Kawasaki Ninja 250R vs. Honda CBR250R – Comparison Test

ike Warren Buffett says, nobody knows who’s swimming naked ’til the tide goes out. In much the same way, nobody knows who’s riding naked ’til the horsepower plug gets pulled. On the CW dyno, the Honda CBR250R makes a piddly 23.7 horses, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R just 25.5. Whoopee! All that means on our favorite roads, as it turns out, is that the guy who really knows how to ride will open up an even bigger gap over the one who can’t.

And in absolute terms, I’ve been up and down this particularly twisted SoCal route enough times on so many kinds of motorcycles, it’s hard to imagine anybody riding a bigger bike being able to catch our test mule Cernicky on either of these 250s—downhill, anyway. (MC says he even surprised himself, getting both ends of the CBR airborne in one tight left-right transition. That’s our Mark…)

With 20-some horses to blastout of corners, the only way to go fast is to never slow down. So go ahead and trust the IRC Road Winner rubber on both bikes, and then you can dive into those tight curves like little else on two wheels. Well, some people can— trusting sorts. With dry weights of 337 pounds (CBR) and 356 (Ninja), these two bikes have nearly all the laws of physics on their side. Beginner bikes? If you insist.

Well, we already knew what a cornering fool the little Ninja is. But we were a little surprised at how well the innocent-looking new Honda was able to keep up. Not only does it keep up with the Ninja, it actually ekes away from it corner by corner. Both bikes use 37mm damper-rod forks and preload-adjustable, linkage-mounted shocks, but the CBR’s damping does a better job controlling its wheels and mass, its fuel-injected dohc Thumper does a smoother job turning the “power” on and off, its six-speed gearbox shifts a bit more positively, and its 19-pound weight advantage and 1.2-inch-shorter wheelbase all conspire to make the Honda ridiculously easy to ride pretty damn quick. And the beauty of the thing is it continues to function at a high level even under expert floggage. Ridden by itself, the Ninja’s a great corner carver. Ridden alongside the CBR, it’s a bit squidgy/snatchy/plungey, and not as neutral or graceful. The CBR, in fact, conjures up sweet memories of one of the best backroad Hondas of all time, the dearly departed Hawk GT (a 650cc V-Twin that made about twice the power, weighed 56 pounds more and sold for $4 less in 1988).

Once back down the mountain, both of these little bikes are far better commuter/travelers than you’d expect, and, again, particularly the Honda. Can a 250 Single long survive 80-mph freeway cruising? Can the rider? No problem. With the tachometer needle pointing dead-ahead at the “7” on its big, centrally mounted analog dial (in its really nice instrument panel complete with LCD clock and fuel gauge), the CBR is rolling along at a smooth and steady 68 mph indicated, with only a light Thumper pulse coming through the grips.

If you need to pick up the pace from there, that’s no problem, either. You’re right on the cusp of the torque peak. And instead of having to be trucked to the top-secret desert test facility, the CBR’s happy to complete Top Speed Testing right there in the carpool lane: 95 mph indicated at 10,000 rpm is all tapped out at L.A. level, but a steady 80 is easily doable for miles on end. Maybe not hours, but miles. (In actual instrumented testing at 2500 feet on level terrain, the CBR managed 87 mph.)

Honda exerted quite a bit of effort to make the little CBR a smooth runner. This brand-new engine marks the first use of a plain-bearing crank in a Honda Single, which allows a rigid, compact crankcase; and the connecting-rod big-end uses a roller bearing, allowing it to be relatively light. The end result, says Honda, is less friction, vibration and noise. A primary balance shaft is wedged in tight, just forward and beneath the crank, where its spinning weight invades the same space used by the connecting rod, hopefully not at the same time. What you get at cruising speed is a light rumble that you only feel in the grips; and though you know the 76mm piston is down there working its little rings to the bone, it doesn’t feel that way from the saddle—which is nicely shaped and comfortable, by the way.

The Ninja runs smoothly, too, but at 80 mph on the centrally mounted speedometer, you’re looking at 10,000 rpm or so, though it’s hard to make it out on the crowded little analog tach (which is the same size as the too-big gas gauge on the other side of the Ninja’s Playskool-plastic dashboard). The dohc, 62.0 x 41.2mm, 180-degree Twin runs without a balancer, so a bit of sizzle comes through, but it’s nothing to get upset about. Still, like an insensitive escort, the Ninja never lets you forget you’re not so well-endowed in the cc department: It’s not buzzy but it’s definitely busy.

But it is getting a lot of work done: Its extra top-end power helps the Ninja sprint through the quarter-mile a half-second quicker, reach a 6-mph-faster top speed and, most importantly, run 0-60 mph 0.8 of a second quicker.

