Honda CMX 250 Rebel

Make Model	Honda CMX 250 Rebel
Year	1998-00
Engine	Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder. SOHC. 2 valve per cylinder
Capacity	234 cc / 14.3 cu-in
Bore x Stroke	53 x 53 mm
Cooling System	Air cooled
Compression Ratio	9.2;1
Lubrication	Wet sump
Induction	Single 26mm diaphragm-type constant-velocity (CV) carburetor
Ignition	Digital CDI
Starting	Electric
Max Power	18.5 hp / 13.5 kW @ 8250 rpm
Max Torque	18.6 Nm / @ 5500 rpm
Clutch	Wet, cable operated
Transmission	5 Speed
Final Drive	Chain
Front Suspension	33mm Telescopic fork
Front Wheel Travel	117 mm / 4.6 in
Rear Suspension	Dual shocks with five-position spring preload adjustability
Rear Wheel Travel	74 mm / 2.9 in
Front Brakes	Single 240mm discs 2 piston caliper
Rear Brakes	230mm Drum
Front Tyre	3.00 -18
Rear Tyre	130/90 -15
Rake	30°
Trail	113 mm / 4.4 in
Wheelbase	1450 mm / 57.1 in
Seat Height	676 mm / 26.6 in
Dry Weight	141 kg / 331 lbs
Fuel Capacity	10 Litres / 2.6 gal

The Rebel 250 has wandered in and out of Honda's lineup for several years. For 1996 the Rebel is in, and Honda will probably find it in their heart to forgive you if you didn't notice this while drooling over the CBR900RR or the Valkyrie.

Yes, the Rebel is back to fill a small but stable market niche for a lightweight novice bike with a low seat. There's only one way to say it: This bike was made for short people.

Very short people, actually. At a relatively stubby 5'6", our shortest tester was barely small enough to fit on the bike. The suspension didn't bottom out and his elbows didn't touch his knees, but it would have been much more comfortable if the bars, pegs, and seat had all been about an
inch further from each other.

The only normal-sized feature of the Rebel is its handlebar. The wide, flat bar puts your hands far apart. It also makes lane-splitting slightly more difficult than it should be: if the bar was a few inches narrower this 250 could be the ultimate commuter bike. But that same tiller allows you to push the front end around with ease. The bike is very flickable at low speeds.

This flickability makes the Rebel an entertaining ride. It has more ground clearance than most cruisers, and the light weight actually makes riding the local canyons fun. There is sinful pleasure in pushing this little bike through a corner with the peg grinding away.

For a rider with any experience, the lack of power from the air-cooled twin would be a problem. Tucked in as tightly as we could get, we saw an indicated 80 mph on the speedometer. To its credit, the bike was quite happy to deal with this sort of abuse, and displayed no scary traits at speed. Of course, Honda hasn't aimed this bike at experienced riders, and novices will find the power output unintimidating.

"If you're looking for a novice-level motorcycle and can't find another bike on the market that will fit you, then the little Honda could work out nicely."

As you would expect, this 250 is built to a price. Unfortunately, it shows. Most of the fit and finish of the bike is up to a high standard. But little details, like a missing oil light (never mind the lack of a tach), budget OEM tires, and a weak non-halogen headlight stick out. Also, the transmission was always balky, and we had trouble getting into neutral while stopped and experienced occasional false neutrals while moving through the gearbox.

All nitpicking aside, the only real problem is that Honda hasn't priced this motorcycle as cheaply as we would like to see. At $3999, it is a hundred dollars more than a Yamaha Virago 250, and only a hundred dollars less than Suzuki's GS500E. So who wants a Rebel? If you're looking for a novice-level motorcycle and can't find another bike on the market that will fit you, then the little Honda could work out nicely.

Source Motorcycle.com