A meeting with the Japanese

A meeting with the Japanese

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Mastodon2

Original Poster:

13,818 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Te latest in my series of test rides and perhaps the most important yet, revelations abound today. This morning I rode a 2015 Honda Fireblade in Repsol colours. First impressions looking at the bike as I got ready to ride it; it is both attractive and sort of ugly too. I actually think the 600RR has a better looking front end these days, but the blade isn't a bad looking bike, but it does have quite a short visual appearance thanks to it's blunt nose. The tail unit looks a bit naff, with a silly little pillion seat I wouldn't inflict on my worst enemy. I'd have rather had a cowl, I suppose they are available at a price. The Repsol colours look good, I think Honda have struggled to come up with interesting colour schemes for the blade in recent years, so while a lot of the other options are a just a bit drab, the Repsol colours liven the bike up and give it some pop against the scenery. The 2015 BSB special edition and the Urban Tiger 2015 looks good too, I must admit. The bike on the whole isn't that exciting to look at, I'd say it's the least visually appealing of the current 1000cc crowd, perhaps battling for a bottom spot with the GSX-R1000. If I sound like I'm being down on it, I'm not, it's just that there are some very pretty bikes in this class!

Firing it up, the idle sounds flat and dull. The bars are a reasonable height, and I've got plenty of leg room. The seat goes a long way back so there is plenty of room to get a decent seating position and the reach to the bars isn't massive. I'm 6 foot, 34" inside leg, 14.5 stone - I'm lucky to be able to fit most bikes without discomfort, being neither too short or too tall for anything I've sat on so far.

The salesman very kindly said I could go as far as I wanted as long as I brought it back with the same amount of petrol I left with - excellent! Riding off from the dealership, I am impressed by the incredible light clutch, the smooth fueling and road-friendly gear set. At a guess from the rev counter, I think 1st would redline at about 85mph, so it didn't need as much clutch slipping to move it off as the RSV4, coupled with the smooth, predictable throttle response meant it was very easy to get comfortable on the bike. A quick stop for petrol and it was off to the good roads.

Arriving at the first NSL sign out of town, I gave the bike the obligatory handful of throttle through the gears. My first thought was "This engine is 181bhp? Really?" - I never thought I'd be thinking that! I am no John McGuinness, but this engine is deceptive in the extreme. It's smooth, incredibly so and quiet too. The power builds with vigour from 6000rpm up with a swell at 10,000rpm that hurls the bike towards the redline, but the effect is curious; there is almost no exhaust or induction noise at all, in fact the noise of the engine reminded me a bit of a washing machine on a spin cycle. It's fast, we know that, but even when giving it a good twist of the throttle and holding it through the gears, it never shows any real aggressive character, it just quietly, smoothly goes. I've heard people describe this thing as having an engine like a turbine or a nuclear power plant, that is spot on. I don't know why it needs to be so quiet, I suppose Honda feel some social responsibility about exhaust noise, but could they not have given it some induction bark? That's a bit of a treat for the rider, but it's missing here - why?. At times I could hear the sounds of an engine trying to escape and I think a decent exhaust system would liven things up immensely here. Whether or not an Akrapovic end can would do it, or whether you'd need a fully system to get that strangling collector box off I don't know. The other bikes I've ridden so far sound like they've got full systems on from the showroom, the Honda is far too sensible imo.

The gearing is worth a mention again, as the short(er) first makes this bike so easy to use, coupled with 5th and 6th gears that didn't feel too long for motorway cruising. Coming back down the A1 on the way home, 6th at cruising pace had the engine feeling perky on the throttle, whereas the RSV4 and F4 both felt flat and chuggy due to their gearing and throttle response at lower revs. It really highlights the difference in the design brief between the bikes in this class.

The suspension was Showa Big Piston stuff, felt great for the road - bumps and rippled surfaces didn't upset the bike at all. I love the way these new bikes have the little adjustment dials on the top of the forks with little etched labels, would be amazing for a track / road bike, or for a dedicated track bike. I doubt I'd feel compelled to fiddle at least until I'd done a decent amount of miles to really learn the bike, but it's a nice touch to have.

