New Honda CBR250RR to Appear at EICMA Milan Hot

It is a title which once again does little justice to the real story behind the obvious. The rumor is that Honda will be bringing a new sport machine with them when they return (Honda skipped 2009) to the EICMA show in Milan next month – the CBR250RR. Going back to the last century will show you that Honda has had a CBR250RR in their showrooms before, but it ceased production in model year 1996. This new version is said to be for specific Asian or European markets, but few other details are available. The sad fact is that it could all be rumor…

The question behind this potential ‘non-news’ is, as always, why is Honda leaving out the North American market? For a comparison simply look over to the Kawasaki 250 Ninja; worldwide it is one of the top selling models the huge conglomerate has ever had. It is not intimidating for new riders and it can actually be incredibly fun on a racetrack or on an empty backroad with miles of curves. If Honda were to import the mini-CBR to this continent it would be a solid seller and might even expand some racing opportunities to those with less disposable income. (The previous model can be purchased on the gray market if you can find one.) The CBR250RR would please many with its almost infinite flick-ability and incredible fuel efficiency – a perfect runabout.

I’m not an accountant, though, and I certainly do not have access to the inner workings at an enormous company like Honda. There could be many barriers to its importation. Emissions shouldn’t be one of them if it is legal in the European Union nations. The most likely issue would be that it is simply not economically reasonable or feasible.

If they do work it out, Honda’s new CBR250RR could become real competition for the Baby Ninja.