105mph from a four-stroke 250

TESTERS have squeezed 105mph out of Honda’s CBR250RR, putting it within spitting distance of the two-stoke 250s some of us fondly remember from our youf.

Now, we’re not going to claim it's anywhere near as good as those old strokers, because we know how much upset that could cause, but it’s a big improvement on the 80-odd-mph top speed of the single-cylinder CBR250R and even the slightly faster CBR300R.

Indonesian website TMCBlog.com recorded the new parallel-twin CBR250RR hitting 170kph, on the clock at least.

According to Differentstrokers.com, a great site for and by two-stoke enthusiasts, a 1984 Suzuki RG250 Gamma had an upright top speed of 103.3mph and made a genuine 32bhp despite a claimed 46. The figures are said to be from tests in a 1984 issue of Motorcycle Mechanics.

The CBR250RR makes a claimed 38hp and weighs 154kg dry, giving it a better power-to-weight ratio than currently typical of the class.

So far Honda has only said there are no plans to bring the Asia-market model to the UK, but we’re still hopeful that’s because there’s a bigger version heading our way to compete with the likes of Yamaha’s R3 and Kawasaki’s Ninja 300.

Of course it will never get close to the 130mph, 60hp Kawasaki KR1. But that’s gone. It’s time to move on.

Heal and grow.