It looks like Honda is jumping into the baby bike business. Kawasaki has as been the sole provider of pint-sized sports bikes for nearly 20 decades. (Well, you could buy an Aprilia 125 or a Hyosung 250 but neither of those bikes are exactly "mainstream.") The 250 is a big seller for Kawasaki, and while it doesn't boast a huge profit margin, those sales have some advantages. When gas prices spike in the US small bikes the the 250 are very popular, not to mention a great way to new motorcyclist interested in your brand.
Honda's 250 aims directly for the Ninja. Prices are near identical, the CBR uses a fuel injected single while the Ninja features a carbed twin. The Ninja makes more power, but the Honda weighs less. With fuel prices up and the economy down logic would tell you that small bikes are going to be easier to sell than big bikes. That coupled with Honda's name and some sharp looks should do the CBR250R well. 
If the Ninja and CBR are hits one has to wonder; who's next? Where's Yamaha and Suzuki in all this? KTM could surely produce a bike in this class, maybe Triumph too. How about a super single form Ducati? or an Aprilia RS250? This leads me to my next point...
Small displacement bikes make up the majority of motorcycles outside the USA. Based on rules and regulations different sizes are popular in different parts of the world. In the UK 125cc bikes are a must for beginners, in India 150cc bikes are popular, Japan has different levels as well with 250 and 400cc bikes being big sellers. What we're left with is a hodgepodge of different bikes made for specific markets. It would be nice to see some consistency and globalization of these small bikes, maybe then motorcycle manufacturers would be encouraged to offer one strong product world wide.
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