new and 80 kmph is at exactly 5000 rpm in top. I think that with more running done, the rpm will reduce at the same speed. I personally wish for a higher 6th to get an advantage of about 1000 rpm at this speed. Till 4th, she will purr around town, needing an occasional downshift to 3rd. 5th is good for overtaking and 6th is strictly for the highway. Grading: 8 out of 10
The Throttle Response. On my bike, the throttle free play was set way too much for my style and the EFI felt jerky. It felt much smoother once I had reduced the free play to about 3/4 of an inch. Again, after the servicing, it is still better. Also improved in the response on wringing open the twist grip, especially in 3rd and 4th. She just shoots ahead and in a few seconds is at triple figures. On the highway, this eases overtaking to the point of being a no-brainer - just notch down one, twist, zip past, notch up one and cruise. Grading: 8 out of 10
The SuspensionThe Fuel ConsumptionThe Lights The high and low beam are both superb in intensity and envelope. Again, one stupid glitch: the right hand front number plate holder arm interferes with the beam adjustment rotary gear. As soon as I get some free time, I am going to re-locate the number plate to sit between the rear view mirror mounts. It would look better there and hopefully act like a splitter plate to direct the airflow over the helmet at 80 kmph +. The indicator relay could have incorporated a muted beeper to alert the rider to cancel it timely because in the CBR (big bummer), there is NO auto cancellation of the turn indicators a la Pulsar 200/220. Honda, this is really, really cheap. Grading: 8 out of 10.
Fotos I am finishing this write-up from Pune (on a few days leave) and have left my camera in Rajkot so will add the fotos on returning to Rajkot.
Summing up
On 24th Apr, I was posted to an NCC unit in the capital of Saurashtra, namely, Rajkot. I had to report for duty from 1st June. Accordingly, I planned on riding to Rajkot on the new CBR.
I will write about the journey and then post some feedback of the CBR experience on this route.
Planning and Preparation: The road trip
The Route I have attached the route as an Excel sheet. In brief:
29 May, Leg 1 (~ 550 kms): Pune to Dahej (I was to stay overnight with a friend),
30 May, Leg 2 (~370 kms): Dahej to Rajkot.
I would do about 950 kms in two days. I charted the route on Google Maps and used a distance finder link to calculate the approximate distance; GM does not give inter-se distances between major landmarks which is the way I do my route charting.
The Luggage I had sent my two metal boxes ahead so did not have to bother about much luggage on the road. Just a Cramster saddle bag with essential toiletries and a change of clothing plus a waist tote with knick-knacks would suffice.
The Expenses During my brief riding in Pune after getting the bike, I found that she was doing in excess of 30 kms per litre. So I took about 30 kms per litre as a ballpark figure for the ride. This meant about 32 litres for the trip and at approx 70 bucks per litre, Rs 2500 for fuel. Add another Rs 1000 for meals, drinks etc and immediate expenses at Rajkot. So I carried Rs 5000 plus my cards.
Leg 1: Pune to Dahej, 29 May 2011Wrong turn I ran into trouble at Thane. Some chap gave me incorrect directions to Fountain Hotel so I rode along merrily towards Mumbai. My sense of direction told me that I was to head north yet was heading west so I stopped and asked for directions again this time from a proper biker. He was explicit enough for me to take the first underpass and turn left to FH. This delay cost me 45 mins.
Breakfast breakNH 8Lunch breakWater breaks I perspire very heavily and the humidity was not helping matters one bit. Between breakfast and lunch, I had had to stop twice for a few minutes simply to hydrate myself. One Coke, one large spoonful of salt and some pepper was the routine. The sugar kept my energy levels high, the caffeine kept me alert, the salt returned that what was lost in sweat and the pepper was, well, to pep things up a bit. I was carrying a bottle of water for personal and bike emergencies and at every water break, I used to consume the heated contents, dump the bottle and buy a fresh sealed one. Useless really as in a matter of minutes, the water used to heat up again but at least clean water went into me.