Both bikes combine upright, standard-bike-comfy ergonomics with full-coverage wind protection (an idea Kawasaki rediscovered on big bikes with the new Ninja 1000). And light weight and low power mean they don’t require boxcar springs to support themselves and keep between the ditches, so both bikes soak up broken pavement and freeway slabs better than you’d expect. The Ninja is especially good at filtering out the small bumps, while both remain perfectly stable all the way to terminal velocity.

2013 Honda CRF450R – First Ride

Honda is hot to regain its dominance in the 450cc motocross class. How much so? Well, its 2013 CRF450R is almost completely new from the ground up; that’s a pretty good measure of “hot.” The people at Honda are so jazzed about the new 450 that they invited us to an early introduction at the Zaca Station MX track in California’s Central Coast area. The bike we rode was a pre-production unit, but we were assured that it was fully representative of the actual production machines.

This is Honda’s fourth-generation CRF450R, which has come a long way since its introduction in 2002, and there are very few similarities between the 2012 and the 2013 models.

For one thing, Honda is going to extremes to centralize mass and lower the CRF’s center of gravity. Where the frame’s twin aluminum spars meet the steering head, for example, they join near the center rather than at the top—a small but significant lowering of chassis weight. Ground clearance is the same, though, and the new design allows a slightly larger fuel tank (up from 1.5 to 1.6 gallons). Complementing the redesigned frame is a new swingarm with greater vertical rigidity.

Also helping to drop the cg are new twin mufflers. Although combined, they weigh a touch more than a single muffler, their weight is placed lower and more centralized compared to a longer, single silencer that hangs way out by the rear fender. Ergonomically, the new 450R is similar to the previous model, although the seat feels like it dips in a little lower rather than staying flat all the way to the gas tank.

Other big news is the adoption of KYB’s new Pneumatic Spring Fork (PSF), saving weight and adding superior adjustability; Kawasaki’s 2013 KX450F also uses this same fork. Removing the steel spring drops nearly a pound from each fork leg, and it keeps the oil from getting dirty as quickly because there is no metal-to-metal rubbing inside the leg. Additionally, heavier riders will no longer need to buy stiffer springs; and if you’re a van owner, you can let the air out to lower the front end before loading. The fork does require that you check air pressure on a more frequent basis, just as you do with tires. But once it’s at the proper pressure, the fork is good for the day. Out back, there’s a new shock that’s a half an inch shorter and sits lower in the frame.

Also heavily revised is the CRF’s Unicam engine. A new piston and higher compression ratio (from 12.0:1 to 12.5:1) work with revised intake and exhaust ports as well as 1mm larger exhaust valves to increase performance. Plus, the transmission has been beefed up, and the clutch is a new design that uses six springs instead of four.

The net effect of all these seemingly small changes is an entirely different motorcycle; there is no comparison to the 2012 model. What’s most astonishing is how light the 450 feels on the track; it’s more like a CRF250R, with the same kind of flickable, put-the-bike-anywhere-you-like character. The chassis has impressive balance and improved high-speed stability compared to last year’s bike.

At first, however, I wasn’t impressed with the air fork. With the “stock” 33 psi air pressure, the front end behaved strangely: The front wheel felt as if it was wandering, and there was too much up-and-down movement in the smaller chop. Bumping up the pressure just 2 psi allowed the fork to ride on top of the bumps, completely fixing the problem, and I didn’t have to touch the compression or rebound clickers. The PSF action is so completely natural that if I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was a traditional spring fork. The track was bumpy but didn’t get gnarly, so I’ll have to try the fork on rougher terrain before giving it two giant thumbs up. But if the plushness and damping I felt at Zaca Station are any indication, it should work great.

Certainly, the overall handling has been elevated to a new level. Steering in slick corners is about the same, and the front wheel doesn’t grab as nicely as a Suzuki’s, but the bike’s lightness nevertheless allows riders to pick where they want to go and get there without any problems.

Lots of improvement in engine performance, too; it finally has the bark the previous engine lacked. Improved fuel-injection mapping provides crisp, immediate throttle response everywhere. There are heaps more low-end and midrange power, yet the delivery is smooth and precise, making it is easier to control the amount of traction on corner exits. The bike hooks up well enough that it usually lifts the front wheel while it drives forward. The engagement of the new clutch is better than before but not the best; I didn’t use the clutch very much, though, because there is controllable power on tap everywhere in the rpm range.

One of Honda’s goals for 2013 was to make the CRF450R better while retaining the same $8440 MSRP as the 2012 model. As of press time, the price wasn’t firm, but Honda’s staff was confident it will meet that goal.

It already met the other goal of improving the CRF across the board: It handles better, feels lighter (even though isn’t) and is significantly faster. With so many improvements on a bike that was already in the hunt, I have to believe that it will be tough to beat in 2013.