If there's one thing that modern Honda is good at, it's drawing deeply on past designs and giving them a little neo-retro flare in the 21st century. Team Red isn't the only manufacturer that's good at this, of course; but if you're me, it's incredibly tough to keep visions of the CB1000F from dancing through your head.
Still, not everyone wants a liter bike, even if it's a naked that's been tuned to favor folks who want to be a little more relaxed and a little less aggro behind the bars.
Also, while it's true that the US will basically let you go out and buy whatever your insane little heart desires the very day you get your M endorsement on your license (graduated motorcycle license tiers, we've never heard of them [she said sarcastically]), most other reasonably sane countries have some type of graduated licensing scheme for motorcyclists. Which, in turn, means that a lot of riders naturally gravitate toward smaller-displacement machines, because that's what their local licensing scheme supports.
The China International Motorcycle Show (CIMA) just wrapped in Chongqing, showing off the latest and greatest machines the industry in China has to offer. In amongst everything else, Honda took the wraps off this adorable CB250SS, which they're currently referring to as a concept.
It appears to utilize some components from existing models, such as the LED headlight from the Rebel 250. That's a common strategy, both among Honda and other manufacturers, and makes it easier from a manufacturer perspective to offer a wider range of models to customers without breaking the bank on R & D costs. From an owner perspective, that also makes it a bit easier when it comes time to change or replace parts; it's why you can still buy many older Honda motorcycles with reasonable confidence that most parts won't be complete unobtainium. (There are always exceptions, of course.)
From a design standpoint, Honda clearly needs to make the CB250SS yesterday. They've reportedly said this bike is only intended for the Chinese market, but even if it doesn't push elsewhere into Asia, it's one of those situations where I, for one, will simply be happy to know it exists out in the world somewhere. Because while it's true that I want to ride a lot of bikes, I'm also quite happy to know that other people are getting to ride cool stuff, too. You know?
And if I'd turned up to start learning to ride a motorcycle and a bike like this was in my Basic RiderCourse, it probably would have been instant love. I did just fine with the Rebel 250 I rode for my course, but something like this has always been more in line, stylistically speaking, with the type of bike I'm most drawn to. That's clearly a personal choice, however; and one that not everyone will necessarily resonate with.
But for now, let's play a little game. We know that if this bike goes from concept to actual production motorcycle, it'll likely only be sold in China. Assuming that you're not reading this in China, would you be interested in a CB250SS if it were to break containment and show up in your local market? And if so, can you tell us what country you're reading this from? Feel free to comment on both these things below at your leisure, because I have the feeling the appeal of this bike is much bigger than any one country, even one the massive size of China.
