Honda has been building small-capacity sport bikes in Asia an Europe for ages, but somehow has never seen fit to send one our way. Sure, there was the Nighthawk 250 and the Rebel 250, but never a fairing-clad rival for the Kawasaki Ninja 250. In 2011, that will all change.
The 2011 Honda CBR250R will arrive next year with a 249cc single-cylinder packing 26 hp and 17 lb/ft of torque. That’s less power but more torque than the Kawasaki, but the Honda is a few pounds lighter than the Kawi. The differences are all small, and we guess the decision will come down to personal preference and, possibly, price. We can’t imagine Honda’s price for the CBR250R will be priced much differently than the $3,999 Kawasaki.