Hi, Thought I would make a plug for the Honda CB250RS from 1980-1985. The CB250RS is probably one of the most underrated 250cc bikes out there and although the oldest examples are now 30+ years old, excellent examples still exist for relatively low $$. There are countless reviews on these little machines on the net and all are very positive. http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/pictures/1980-honda-cb250rs-2/ Although I’m an Aussie, my folks were working over in the UK for a few years at the time I became interested in bikes (’79-’82). I first saw the new 1980 CB250RS debut at the Isle Of Man, of all places when I rode up with my friend on 2 dilapidated and aging 2-stroke Suzukis (another story). I remember the new 1980 Honda CB250RS being showcased at the Honda Exhibition tent in Douglas and to my 17 y.o. eyes, it was a very sweet looking little bike - a slim light-weight single with a 4 valve head and lust exhaust note through 2 chrome exhausts. It looked like the svelte younger sister of the overweight Honda CB250N Superdream that every man and his brother seemed to think they had to own (bleh). Somebody at Honda had been paying attention and the CB250RS was a breath of fresh air. The amazing thing really is that at this time, nobody really knew how good the bike actually was or would turn out to be. I wanted one, but being chronically cash-strapped as many 17 y.o.s are, it was just out of the question. The CB250RS was very much born out of the technology of the day, long before the high-revving, multi-cylinder bikes that followed in the 80s and 90s and we certainly did not imagine the kind of HP you could get out of a 250, unless it was a tuned semi-race bike, an certainly not from a 4 stroke…But just in case you are thinking us old guys had choices at the time that were about as exciting as luke-warm Emu Export, the CB250RS appeared at a time when brand new Suzuki GT250X7s, RD250LCs and KH250s were literally flying off the showroom floors (well, the KH250s not so much, as they were getting a little long in the tooth). Honda did not have anything to offer as traditionally a 4-stroke company and found it hard to compete with the Suz / Yam stinkwheels – even the traditional road-based Enduro bikes like the XL250 were 4-stroke. The CB250N Superdreams were selling very well, but, let’s be honest, they were not exactly machines to set your pulse racing. Kawasaki did have the Z250A Scorpion (a very neat little bike) in its lineup, but it was relatively expensive and the X7 / RDLC offered a lot more kick in the pants for the money. The CB250RS could not compete directly with the X7/RDLCs, but echoed the romanticism of an updated and reliable British single that handled and went as good as it looked. The UK market at the time was governed by learner laws (L plate riders could ride up to 250 cc on L-plates) and insurance premiums. Anyone under 25 (even with a full unrestricted licence) faced an uphill battle insurance premiums were controlled by a virtual monopoly of insurance companies. Premiums were very high, which was the main reason for the dominance of the 250 cc market in the UK at the time why the major motorcycle companies focused on products for this market. In 1983, the Learner Laws were revised, restricting L-plate riders to 125 cc and 12 BHP. The reasoning behind this (which I feel is more sound that I did at the time when looking back from the perspective of time) is that so many inexperienced 17 y.o. riders were buying these new bikes off the floor and maiming / killing themselves. As history shows, the major bike makers had many more lethal 250cc rockets in the pipeline and, had they allowed this trend to continue, you can only speculate how much carnage this might have caused. At least dropping the cc limit and BHP limit allowed inexperienced riders to get just that – a little more experience. This point is something that will argued ad infinitem, but is really just meant to illustrate a historical footnote. I got my full licence in 1981 before the change and was not affected, but it killed the 250 cc market in the UK overnight and 250cc bike prices dropped through the floor with all the learners being forced into 125s. Of course, it did wonders for the 125 market with bikes like the RD125LC, but that is another story. Where there is a will, there is a way As far as the surviving Honda CB250RSs are concerned, I would have one in a heartbeat. I am currently tied up with my ridiculous and pointless AMF-HD 250 obsession, but I certainly entertain the idea at some point of getting a nice metallic blue first run 1980/81 CB250RS, whacking on some nice sticky rubber to go out and throw around the coast roads here on a Sunday afternoon. Parts are cheap, the engine is bullet-proof (watch the oil though – it has to work hard) and the lusty 26 BHP engine returns about 70 mpg. Yahoo Auction Japan offers a huge supply of good used parts that can be sourced pretty easily. Apparantly the later CB250RSZ versions were boosted to 33 BHP. Riding position is good, even for us guys over 6 feet. I would certainly recommend the CB250RS as a great little uncomplicated and reliable classic entry 250 for new riders who either don’t want to work on bikes, are less mechanically inclined or even just need some cheap, stylish transport to get around. Don't be fooled by its age - you could do much, much worse. Just my 2c. Ian B.
I grew up on the back of one of these! Mum had a nice red one I'm trying to find photos of to build my own. My project thread for it - http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/cb250rs-restoration-rebuild.2299/ Also http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/penrith/motorcycles/2-x-honda-cb-250-rs/1045036244 if you want a blue one and a donor bike . Oh wait, you're in Japan...
I thoroughly back the Honda CB250RS! I'm new to this forum and just found this thread and it made me so happy! Funnest bike I've ever owned, loves a bit of throttle and handles so well, plenty of go for a little fellow like me (65kgs) I could ride it all day! Quite amazed at the example I managed to purchase, 1983 model metallic blue model with only 12'000 km's on the clock from new. Completely original (bar tyres), not a scratch to be found and even with the little warning stickers everywhere. Always gets loads of compliments! And the missus and I out and about haha
I've been attracted to single-cylinder motorcycles since I read a comparison in Two Wheels (edition 4) of a Ducati 250 Mk III, Bultaco Metralla and Montesa Impala when I was still in school. And having later owned a second-hand Ducati 250 Mk III and two new Bultaco Metrallas before owning my CB250RS, I can say that the Honda, 'though without the cachet of the Europeans, was easily the better motorcycle. I called it the 'little Honda that could'. On a twisty road it would embarrass riders on larger-capacity performance bikes of its day (1980-1985) such as the Honda CB900, Ducati 900 SuperSport and similar. Of course you had to wring its little head off and really stuff it into corners, but it had excellent cornering clearance and folding foot-pegs that wouldn't dig into the asphalt. And it was civilised; effortless one-kick starting; smooth, with its counter-balancers; good electrics, with lighting that was a huge improvement over the home-before-dark lights of (especially) the Bultaco. I really liked my Metrallas, but by any fair-minded assessment the little Honda comes out trumps ... and over its contemporary Japanese rivals.