Two bottlenecksCrosswind drivingDahej at lastLeg 2: Dahej to Rajkot, 30 May 2011Lunch breakDestination reachedPlanning and Preparation: The bikeReview of the CBR 250R
It is still early days to write a comprehensive review of the bike: I have had it for less than a month and only 1210 kms on the odo. Yet, some issues are worth mentioning
The Ergonomics. To me, the very first prerequisite for a GT bike is comfort. The CBR is NOT a GT bike but will be used as such due to its long legs. Now, there is a catch in the ergonomics. If one sits close up to the fuel tank, the posture is more upright, there is less weight on the arms and the back is strained less. But and BUT, one's crotch is jammed up and after some time, the penis and scrotum feel numb. Also, the edges of the seat press up at a place where the elastic of the under brief pinches on some nerve leaving the butt with a very peculiar pain, not ache. Not good, not good at all. So one shifts back and the rear of the seat is quite wide and immediately, the pain reduces and one is actually comfy, in the "front" and the "rear" if you know what I mean. But and BUT, within minutes, the weight on the fingers, the lower arm and the triceps increases to a point where one again shifts ahead. Thus, on a long journey such as the one I made, one is continuously moving back and forth, bartering one discomfort for the other. In the end, all parties involved are aching. After 80 kmph, the wind starts hitting the helmet in right earnest. A practical cruise speed would be about 80 to 90 kmph. Grading: Since she IS NOT a GT bike, 8 out of 10.
A word about the arm pain. Due to the posture, one tends to grip the clip-ons with fists clenched tighter than on normal bikes. This causes cramping in the fingers, the inside of the lower arm and the triceps. I am considered to have strong arms and shoulders and yet, it was a good 3 days before that typical nerves related pain eased. For these 3 days, it was difficult to hold a pen; the arms feel almost lifeless and ached like I had been hit on the funny bone.
Raising the height of the clip-ons by just 2 inches should increase the comfort level manifold. Once I have settled down here, I will get 2 suspension bolts machined with an extra 2 inches of head space and two 2 in spacers. This will turn the CeeBee into an excellent tourer, I hope...
The InstrumentationThe Switchgear I would have expected a much higher quality of this on the CBR. All switches are strictly cost-cutting, parts bin stuff and have to be handled gingerly lest they break, specially those that are used frequently e.g. the horn, turn indicator and flasher. Heck, the Honda scooters have higher quality stuff. Grading: 6 out of 10
The Paintwork The quality, per se, is good. Two small bubbles have formed under the silver coloured paint of the inner fairing on either side of the headlight. When I tried to smoothen one out with a soft handkerchief, the paint peeled away exposing the black coloured base colour of the fairing. No accepted at all, Honda. Grading: 6 out of 10
The BrakesThe Engine. Till the first oil change, the engine sounded harsh, dry, scruffy and set my teeth on edge. Now, after 1200 kms/ oil + filter change, it is much, much smoother. The counter balancer does a fantastic job and it is only at tick over that the crankshaft torque causes the characteristic up and down heave of the chassis and those too are very small migrations from the horizontal. Grading: 8 out of 10
The Clutch. Is super light. The engaging span is generous so there is no sudden all out or all in kind of a response. The levers seem to be billet aluminium and are soft to the touch. Grading: 9 out of 10
The Gearbox. Is slick and positive shifting. No false neutrals. From the toe down 1st, it goes straight to the toe up 2nd without snagging in the intervening neutral. While downshifting it does, at times, slot into neutral and an extra sharp tap is needed to go to 1st. This is as per design, I suppose. The ratios are well spaced. These days, the engine is still new and 80 kmph is at exactly 5000 rpm in top. I think that with more running done, the rpm will reduce at the same speed. I personally wish for a higher 6th to get an advantage of about 1000 rpm at this speed. Till 4th, she will purr around town, needing an occasional downshift to 3rd. 5th is good for overtaking and 6th is strictly for the highway. Grading: 8 out of 10
The Throttle Response. On my bike, the throttle free play was set way too much for my style and the EFI felt jerky. It felt much smoother once I had reduced the free play to about 3/4 of an inch. Again, after the servicing, it is still better. Also improved in the response on wringing open the twist grip, especially in 3rd and 4th. She just shoots ahead and in a few seconds is at triple figures. On the highway, this eases overtaking to the point of being a no-brainer - just notch down one, twist, zip past, notch up one and cruise. Grading: 8 out of 10
The SuspensionThe Fuel ConsumptionThe Lights The high and low beam are both superb in intensity and envelope. Again, one stupid glitch: the right hand front number plate holder arm interferes with the beam adjustment rotary gear. As soon as I get some free time, I am going to re-locate the number plate to sit between the rear view mirror mounts. It would look better there and hopefully act like a splitter plate to direct the airflow over the helmet at 80 kmph +. The indicator relay could have incorporated a muted beeper to alert the rider to cancel it timely because in the CBR (big bummer), there is NO auto cancellation of the turn indicators a la Pulsar 200/220. Honda, this is really, really cheap. Grading: 8 out of 10.
Fotos I am finishing this write-up from Pune (on a few days leave) and have left my camera in Rajkot so will add the fotos on returning to Rajkot.
Summing up
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