The handling was very nice, I didn't tax the limits of grip but the Honda's lack of electronic aids was not missed. The front wheel felt nicely planted and hard acceleration over undulations didn't make the front wheel go light like the RSV4 RF or the M4. The bike felt very stable even at a decent amount of lean and gave no complaint at me requesting a decent amount of power on the way out of corners. The brakes were Nissin with ABS, I didn't trigger the ABS, but if I was ordering the bike I'd happily pay extra to have it. Needless to say they offered good stopping power and coupled with the front suspension the bike felt nicely settled even under hard braking - or at least as hard as you'd go on a fast road ride short of an emergency stop. Obviously, this doesn't give an indication of what they'd be like on track. An odd quirk I found on the more open sections as the lack of an arse rest - when getting up through the gears I like to tuck in when it gets blowy, normally scooting my arse back in the seat to the stop. This bike doesn't really have one; while you're not exactly going to fall off the back of the bike even on track, I missed that locked-in feeling that I get with bikes with my a more substantial arse stopper. The tucked position was nice, the screen doing a good job of keeping my head in the bubble and the tank supporting my chest.

The display screen is nice enough, easier to read than the MV unit and with plenty of useful info on it, but I'd still rather have a needle tacho and a digital speedo. That's just me. I think, or hope that with the full colour displays on the new R1 and the Panigales, that the days of these drab little LCD displays are numbered.

The practicality of the bike is undeniable, I could ride it all day and not feel discomfort I think, and the nice tucked position would make it a better place to sit on the Autobahn compared to say, the RSV4 RF, which blasted wind at my face no matter where I sat. For a bike to go to work, go fast on the road, go on track and go to Europe, this would be the perfect tool I think.

And yet, despite the incredibly impressive engineering work, I never felt that excited by the bike. The lack of noise and the amazingly smooth engine may play a large part in that, but I never got the "devil on the shoulder" feeling, the bike never responded like it wanted to go faster or be pushed harder, it was just quiet and business-like no matter what was asked of it. How typically Japanese! It's massively confidence inspiring as it's so predictable, and I rode some bits of road more quickly than I have done previously. Whereas the RSV4 RF and the F4 had the characters of wild beasts desperate to break their leads and run wild, the Honda never gave me that impression. An incredible bike in many ways, but as I only need a bike to put a smile on my face and let me have fun, I wouldn't have a Fireblade.

I realise this opens the arguments of "bikes don't have character" etc, which in particular is leveled at Japanese bikes. For a start, I don't believe that to be true, much like I don't buy into the whole "Ducati is the Ferrari of the bike world", nor do I believe that MV's are somehow "special" because they're not Japanese. I believe it is the case that the responses of a bike can be tuned so that the feedback will be interpreted by the rider in a certain way; in this instance I think Honda have tried to reduce the NVH of the bike so much they've killed the flair of it. Maybe it just needs to look a bit sexier, make a bit more noise and perhaps give a little more tingle through the bars and it would be right up there.


















Jazoli

9,086 posts

249 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Nice write up, I think the blade looks bloody awful, especially in those Repsol colours, who wants to look like a Spanish petrol station advert? its gopping and I personally wouldn't ride that as I'd feel a tt everytime I got off it, but that's just me smile

exgtt

2,067 posts

211 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Loving the reviews, the contrast in your write ups between the Blade/Aprilia/MV is crystal clear. Have you ridden the Duke yet? Or the BMW? Hope u do.

Mastodon2

Original Poster:

13,818 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Jazoli said:
Nice write up, I think the blade looks bloody awful, especially in those Repsol colours, who wants to look like a Spanish petrol station advert? its gopping and I personally wouldn't ride that as I'd feel a tt everytime I got off it, but that's just me smile
I like the Repsol colours, but there is an option for the "Champion Pack", which puts a load of giant "93" stickers on the bike. If I saw one of those in my mirrors on a ride out I'd be worry he'd was going to try and stuff me up the inside and end up running wide into a hedge! I've got a Rossi replica helmet and a Lorenzo rep, but giant "46", "99" or "93" stickers on the bike are a step too far even for me.

