1988 Honda Hurricane CBR250R MC19
Kilometers: 6,485
Second Owner
Clean Title
Listing Price: $6,390 Or Best Offer
Listing Ends: September 13th, 2024
Honda’s Hurricane CBR250R MC19 was never officially imported to the US, the land of big motorcycles and long, straight roads. Intended to offer a sophisticated sportbiking experience to enthusiasts, while skirting tax and licensing laws, the bike stuffed all of the bigger CBRs’ technology into a much smaller package. This MC19 version may have lacked a second front brake caliper and disc, but the frame was aluminum, the engine had four cylinders and gear-driven cams, and the gearbox had six speeds. The suspension had limited adjustability, but was otherwise of good quality, and the bike delivered on its promise of delivering a real sportbike in miniature. Had Honda ever officially imported their CBR250R to the US, it would have been a sales disaster. Sure, a few would have been sold, but they’d have remained the cult bikes they are today, appreciated by those with a taste for tiny, tiny 48.5mm pistons. Their age now allows them to be legally imported and experienced, although many have been run hard and put away wet…
Honda CBR 250R MC19 Hurricane Runs great ! Super fun to drive. Ultra light. Rare japan import. 4 cylinder with 18k redline. Couple of cosmetic scratches on pipe and fairing. See pictures. Not bad though.
This particular example of Honda’s little quarter-liter screamer appears to be in good running condition, but is pretty rough around the edges and looks just a little bit crashed: damage is visible on the right side fairing, engine case, and the exhaust, but is relatively minimal, as far as those things go. These bikes are apparently a ton of fun, but very gutless and will likely never command the values and reverence of their two-stroke stablemates, as they lack the same level of performance, associations with Grand Prix racing, or that all-important two-stroke zing. This Honda CBR250R could be a fun little project, as original plastics are rare, but can probably be sourced with some patience, and would be a great dance partner on tight back roads or smaller tracks.
-tad
I’m a fan of these JDM small bore bikes. Coincidentally I was just offered a nice 400 Hurricane by a friend, but no space means no more bikes.
I really dig the 400s. Probably a 250 would be neat, but gutless for someone my size, and pretty drone-y if I needed to actually get anywhere. The only 400/4 I’ve ridden is the NC30, which honestly didn’t feel gutless at all, you just had to work it a bit. I’d still love to buy one.