[ecustu7]

Hello all. I have owned the CBR 250 and been a member of the CBR 250 forum for quit a while and have decided to trade it in for a Ninja 300. I did this because I felt that I could use a few more ponies especially up top and that the Ninja would have a better suspension. I have only been able to ride it home from the dealership (a couple of miles) due to bad weather. I will be riding it everyday since it is my only means of transportation, just like the CBR was.

I put just over 7,000 miles on the CBR. If any one has any questions about the CNR I will be more than happy to answer them for you as I will have lots of questions about the 300.

I look forward to learning lots from you guys as I did on the CBR 250 forum.

Anyone riding a 300 in NC? I live in Greenville NC.

 

[veksdeath]

Welcome and I think there is a few in that area.

 

[cbzdel]

I would love to know your thoughts on how the two compare after you get a little time on the 300

 

[NoD GP]

I've ridden both. '13 ninja beats the **** out of the '13 cbr.

edit - i MAYYYYYYYYY be a little biased on my opinion.

 

[ecustu7]

I will provide my thoughts on the differences after more seat time on the Ninja. So far I can tell that it has a bit more power, more engine breaking, and runs about 500 rpms higher than the CBR does at the same speed in the same gear. Also, it seems the suspension is a bit stiffer on the Ninja, but that the front break is a bit weaker on the Ninja. Finally, the clutch disengagement on the Ninja is almost all the way out, whereas the CBR was about mid way. That is going to take some getting used to.

I love the look of the Ninja and the sound. It is a bit smoother down low than the CBR. The CBR can be a bit jerky going from off throttle to on throttle at low speeds.

As I said before, I will have more comparison examples in the future!

 

[icon1k]

I am in the knoxville area not too far from you

 

[Marioalex24]

When I was in the market. That's another bike I was looking at. Good thing I made a good chose with the ninja 300. And welcome.

 

[cruizin]

Welcome aboard, i bet the Honda guys gave you a hard time because you "turned to the dark side" , lol

 

[Truesday]

i actually saw this thread on the cbr250r forums. i subscribed there when i initially thought i would buy one. well i guess we both find ourselves on the ninja side. welcome.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[Torchsport]

Welcome. I'm on the CBR250 forum as well. Thought I wanted one of those, but held off when the Ninja 300 came to light.
I'm still in the info gathering stage

Congrats on the bike!

 

[ecustu7]

I wish they would have announced the 300 earlier. When I bought my CBR 250 I had no idea the 300 was coming out. I had to chose between the CBR 250 and the Ninja 250 and since I hate carbs I went with the CBR. Now Im really happy to have a Ninja! The suspension on this bike is soo much better than the CBR 250. I like a sport suspension and the 300 does it well while the CBR has a soft suspension. Plus the CBR acts like a true sport bike!

 

[ecustu7]

The riding position on the CBR250 feels more liking your sitting on top of it, while the 300 feels like your more sitting in the bike (much more like the 600's). Although I will say reach and leg angle feels very similar. The 300 has a few more degrees of rake on it. I feel the 300 sits a little bit more aggressive, with a tank that is much more comfortable to lay on because of shape and I think it sits taller. The side mirrors on the CBR250 are much better than the 300. The 300 feels like a bigger bike although it feels more agile and stable.

I guess the thing I miss the most about the CBR250 is the 70mpg and 80 dollar monthly payment. Kawasaki doesn't offer as good an interest loan so now I pay about 100 dollars a month for the 300. But since the 300 can get at least 50mpg, runs on 87 (like the CBR250), doesn't run out of steam until 100mph, looks better (in my opinion), rides much better and stable (I prefer a stiff suspension) and only cost 700 dollars more (wo ABS), the only benefit of the CBR is the cost in gas, maintenance, initial cost, and possible the fact that its a Honda.

