NEW "Nighthawk" CBR250, aka watch out Ninjette!

Sorry. That's not a Nighthawk.

Why in the world would they call that a Nighthawk??

The Nighthawk has always been a standard motorcycle. Not a sport or cruiser... but a good ol' standard. A great learners bike with broad appeal.

This is a VFRette. A tiny VFR. It's not even a semblance of the Nighthawk line.

I like the bike, but it should've gotten a new name.


Then again... I suppose I'll be staring at a VFR1200T soon and saying, that is NOT an ST. :nuts1:
 
EASt said:
Sorry. That's not a Nighthawk.

Why in the world would they call that a Nighthawk??

The Nighthawk has always been a standard motorcycle. Not a sport or cruiser... but a good ol' standard. A great learners bike with broad appeal.

This is a VFRette. A tiny VFR. It's not even a semblance of the Nighthawk line.

I like the bike, but it should've gotten a new name.


Then again... I suppose I'll be staring at a VFR1200T soon and saying, that is NOT an ST. :nuts1:
Click to expand...

When I first saw this I thought the same thing. That doesn't look right to be called a Nighthawk. Did Honda ever make a 250cc Sportbike? I guess I don't know. Never was that interested in ever getting one to look into it. Sport bikes just don't fit my tall lanky frame so I have never looked at them much which is why I ride the ST.
 
Kawasaki has a strong franchise with the Ninja brand. To a lot of non-motorcycle people, "Ninja" means "sportbike" (just as "Kleenex" means "tissue"). Honda doesn't have anything similar to brand its sport bikes, just the CBR nomenclature. The VFR is a different animal but you couldn't go calling a 250 single a VFR even if it's styled to look like a VFR.

When I think of a Nighthawk I think of a CB750 or the Nighthawk S 700. Those 250 standards never seemed worthy of the name to me. This new 250 doesn't seem like a Nighthawk either.

What should Honda call it?
 
sennister said:
Did Honda ever make a 250cc Sportbike
Click to expand...

Yes back in the late 80s. My Daughter had a VTR 250. It was a V twin. Red lined around 10500rpm. Fun bike but I looked like a bear riding a mini bike on that thing. She, on the other hand, looked great riding that bike.
 
"Nighthawk"!? I don't think so...

Honda did make a 250 Nighhawk, and yes it was a "standard" style bike

Nighthawk250_new.jpg


You can read all about Nighthawks here > http://hondanighthawks.net/History_Honda.htm

I had two Nighthawks; a 1985 700S and a 1992 CB750. Great bikes! Put 93K on the 700S and 70K on the CB750.

This new "CBR" 250 looks like a lot of fun. Hope Honda can sell them.

IMHO this is the size bike beginning riders should be learning on, not the CBR600 that so many young men (and a few woman) buy for their first street bike.

TINK
 
EASt said:
Sorry. That's not a Nighthawk.

Why in the world would they call that a Nighthawk??

The Nighthawk has always been a standard motorcycle. Not a sport or cruiser... but a good ol' standard. A great learners bike with broad appeal.

This is a VFRette. A tiny VFR. It's not even a semblance of the Nighthawk line.

I like the bike, but it should've gotten a new name.


Then again... I suppose I'll be staring at a VFR1200T soon and saying, that is NOT an ST. :nuts1:
Click to expand...

Honda likes to reuse their names of the past! Stupid, I agree! But, it's their right to be stupid I guess!

I owned an '83 650 Nighthawk that I put on 74K before crashing . I then went to VF700 Sabre and that was follwoed by an 83 V45 Sabre, a 85 V45 Sabre and a 84 V65 Sabre. Honda reused the Sabre name on a cruiser a few years back. "We" V45/V65 Sabre owners were all pissed when they did that...those cruisers were NOT "Sabres"! :mad:
 
The Nighthawks were great bikes.. I rode on the back of my friend's 650 to go get my new 1984 VT500 Ascot. :D I prefer the "standard" bike style (like the Ascot, Nighthawk, and the ST to some extent) where you can sit up straight. It seems to be more and more, that most bikes are going to have you slumped forward........... or leaned way back....
 
SupraSabre said:
Honda likes to reuse their names of the past! Stupid, I agree! But, it's their right to be stupid I guess!

I owned an '83 650 Nighthawk that I put on 74K before crashing . I then went to VF700 Sabre and that was follwoed by an 83 V45 Sabre, a 85 V45 Sabre and a 84 V65 Sabre. Honda reused the Sabre name on a cruiser a few years back. "We" V45/V65 Sabre owners were all pissed when they did that...those cruisers were NOT "Sabres"! :mad:
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I agree, I too had a 82 V45 Sabre. Owned it for 14 years. Then I got a ST1100 in 93. The V45 then was relegated to local rides. Sure did like that bike though.
 
The 700s Nighthawks were not "Standard bikes" ... Bikini fairing, agressive posture ... But certainly not this full faired incarnation either.

-Adam
 
STraycatt said:
The 700s Nighthawks were not "Standard bikes" ... Bikini fairing, agressive posture ... But certainly not this full faired incarnation either.
Click to expand...

Other than WBW's subhead, where'd anyone say this was going to be called a Nighthawk?

At any rate, the Nighthawk's model number was CB250. This bike's is CBR250, and it bears some resemblance to a fully-faired bike Honda made in the '80s and '90s: CLICKY

--Mark
 
To be clear, the Ninja 250 and Ninja 500's are not sportbikes. Aside from the obvious hp/weight/brake concerns, there's the simple fact that they have pure standard ergos. For all intents and purposes, they are standards in sportbike suits. And it sounds like the CBR250 is a very similar formula.
 
Honda wants to steal some of that Ninjette business. The Ninja 250R is Kawasaki's best selling motorcycle. I still have fun my Ninjette. ;)
 
I took a spin on Carl_T's Ninja 250...all kinds of fun. I bet Honda sells plenty of CBR250's, but I doubt they'll overtake Ninja 250 sales.
 
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