Honda CB250

Owner: Stephen Wilkinson Bike: At last!!! I can do the national speed limit.

Details: 234cc, 2 cyl, 4 stroke, pulled a stonking 18bhp at the back wheel and did 80mph if thrashed mercilessly.

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I bought this bike back in October 1997, one week after passing my test. I traded in the faithful CG125. I wanted something cheap and reliable, that could do that national speed limit, tough enough to ride to work through the winter on and nice enough to have some fun on. And I was sick of that damn kick-start.

She was a deep Blue with Red and Gold Honda tank stickers and trim on and she didn't look too bad. Sort of a sit up and beg retro thing with very light custom influences as well. Weird looking now that I give it some thought.

In the 9 months that she was in my possession I
A) Fitted Engine bars and a sports rack.
B) Got her completely filthy and rarely cleaned her. Which was good, cos the exhausts rotted through and she sounded lovely.
C) Wormed my way into sweet Angelas heart by giving her lifts all over the shop.
D) Dropped her when some woman indicated right and pulled into the middle of the road and then turned left when I went to undertake her. I paid my own damages cos no one saw it happen.
E) Rode 25,000 miles.

One of my best memories of the old girl was the Farmyard Party 1998. The Fiendish Delights (who I was knocking around with at the time) all met outside Karin and Kevins house and got loaded up. However, young Steveys 250 got more load up than anyone else. I ended up with THE biggest pile of luggage you've ever seen strapped to a small bike in anyway you can imagine. There was only just room for me and my rucksack, even then I had to lean forward to get on and off. However, she moved (a surprise), kept up with the rest of the Fiendish (a bigger surprise), made it up Sutton Bank unaided (a fuckin miracle) and then sat smoking in the middle of the field for a few hours afterwards when we got there (not surprising at all, shed just been given the hardest and longest thrash of her life, I had to change my address to the The Rev-limiter I was there for so long).

I eventually got bored of the low speeds and crap acceleration (she did murder a 1200 'arley sportster once on a drag strip style race along a straight country road but lets face it what wouldn't?) and decided it was time for something new. So I took her to White Brothers in Darlington and got rid of her before she inevitably failed her MOT, and believe me she was dog-tired (not surprising) she would have.