Yamaha R15 v2.0 vs Honda CBR250

Happened to visit Yamaha showroom today. Was eager to check the new R15. Remarkable is what I can. The fit and finish of the bike reeks of quality from the tiniest nut to the big sporty fairing.

Ever since the launch, lot of enthusiasts pointed out the thin rear tyre. Now, it's really becoming. The width now is 130mm. For a comparison, the width of an FZ16 rear tyre is 140mm. That's how wide the rear-tyre of the new R15 is.

The styling is top-notch. When I say this, I can tell you that all pictures circulating on the web do not do justice. You have to see it in person.

I also happened to visit a Honda showroom couple of days back. Here are some pics of the CBR250.

To my mind, without a doubt, R15 beats CBR250 in matters of styling and build-quality. A lot of enthusiasts have also felt that.

Now, if thinking of buying a affordable new sporty bike, which one of the two should one opt for? I've ridden R15 on quite a few occasions. Haven't yet tested the CBR250. Surely, power makes a difference in our riding experience. I, for one, prefer to cruise at a safe speed instead of shooting off the block as if the earth is crumbling behind me. Even if I buy a CBR250, I wouldn't ride it like mad. R15 gave me a lot of happiness. Choice would be mighty tough. CBR250 might just about win.

What will the competitors do?

 So this is Honda's belated gift for the common Indian biker. Not bad. :) Good for the Red Riding Dude.

Must be remembered that it is slated for a April 2011 launch (based on reports in the media). So we've got effectively 5 months before it launches.

Current offerings on the same lines are:

Yamaha R15 with a tag of Rs.1.2 lacs approx on-road
Kawasaki Ninja 250 priced at around Rs.3 lacs on-road

Yes there is a huge gap. So Honda CBR will supposedly fill this with on-road price of around Rs.2 lacs.

My gut feeling is that some motorcycle manufacturers are not going to take this lightly. Expect Yamaha to announce a 250cc launch at about the same price as that for the Honda CBR 250. Expect Hyosung to bring in its 250cc. Won't speculate on the price.

But the gap isn't necessarily between Rs.1.2 lacs and Rs.2 lacs as is anticipated. The real gap is between 70k and 1.2lacs.

Expect Bajaj and TVS to launch 250cc versions of Pulsar and Apache respectively priced competitively around the Rs.1 lac mark. And that will set the country racing. Fingers very much crossed.