Hopefully riding the BMW next, there is a BMW Motorrad dealer in Sunderland (urgh) so hopefully they'll have an S1000RR in I can have a shot on. I've tried to the local Ducati place but tbh the price of the 1299 puts me off, they are mightily expensive for what they are, but it's moot as they've run out of their allocation of 1299s, so the manager's boss gets parked on the showroom floor. They are also a Kawasaki dealer but don't have a ZX-10R demo bike, which is a shame, as that was the one I really had my eye on, it's well priced, seems reliable, looks and sounds great in my opinion and seems to have that bit of aggression in it that the Fireblade lacks.

The more I ride of these things, the more I know they're way better than I am, so I am considering the options, I can PCP and effectively lease for life, or buy on outright purchase spread over a few years, but then there is the depreciation to think of. Then when I think about the likes of the K5 GSX-R1000, the first gen ZX-10R etc, they're all so much better than me I could buy one for a few grand and spend the saving over a new bike on tyres, petrol and learning to ride the thing better and do it justice.

What I've definitely learned today is that no amount of power can make up for a lack of character. EVeryone's idea of character is different, but a bike can be utterly unflappable, massively confidence-inspiring and yet still not get you hooked on it. I honestly thought it was a cliche when people said Fireblades can be a bit dull, but I can sort of see where they're coming from.


obscene

5,174 posts

184 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Mastodon2 said:
The more I ride of these things, the more I know they're way better than I am, so I am considering the options, I can PCP and effectively lease for life, or buy on outright purchase spread over a few years, but then there is the depreciation to think of. Then when I think about the likes of the K5 GSX-R1000, the first gen ZX-10R etc, they're all so much better than me I could buy one for a few grand and spend the saving over a new bike on tyres, petrol and learning to ride the thing better and do it justice.
That's the route I've gone down, slowly upgrading parts on my K5 while doing a ton of track days. By the time you've bought the bike and added all your modifications on, it still works out a lot cheaper and you have a bike suited to you.

Esceptico

7,334 posts

108 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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I had a test ride of the Blade a few weeks back. Dealer had fitted an Akropovic exhaust so sounded okay. Was very good but for some reason I found it very uncomfortable - couldn't wait to get off. I thought it was perhaps just because it was a sportsbike but I've since ridden the S 1000 RR, 899 and Daytona 675 and didn't have any real problems with them.


Yazza54

18,464 posts

180 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Jazoli said:
Nice write up, I think the blade looks bloody awful, especially in those Repsol colours, who wants to look like a Spanish petrol station advert? its gopping and I personally wouldn't ride that as I'd feel a tt everytime I got off it, but that's just me smile
I agree, matching leathers make me cringe even more.

John D.

17,700 posts

208 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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I generally like the Repsol Blades. Somehow that one doesn't look so great. Not sure why.




spareparts

6,777 posts

226 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Your assessment of the engine and overall nature of the Blade is spot on. It's the prototypical white goods UJM with zero character. Quite possibly the most forgettable litre superbike ever that is ironically one of the most efficient road bikes. It's the Toyota Camry equivalent of the biking world. Somewhat telling that in the latest Fast Bikes magazine, they decided to leave the Fireblade out of their 10 bike comparison test of superbikes. Honda cannot release a completely new Blade fast enough.

Mastodon2

Original Poster:

13,818 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
quotequote all
John D. said:
I generally like the Repsol Blades. Somehow that one doesn't look so great. Not sure why.
Same, I don't mind race replica bikes, I quite like seeing them and wouldn't mind too much riding one. The liveries seem to be a bit dull these days on the most part, bikes looked better in the 80s when tobacco companies ruled the advertising roost.