Mate, that is a top little bike. I hope you keep it like that and don't 'customise' it, buy a crap one to do that.
Shhhh..don't tell everyone. I'm after another 2 1 for mint and the other will be another project. Have a set of original bars.......going free but postage will $$$ @ Chris.
My first bike. Great fun, very forgiving. Same motor as an XL250S. Bulletproof bottom end, massive bearings. Wiseco and Wossner both do a 10:1 piston. Uncracked heads are like rocking horse ****. They run around 90C, have big valves and are made of brittle ally. Mine ran fine for years with cracks between the exhaust valves and the spark plug.
Had one in 1981, unfortunately it was stolen in 1989 after I'd done a full restoration (b@stards!) - was unquestionably the "most fun bike" I ever owned I bought a relatively low-millage model in 2015, which was in a better state than the one I had before, use it quite regularly in town. Treated it to a Ducati SS900 centre section fairing on the handlebars (vaugely reminiscent of the factory original "Hondastyle" option) does absolutely nothing for performance but gets a few "double takes" from other bike riders! It was in unusually good condition, and I kept expecting to find something really nasty whenever I took teh engine covers off, or stripped things down for no more than regular maintenance, but so far, there have been no unplesant surprises - it goes to show, a little TLC goes a very long way. I think a few of the original 26-or-so horses have died of old age, it still manages 70mph but riding this has nothing to do with top-end speed You feel like you're doing 90mph, look down at the clocks, and it's about half that, (even in "Honda" MPH) it's enough to get the pulse racing Unfortunately the "new" learner ruled in the UK effectively killed teh demand for these overnight but it remains one of Honda's "best kept secrets". The world is divided into two distinct categories - those who have ridden them and love them from the start, or those who have never ridden them and dismiss them on their paper specifictions alone. Never was a truer aphorism quoted that "the sum of the parts are greater than the whole": everything is in perfect balance, nothing too much, nothing too little. Mine is nearly 40 years old and has never needed anything more serious than a partial engine stripdown (all still in the frame) replacement of gaskets and seals and fitting aftermarket exhausts. No particularly "specialist tools" are needed to do a full maintenance job, parts are still available if you know where to look, and the electrics are reliable enough not to cause worry. Oil filtration wasn't especially good, so you need to change it every 1200 miles or so, and for goodness sake, never let the sump run dry, but with simple and regular checks, mine should be good for al least another 10 years or more without having to do a complete rebuild and powder coating the frame. A lot of the models on sale on "Fleabay" are backstreet "cafe racers" with the tail end chopped, I can't say I'm remotely impressed, the original factory spec was perfectly adequate. Fun, forgiving, and of course you could do yourself and the bike a lot of harm if driven badly, as far as I'm concerned is still one of the best allrounders I've ever ridden.
They are beautiful looking bikes.I live in the USA where everything has big & Bigger engines.I like small bikes. I would love to find a CB250RSZ over here that someone has imported:it's a good size and I'm sure it will park in the limited parking which my apartment allows.I own an 81' CB125S with a Honda XR185 dirtbike engine and I fit the bike sideways right in front of my automobile,then ease the car very close to it.
Do you know how they raise the horsepower/compression in the later models(the ones with electric start CB250RSZ,I think..)to give it 33hp up from 26 ? I was reading some reviews from motorbike messengers from 'back in the day' when they were running them all the time:there was one fellow who said the high compression/Hp engines would crack the cylinder head much sooner than the 26hp early kickstart-only model RS.Do you hear of any reviews similar ?
I have no knowledge of the RSZ model but there are several of the RS models being raced here in the South Island of NZ. They run in the Post Classic lightweight class. On the tightish circuits - and the remaining street circuits - here they are good fun and cheapish racing. The RS differs from the XL/XR versions basically in the rocker setup. The cams are the same but the rocker cover has the rocker pivots closer together giving a much better rocker ratio. More lift and duration off the same cam. The covers will interchange - but not all the screws match up. To do it properly a bit of engineering is needed. The RS head also has slightly larger ports as cast. All of them benefit from porting. Typical Honda of the period, work on the exhaust ports has immediate benefit - more so than the inlets. Invariably, porting the exhaust side reduces the head temperature. The stock layout runs hot gas straight at the port wall, heating it more than it should. I'd like to try one of the ceramic heat barriers in an RS head, might solve the cracking problem.
gregt, I appreciate this information you have posted:I will consider all this when I get my RS.I would actually like to purchase an early RS which has kick-start and modify the engine for more power:I don't want the weight of all that electric start equipment.The porting work makes sense to me to reduce heat build-up and reduce the problem of cracks in the head casting.I had a head porting expert open up both intake & exh. ports in my Honda XR200R cylinder head which I run on my little 1981' USA-spec CB125S street bike with XR185 or XR200 engines and the performance and cool-running is much better;it's set-up with stock valves as the stock valve sizes give me excellent low-speed and mid-range response.I imagine a couple of the racers over there have come-up with a long-term fix for this problem.I look forward to finding a good RS. thanks,Bill
