Okay, so I finally got my hands on a 2011 Honda CBR250R. It wasn’t exactly new, but hey, it’s a CBR! I’ve always wanted to tinker with one of these, and this one seemed like a good project bike.
First thing I did was give it a good look-over. It had definitely seen some miles, and probably a few drops, too. The fairings had some scratches, and the exhaust had a bit of a rattle. Nothing major, though, just cosmetic stuff mostly.
I started by changing the oil. Pretty standard stuff. Drained the old stuff – which, let’s be honest, looked pretty nasty – and slapped on a new filter. Filled her up with some fresh oil, and already she sounded a little smoother.
- Drained old oil.
- Replaced oil filter.
- Added fresh oil.
Next up, I checked the air filter. It was surprisingly clean, so I just gave it a good blow-out with some compressed air. One less thing to replace!
Then, I moved onto the chain. It was a bit rusty and stiff, so I gave it a thorough cleaning with a chain cleaner and a brush. Took some elbow grease, but it came out looking pretty good. After that, I lubed it up real nice. Made a huge difference in how smoothly the bike shifted.
The brakes felt a bit spongy, so I bled them. This was a bit of a pain, to be honest. I had to get my buddy to help me pump the lever while I opened and closed the bleeder valve. We got some air bubbles out, and the brakes felt much firmer afterward.
Making it My Own
After all the basic maintenance, I started on some small customizations. I swapped out the stock mirrors for some smaller, sleeker ones. Just a little thing, but it made the bike look a bit more modern, in my opinion.
I also installed some frame sliders. Better safe than sorry, right? I’ve dropped bikes before, and these things can save you a lot of heartache (and money) in repairs.
Finally, I tackled that rattling exhaust. Turns out, one of the baffles was loose. I managed to tighten it up, and the rattle disappeared. Score!
It’s still a work in progress, but the CBR250R is running great now. It’s a fun, nimble little bike, and I’m really enjoying getting to know it. I’ve still got a few more things I want to do, like maybe a new paint job, but for now, I’m just happy to be riding.