If you want to stay in the city the CBR250 is perfect, but if you want to ride the highway get the 300. I will say that the CBR250 had an advantage over the ninja 250 for city driving based on the better low end torque and the EFI, but has lost that advantage against the 300 because the 300 has EFI, better torque, and horsepower than the CBR250. More importantly, the 300 has a much smoother transition of on/off throttle at low speeds than the 250.

Also, the transmission on the 300 is tighter and it doesn't get stuck in no mans land as often as the CBR250 did.

Both bikes are great. All I can say is ride both and see which you like best.

 

[ecustu7]

After 700 miles on the ninja 300 I have come the following conclusions.

The 300 is much faster than the CBR250. It accelerates much faster and easily hits 100mph. It handles much better. The suspension is a lot stiffer and feels more stable in corners. Even though it weighs a few more pounds it feels more maneuverable. In fact, it feels better with the IRC tires than the CBR250 did with battlax tires. The throttle response on the 300 is much smoother at low speed than that of the CBR250.

Honestly, I think the 300 is better than the CBR250 in almost every way except of course in price, gas mileage, and straight line bump handling. The soft suspension on the CBR handles straight line bumps but sacrifices corner stability, whereas the 300 is the opposite.

If you want a bike that gets great gas mileage and only need a top speed of about 84mph and a very low initial price and operating cost then buy the CBR250. If you have about 700 dollars more to spend and don't mind a little less gas mileage and slight increase on maintenance so that you can go at least 100 mph and get there a hell of a lot faster then get the 300. The 300 feels more like a 600, as far as the tight suspension while the CBR250 has a very soft suspension.

As far as power the difference in the 2 bikes is night and day. It doesn't seem that 50cc's more would make that much of a difference but it does. You will want more power sooner with the 250 than with the 300, if you want more power at all.

 

[dmdusen]

My friend just bought a 2013 CBR250 and I rode it home from the dealer for him because he has no riding experience. The best way I can describe it is that the CBR250 feels a tad on the scooter side. Dont get me wrong its still very comfortable and is a very smooth ride. Though being biased I am still glad I chose the 300. The gas mileage is just shy of the 250 so I cant complain (sitting right at 63-65 mpg). Both are great bikes the Ninja just has that little extra that makes it superior haha

 

[ecustu7]

The problem with the CBR250 is that to get to 93 you have to run out 5th. If all you do is roll on 6th all you will hit is about 84mph and I weigh 130 and am 5'6". It will possible get above 84 but it is very slow to come and it wont happen if going up hill or against the wind. I can roll on sixth on the 300 and quickly get to 100mph. Its slow to come after 100mph on the 300 but it doesn't lose steam until 100mph and it will easily do it up hill and against the wind.

So no, total top speed isn't much different on both bikes but how quickly and easily they get there is a different matter.

 

[chevyguy4321]

I live in the goldsboro area.

 

[ecustu7]

Plus the CBR acts like a true sport bike!

I meant the 300 acts like a true sports bike, the CBR250 doesn't.

 

[alzeal1018]

And I know its subjective and I'm a little biased but the ninja 300 looks sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than the cbr250, If they had made the cbr250 look more like the cbr500 it would be a different story. But you can't beat the aggressive cateye look of the 300 It truly looks like a sports bike.

 

[SombraPiloto]

I've ridden both. '13 ninja beats the **** out of the '13 cbr.

edit - i MAYYYYYYYYY be a little biased on my opinion.

You speak the truth, CBR can't hold a candle to the Ninja 300.

i actually saw this thread on the cbr250r forums. i subscribed there when i initially thought i would buy one. well i guess we both find ourselves on the ninja side. welcome.

Make that 3 of us. Ninja>CBR...

Welcome aboard ecustu7!

 

[corb]

I'm coming off the CBR250 as well. I'm a pretty huge Honda fanboy, but the 250 is just too little power and the rev limit is so low on top of it - even at the limits it just bogs along. Very scooter-y, an absolute dream to flick around recklessly under 40mph, but that's about it.

I do miss those brakes though.