Initially these bikes were only sold new in Japan, and later the CBR250RR was sold new in Australia. They however can be found in almost any country of the world, and in a number is the most powerful 4-stroke bike a learner is allowed to ride, and hence their popularity. The CBR250RR has six gears, and revs just under 9,000 rpm at 100 km/h. Despite the high revs, the bike requires little maintenance, and should easily last 100,000 km with regular oil changes (over 1/2 a billion revolutions). The engine is somewhat unusual in that it uses gear driven cams, further reducing maintenance requirements.

The suspension on the bike was reasonably basic with non-adjustable front forks and a rear monoshock with adjustment for preload only. To change the front preload and/or dampening, owners have been known to install spacers and change the fork oil. Other modifications include the fitting of a fully adjustable front end from another bike e.g. a NSR250.^[1]

The models most commonly grey-imported into Australia were the MC22 and MC19 models. The earlier MC14 and MC17 are quite rare. During the mid 90's there was a collapse in the Japanese 250cc bike market due to a sudden change in licensing regulations allowing riders on the previous 250cc license class to ride bigger bikes. The excess new bikes (MC22 CBR250RR (R) and (R-II) models) were shipped to Australia by Honda MPE where they were sold as part of the company's official lineup. ^[2] This has proven quite useful to owners of grey-market imported CBR250RR's seeking spare parts.

The CBR250RR(R) is frequently known as the 'tri-colour' due to the fact that most (but not all) of the official bikes came in that particular colour scheme. Other than the engine restrictions, this model had several additional differences to its predecessors (L & N models). The bike featured more powerful low-beam headlights coupled to a new relay which was automatically deactivated by the start/crank button on the handlebar. This changed the pinout of the switchgear and kill-switch. The carburettor rubber boots were smaller on the CBR250RR(R) than the imports.

All specifications are manufacturer claimed except as stated.

Model	MC14	MC17	MC19	MC22
Year	1986 CBR250FG and FG-YA	1987 CBR250R (H)	1988-1989 CBR250R (J) and (K)	1990-1993 CBR250RR (L) and (N) 'Jap spec'	1994-1999 CBR250RR (R) and (R-II) 'Tri-colour' 'Aus spec'
Engine type	MC14e - 4 Stroke - 16 valve - Liquid Cooled - Inline Four
Displacement	249 cc (15.2 cu in)
Bore/stroke	48.5 mm x 33.8 mm
Power	45 hp (34 kW) @ 14,500 rpm	45 hp (34 kW) @ 15,000 rpm			40 hp (30 kW) @ 14,500 rpm
Maximum torque			2.6 kg-m @ 10,500 rpm	21.5 Nm @ 12,000 rpm	23.5 Nm @ 11,500 rpm
Compression ratio			11.0:1	11.5:1
Carburetion			VG05	VP 20
Transmission	6-speed
Final drive	0-ring Chain
Rake/trail				Rake & Trail Angles: 24 / 89 mm
Front Tire Size			100/80-17	110/70-17
Rear Tire Size			140/70-17	140/60-17
Wheelbase			1365 mm	1345 mm
Front Brake Type	Dual disc 2-piston calipers		Single disc	Dual 275 mm discs with 2-piston calipers
Rear Brake Type	Single disc 1-piston caliper			220 mm disc with 1-piston caliper
Fuel Tank Capacity	14L		13L
Seat Height				725 mm	735 mm
Dry Weight				142 kg (310 lb) [3]	143 kg (320 lb)
Wet Weight				157 kg (350 lb)	158 kg (350 lb)
Fuel Economy	16–20 km/L*			2.5L/100 km Honda Figure 3.9-5.0 L/100 km*
Top speed	175kmh flat 190kmh downhill*		190-200kmh		165kmh[4]
Headlights	Single front Headlight		Dual front Headlights
Market Availability	Japanese Domestic Market		Japanese Domestic Market and frequently grey-imported into Australia		Australia and Japanese Domestic Market

*User experience