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Rise of the modern 250: Japan aims low and hits the competition where they least expect it

BLAKE CONNER

EXTRAVAGANCE HAS ITS PLACE. . .IF you're a one-percenter. But for the rest of the population, $28,000-a-pop Panigale Tricolores, $10,000 European enduros and just-shy-of-$40K factory-custom H-D CVOs just don't jibe with economic realities.

Thankfully, the motorcycle indus try has listened. In particular, the Japanese, who have taken quite a beating in the press the past four years for not matching the technological advances of European manufacturers.

Despite appearing to have been overly cautious while weathering the financial maelstrom of the past several years, Kawasaki and Honda now seem to be quite savvy for attacking the opposite end of the motorcycle market with bikes like the $4199 Ninja 250 (revamped by Kawasaki in 2008),

Honda's $4099 CBR250R ($4599 w/ABS) and newfor-'13, $4499 CRF250L.

"The entry-level market is very important to Honda and a segment where we're seeing a lot of growth," said American Honda's Manager of Motorcycle Press, Bill Savino. "A lot of the younger buyers are coming in and looking for high-quality, inexpensive, fuel-efficient machines like the CBR250R and CRF250L. But we are also seeing a lot of people reentering the market after being off of motorcycles for three, five or even 10 years.

These 250s and bikes like the brandnew NC700X (p. 38) are key to getting both types of customers riding."

Future options for these consumers appear to be quickly expanding. We predict that the following machines will soon be joining the sub-$5000 party.

2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250/300

It appears that Team Green is upping the ante with an all-new Ninja 250 or perhaps even a 300, depending on which rumors we are to believe. In August, Kawasaki Japan's homemarket website released information and images of a new quarter-liter Ninja, much to the dismay of Kawasaki's U.S. branch. A flood of calls came pouring in to the company's Irvine, California, offices demanding to know why the press hadn't been informed of this important news. Awkward! So, now that the notso-best-kept secret is out, we can say for sure that a new mini-Ninja is on the way, and persistent rumors imply that its displacement here in the U.S. may be 300cc.

The U.S. market is important to Kawasaki, and in the past, the company has shown that it isn't opposed to selling multiple variations of the same platform in different markets and occasionally even within the same one: Think the ZX-6RR (599cc) and ZX-6R (636cc) of the early and mid-2000s. So, it wouldn't surprise us if U.S. consumers got a fuel-injected 300 while other countries stayed with a carbureted 250.

Kawasaki Japan's website reinforced this notion when it included an asterisked footnote in the specifications for the 2013 Ninja 250 stating that fuel injection wouldn't be available in all markets. If multiple versions are already being made, why not supersize them? We suspect the answer will be floating in cyberspace by the time you read this. Who knows, maybe we'll get both versions.

2013/14 Yamaha YZF-R250

With all the movement in this entry-level area, we predict that Yamaha is planning to get in on the action in the U. S., as well. You heard it here first, because we aren't just passing along the rumor; we're starting it!

Yamaha currently sells numerous small-displacement sportbikes in other markets. In Europe, the YZF-R125— powered by a liquid-cooled, sohc, 125cc four-valve Single—has been sold since '08, while in Southeast Asia, it's the YZF-R15, a liquid-cooled, sohc, 150cc four-valve Single.

With small-displacement bikes in the limelight, the Tuning Fork company is surely considering filling the gaps in its lineup. Currently, the only models that play the part are the relatively pricey WR250R ($6590), ancient XT250 and TW200 dual-sports ($5090 and $4490), and $4190 Star V Star 250 cruiser.

If Yamaha decides to go the singlecylinder route, it already has the fuelinjected, liquid-cooled, 250cc fourvalve engine from the aforementioned WR250R. The real question is whether Yamaha could price such a machine competitively (under $5000) using a variation of this engine, which currently has trick (read: expensive) features such as titanium intake valves, a forged piston and EXUP exhaust valve.

Consumers are demanding fuelefficient, inexpensive transportation, and manufacturers see these machines as a way to ensure their own future livelihood by getting the next generation on motorcycles before it's too late.

Either way, unless fuel prices suddenly get cut in half, we expect to see an explosion of growth in this segment and can't wait to see what other fun bikes the future brings.