Finally! An update!

Awwwright, in my own words, here's what went down today:

The local VI Honda Powerhouse had an event today, August 17th. All Honda brand riding gear 50% off, and a 'Come ride with us' event between 4 and 8 pm. A co-worker of mine at my first job agreed to take my shift this morning so I could at least check out the deals with KД§$Ị (ИOVΔ), as she had no riding gear.

She's saved up some money, and was finally able to get some proper riding armour - mainly because of the sale. As we walked in we were greeted by the crew there as they all know me... I spend too much time drooling on their new bikes since getting my CBR125 there. One of them asked if I was there for the ride in the afternoon, but sadly I was only able to get time off from my first job, not my second - so I'd be working during the time of the riding event.

As KД§$Ị (ИOVΔ) was looking at jackets, I was sitting and drooling on the black CBR250 that was on display, when Frank approached me and asked if I could be there at 1:15, as arrangements were being made to get me on a 250 before the big event. I was ecstatic! Gary had arrived with the demonstration bikes shortly before, and now that they were unloaded, Frank had to show him the route for the main event - and they invited me to join them on a brand new CBR250! KД§$Ị (ИOVΔ) snapped a photo as we were heading out, that's me on the left.

Everything that I knew about the 250 until then was just what one learns from paper. Now I actually had one under my butt. As the only bikes I've ridden are a Virago 250 and my CBR125, my comparisons are going to be against the 2007 CBR125.

The CBR 250 I rode today is the top model equipped with ABS, and painted in red and silver, just like the bike in a previous post. The first impression when I mounted it was that the controls are more aesthetically designed than both the old and the new 125. Upon firing it up, it vibrates more than than the smaller bike, but that doesn't surprise me as the piston is bigger. I like the sound. Not a hyper high-pitched whine, but a deep smooth purr. It doesn't feel much heavier than the smaller bike, but it feels more substantial, and I see more of the bike while I'm riding. If I look straight ahead on the 125, I often don't even see it as the entire bike is hidden by the chin guard of my helmet.

Anyway, though I didn't have a chance to really open the throttle 'in anger' I was able to feel a good pull when we got off the back roads and merged onto the highway.I wasn't able to roll onto the throttle completely as Frank was in the lead and taking it easy, so I had no problem keeping up with him on his CBR600.

So it comes down to the following points in which it differs from the 2007 125:

• More vibration.


• More torque and pull on the arms - solid acceleration without that struggling feeling of the smaller bike.


• More substantial feel to it without sacrificing maneuverability, and a more satisfying exhaust tone.
• The brand new CBR125 looks almost identical to the 250 from 10 feet away, but upon closer inspection it is actually on a different frame with several other changes. Despite the different frame, it has the same overall size of the 250.

I love my 125, I really do. It's a great bike. I've put 29,300 kilometers on it, and though inanimate, feels rather like a faithful horse, one that you plan on caring for until one of you no-longer functions - but as soon as the 250 was parked after the ride, I started estimating how much I could get for it if I were to sell it, so I could get the CBR250.