Fresh from the Tokyo Motor Show, Team Green has released truly a tantalizing machine, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R.
I have to be honest, I didn’t think the internet rumors were true on this one, but I love being wrong about this model release.
We didn’t think we would ever again see the day, but here is a four-cylinder 250cc sport bike that by our quick math, could be the most powerful 250cc motorcycle ever made.
When Dorna wished to start a new talent cup for European riders, it tapped the Austrian brand KTM to build the machine they would race and use to hone their racing skills. That machine is the KTM RC4R.
A four-stroke 250cc machine, the KTM RC4R is a step below the KTM RC250 R, which is used in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.
This makes sense, because the Northern Talent Cup (NTC) aims to find the top young riders from Northern and Central Europe, and feed them into the Red Bull Rookies Cup series, which will then hopefully jumpstart their careers into the grand prix paddock.
Suzuki Motor of America is recalling 2,640 units of its Suzuki GSX250R street bike (model years 2018 & 2019) because of an issue that can cause the rear brake light not to illuminate when the brakes are applied.
According to the recall documents, the issue stems from a water intrusion that may corrode the rear brake light switch which can cause the rear brake light to fail to illuminate or remain illuminated continuously when the brake is not applied.
Obviously, the lack of a functioning rear brake light (or one that won’t turn off) creates a safety issue for the rider and those around them, which is why a recall was initiated with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
When it comes to rumors about Harley-Davidson, everything is up for grabs. The Bar & Shield brand has done a complete about-face on its business paradigm, which means that no idea is too crazy for those in Milwaukee.
So, when we hear talk about a 250cc model from Harley-Davidson (supposedly an XR250 street tracker bike), we have to give it some credit, whereas before we might have dismissed it out hand for being crazy talk.
We know that Harley-Davidson is looking at electric models; we know that Harley-Davidson is looking at mainstream segments outside of the cruiser spectrum; and we know that Harley-Davidson will be looking at markets abroad for future growth.
What does this all mean? A 250cc model is almost the worst kept secret in Milwaukee.
The headline shares our thoughts on the matter. Is there really a four-cylinder Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R in the works? That is the rumor coming out of Asia, and not exactly a new one.
The bike is expected to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year, in October, with an eye on reviving Japan’s lost history of screaming small-displacement machines.
While there seems to be some evidence that the bike will debut – sightings of a prototype have already been published – our reservations for excitement come from similar rumors that have failed to pan out.
The Suzuki V-Strom 250 is already available to our riding compatriots across the pond, but Suzuki Motor of America is considering bringing the model to the United States, which is a bit of good news.
The quarter-liter ADV machine shares a motor with the Suzuki GSX250R, which is really just the Suzuki Inazuma in new clothing. Still, 2018 Suzuki V-Strom 250 provides new riders and attractive entry into the ADV space, at an affordable price point.
The 248cc motorcycle makes just a touch under 25hp from its parallel-twin engine, which gets 88mpg and should be good for roughly 300 miles of range.
Suzuki is looking for feedback as to whether they should being the V-Strom 250 to the USA. So, if you like what you see here, speak-up in the comments section.
Honda is taking the quarter-liter market very seriously. The debut of the Honda CBR250RR street bike proves as much, with Big Red doubling-down on the segment, just three years after the debut of the Honda CBR300R.
The small-displacement category hasn’t converged on a single-displacement yet, with anything from 250cc to 400cc seemingly filling the gap, all of which makes the Honda CBR250RR an even bolder choice from the Japanese manufacturer, as it’s on the smaller end of the spectrum.
We have yet to see the Honda CBR250RR come to the western markets, but in Asia, HRC is getting ready to go racing with its 250cc twin-cylinder platform. As such, the above is the Honda CBR250RR, in its Astra Honda Racing trim, which debuted this weekend at the Osaka Motorcycle Show.
We have been waiting for the Honda CRF250L Rally to debut for a long time now.
It has been 20 months since Big Red first showed us the Honda CRF250 Rally concept in Japan, and today in at the EICMA show Italy, the 2017 Honda CRF250L Rally finally broke cover.
The idea behind the Dakar-inspired machine is pretty simple. Take the venerable Honda CRF250L platform, and add pieces to make it mimic the design for the Honda CRF450 Rally race bike.
The result is a lightweight adventure bike that appeases those riders who feel ADV machines are to big and heavy.
Suzuki has finally gotten into the quarter-liter sport bike game, debuting the 2017 Suzuki GSX-250R in China this month. Before you get too excited, you should know that the GSX-250R is really just the Suzuki Inazuma in new clothing.
This means that the twin-cylinder six-speed street bike makes 25hp, 17 lbs•ft of torque, and weighs 392 lbs at the curb.
Not exactly mind-blowing stats, but Suzuki’s goal with the GSX-250R is to build a more practical and affordable machine, rather than a race bike as seen with the KTM RC390 and Honda CBR250RR. To that end, we’d say they accomplished that goal.
The eagle eyes at Australian Motorcycle News have caught the patent design renders of the upcoming Suzuki GSX-R250 street bike.
The Japanese company’s proper foray into the current small-displacement sport bike market, the Suzuki GSX-R250 has been rumored for some time, but never before seen. Until now.
We should point out that the true displacement of this machine is still unknown, and Suzuki would be wise to actually bring a machine that has more punch than 250cc – as the current market trend sees 300cc bikes and larger winning at the dealership.
The rumor was that we would see the 2017 Honda CBR250RR debut this week, and that news didn’t disappoint.
Getting our first glimpse of the machine today, the Honda CBR250RR is finally breaking cover, and we can bring you the first images and technical specs of the quarter-liter sport bike.
As we already knew, the Honda CBR250RR will use a 250cc twin-cylinder, DOHC, eight-valve, liquid-cooled engine that revs to a 14,000 rpm redline. There’s no word yet on power, but we would expect it to surpass the other 250cc offerings from the Japanese manufacturers.
We also expect a 350cc version for markets like North America and Europe, though there’s no official word on that, just yet.