Honda Rebel 250 - review

My first bike is a Honda Rebel 250. I could not have asked for a better teacher. It is very capable of maintaining 70 MPH. I have had it up to an indicated 85 on a down hill with tail wind. It can get up to 65 MPG, but I averaged 55 MPG. Acceleration is on par with a Civic.

For me the Rebel is best for joy rides around the lake and running around town. This being said, I have taken 3 long distance trips on her. My longest was a 400 mile round trip from DFW to Lufkin. The bike really growels at the high speed. My bumm would give out before the bike ever would!

Maintenance is the same for any bike. It does not have an oil filter, so I have been changing the oil every 1000 miles. It takes less than 2 quarts and 15 minutes, so I think it is worth it!

I am 5'10" and 150lbs and find the bike is not perfectly comfortable for extended trips.

There is my 2 Cents. If any one is looking for one, I can recomend it if you are comfortable with the seating!

Congrats on the Rebel! It's one of my all time favorite scoots Myself and a bunch of buddies all got our MC licenses on one ... Not at the same time, of course

I'm sure Houston Speed Triple (Tom) will be in here shortly to show his undying support of your purchase!

No oil filter?

txmedic said:

No oil filter?

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Nope...not on a Rebel (or Nighthawk) 250. It just has an internal oil screen as part of the oil pump. You clean or replace the screen when you change the oil.

It works on an XR100, so why wouldn't it work on two side-by-side?

The 250 Rebel was the best bike I ever owned. It was maintainance free (I'm not sure I ever even put gas in it), it never had any problems and I could ride the heck out of it. I ground the outside quarter off of my footpegs and put a hole in one of the pipes laying it over in high speed corners. I felt like Kevin Schwantz on that thing. And the beauty of the bike was that if you ever found yourself riding beyond your ability you could just jump off. I can't get anywhere near the edges of the performance envelope on my current bike but I was all over the Rebel. A freind of mine let me ride his recently and I fell in love again. I forgot about how much fun it is to lock up both wheels braking to a stop light and getting the bike sideways. In many regards it's like riding my childhood BMX in traffic.

Houston Speed Triple said:

I forgot about how much fun it is to lock up both wheels braking to a stop light and getting the bike sideways. In many regards it's like riding my childhood BMX in traffic.

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Tom, you could be a whole new breed of squid.

Tom,

I agree w/ all you said! (well, except for locking 'em up and stoping sideways )

I can't corner as agresivly on my Nighthawk 750 as I can the Rebel. I am sure it is mostly a confidence thing, and me being a nubie. I am working on the MSF figure 8s with the Nighthawk 750, where I can do them all day on the Rebel. Pegs...what pegs...I think mine are ground off The Rebel is definatly a hoot!

I have put 3,000 trouble free s-miles on the Rebel. Not one problem!

z_clark said:

My first bike is a Honda Rebel 250. I could not have asked for a better teacher.

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I think 250cc is a *great* size. The world would be a better place if most people in cars were on 250cc bikes instead.

I have said many times that the Rebel is the perfect city bike.

But what about a "more than city" bike? I'm looking for a commuter. My commute is from Jersey Village (NW Houston) to the Galleria. Yes, I will be able to take advantage of the HOV, but I am still looking at 290, 610, etc. It would also be safe to assume that I will be using it on times that the HOV is not available. I'm 6', and 180.

The 250's still a nice size but I'd try to find a Ninja 250. It will crank out a few more hp to get you through the on-off-ramp catastrophes-in-the-making. You might even take a look at Ninja 500. Few more horses yet and will still get you 50 mpg or better. Used copies of both bikes are fairly easy to find. Good luck with that Houston traffic!

The Yamaha Virago 250 is suppose to be a little better put together version of the Rebel, it is a V-Twin and in most of the comparisons between it, the Rebel and the Suzuki GZ250 the Yamaha always came out on top, with the Suzuki following and the Rebel in last place. My wife prefers the Yamaha and Suzuki because the fake oil tank on the Rebel is squared off instead of sloped like the others, so it gets into her legs when you put your feet down. They are all very good at what they do for the price, it all comes down to personal preference in most cases.

Many wanting a little more passing/merging power would look at the older 500-600cc cruisers. At 6'-0" you might be somewhat cramped on the 250's, my wife is 5'-2" and fits on them well, in the MSF class I didn't and I am 6'-2" although the forward controls make it a little more roomy.

Thanks for the reply. It seems something in the 500-600 range may be the way to go.

if you change your mind and decide on the rebel 250 I am selling an 05 with less than 1000 miles on it for $2100.

pub610 said:

The 250's still a nice size but I'd try to find a Ninja 250. It will crank out a few more hp to get you through the on-off-ramp catastrophes-in-the-making. You might even take a look at Ninja 500. Few more horses yet and will still get you 50 mpg or better. Used copies of both bikes are fairly easy to find. Good luck with that Houston traffic!

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What about riding position? I'd consider a Rebel if it didn't have the "cruiser" forward controls. The Nighthawk 250 has standard controls, but drum brakes, fer crying out loud.

Lee