Honda has announced the new Honda CB 250 Twister in Brazil for the 2016 model year. The bike is expected to replace the existing Honda CB 300. Though the bike looks very similar to the CB 300, the new Twister has been designed from scratch and Honda was quick to say that this is not derived from the CB 300 or the CRF 250. The bike will be produced at Honda’s production facility in Manaus.
The Honda CB 250 Twister features a simple yet efficient construction with a diamond-tubular frame that has fewer welds to make it lighter and to create a well-balanced bike. The bike is powered by a low friction 249.5 cc SOHC engine with 4-valves. Like all Brazilian motorcycles the engine has been tuned to run on ethanol premix fuel. It generates a maximum power of 22.6 bhp @ 7,500 rpm and 22.4 Nm of torque @ 6000 rpm. The engine is paired with a six-speed transmission. The gear ratio is optimized for city use and the first two gears are kept short for initial pull and the sixth gear is set taller for comfortable cruising at higher speeds. The bike is capable of achieving a top speed of 145 kmph. The Twister comes with electronic fuel injection system and meets the latest Brazilian emission regulations.
The suspension comprises of telescopic forks at the front with a travel of 130 mm and a monoshock unit at the rear with 108 mm travel. The front has 276 mm single disc brakes with two-piston callipers and a 220 mm disc with single-piston callipers at the rear. The bike comes with 17-inch, 5-spoke alloys, shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso 110/70 section tyre at the front and 140/70 section tyre at the rear. The fuel tank has a capacity of 16.5 litres with a new hinged fuel cap. The new Honda CB 250 Twister is pretty light and weighs 137 kg (139 kg with ABS) making the bike very light, nimble and quick off the line.
The styling of the CB 250 Twister is simple and characteristic to a naked Honda motorcycle. The headlight assembly is kept minimal and does not have a wind shield. The cockpit gets an attractive full digital LCD display with cascading tachometer, numerical speedometer, trip meters and a fuel level indicator. The tank has angular large side shields very similar in design to the 110 cc Twister sold in India. Finally the up-swept tail section completes the bike with a very balanced look overall.
The new Honda CB 250 Twister provides a much affordable package compared to the Honda CB 300 it would be replacing. The lower capacity of the engine is compensated by the reduction of weight compared to the CB 300. This would mean that the new Twister would have a performance comparable to its predecessor CB 300. We hope this new quarter-litre bike from Honda hits the shores of India in the coming year.