2024 Honda CBR250RR Launched In Malaysia: Now More Powerful than the Yamaha R3

Quick Highlights

• The Honda CBR250RR gets a 1.35PS power bump

• Receives extensive changes to the engine

• Costs an equivalent of Rs 4.95 lakh in Malaysia

The Honda CBR250RR has been updated for 2024, and it has gotten more powerful, precisely by 1.35PS. Now that might not seem like a lot but considering it now makes 42.1PS at 13,000rpm and 25Nm at 11,000rpm from a 250cc parallel-twin engine, that is in itself a remarkable engineering feat. To give you a better perspective, the Yamaha R3 makes 42PS from a 321cc twin-cylinder engine. 

How Honda has eked out that power bump is quite fascinating. First up, the combustion volume in the cylinders has gone down to 7cc from 7.5cc. This has led to an increase in compression ratio to 12.5:1 (from 12.1:1). The inlet port diameter has been bumped up by 0.2mm to 21.6mm, which should allow more air-fuel mixture to enter the combustion chamber. The piston and oil-ring tension has been optimised, and the valve timing and lift have been revised as well. All of the changes should have made the engine much smoother. The engine continues to be paired with a six-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch and a quickshifter.

The new CBR gets the 37mm Showa inverted fork with 130mm travel, as standard, which should improve the bike’s agility. It continues to get a 5-step preload adjustable monoshock, 17-inch wheels with a 110-section front tyre and a 140-section rear, with single disc on both. In terms of electronics, it has ride-by-wire throttle and three riding modes: Sport+, Sport, and Comfort, which can be toggled using the Mode button. 

Honda has also tweaked the bodywork on the CBR250RR to make it look more like the CBR1000RR, and improved the aerodynamics by 6 percent. While all the changes seem incremental, the sum of it should be a more fun-to-ride bike than before. Now if only Honda India puts down the hammer and brings it here, even if only in small batches, just like how they got the Forza 300 scooters.