I think the problem with the 2015 Repsol blade is the that there is too much white on it. The older ones had a better black / orange / white mix. The 2015 Repsol CBR600RR is a better looking bike - in fact I think the 600RR is a better looking bike overall, it has a nicer front end and from a functional point of view, a proper tail until with an arse rest. It does look like the exact same tail unit they've been using since 2004 though, and it's due a restyle imo. But I digress, the 600RR has a better balance of colours on the Repsol livery.




mga32

84 posts

165 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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I picked mine up last week, looks neater I think with the SP seat cowl. I had a 2012 before and the new one feels a bit sharper and easy to ride. It s a lot cheaper than other litre bikes and there is some very good deals on finance at the moment.

mga32

84 posts

165 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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I picked mine up last week, looks neater I think with the SP seat cowl. I had a 2012 before and the new one feels a bit sharper and easy to ride. It s a lot cheaper than other litre bikes and there is some very good deals on finance at the moment.

Mastodon2

Original Poster:

13,818 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Very nice, I take it you're still in the running in period? Did you ride any of the competition and do you have any thoughts on the how the blade compares? Any opinions on the noise, or lack thereof, any plans change that?

spareparts

6,777 posts

226 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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If I had to pick a Japanese IL4 1000 bike on a budget, I would be very tempted by the latest GSXR Thou -especially in the Suzook MotoGP blue. I still have very fond memories of my K6's superb 'velvet iron fist' of an engine. It was an IL4 with great 'character' and I loved to ride that thing hard and fast everywhere I went - I'll never forget jumping on the Eurotunnel without anywhere to go, and ended up doing 1000 miles in a weekend just tearing through the open country roads in France. The GSXR is cheap too, reportedly with much better quality/finish than before, and nowadays seemingly less chav than the S1000RR or R1...

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles...


mga32

84 posts

165 months

Saturday 1st August 2015
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Mastodon2 said:
Very nice, I take it you're still in the running in period? Did you ride any of the competition and do you have any thoughts on the how the blade compares? Any opinions on the noise, or lack thereof, any plans change that?
Didn't try anything else, most of the competition are pushing 15k now, which is too much for a bike for me. I had a yoshi exhaust on my last one which was good, but not available on th 2015s . The demo had a akra on it which sounded good, but was quite expensive, I may try the scorpion GP, but don't want it too loud.

I was told there was no running in required by the dealer, but have been taking it easy. The position is a bit different from the 2012, only because different muscles are aching now!

Mastodon2

Original Poster:

13,818 posts

164 months

Sunday 2nd August 2015
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mga32 said:
Didn't try anything else, most of the competition are pushing 15k now, which is too much for a bike for me. I had a yoshi exhaust on my last one which was good, but not available on th 2015s . The demo had a akra on it which sounded good, but was quite expensive, I may try the scorpion GP, but don't want it too loud.

I was told there was no running in required by the dealer, but have been taking it easy. The position is a bit different from the 2012, only because different muscles are aching now!
You may want to consult your owners manual, I think it's under 6000rpm for 300 miles, then 9000rpm for the next 300 then the first service and it's good to go. Have a look, it will be in the book.

Spareparts, good shout on the Suzuki, I think it's a very attractive package now.

ThrottleBod

258 posts

148 months

Sunday 2nd August 2015
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Everyone is different so I really can't comment on every bike but a repsol blade is the only bike I want to own.

Trying to save for a mortgage so I really can't afford anything near new. Maybe it's because I got into motogp just at the time Marquez started to dominate but all of these bikes are way beyond my ability to push them and I can't afford a track bike. At the moment I'd do anything for a repsol blade! I can understand people talking about character etc but i think it's the people who've had experience of a lot of different types of bike.

I definitely wouldn't go for the championship pack though!

MrsMiggins

2,807 posts

234 months

Sunday 2nd August 2015
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spareparts said:
If I had to pick a Japanese IL4 1000 bike on a budget, I would be very tempted by the latest GSXR Thou -especially in the Suzook MotoGP blue. I still have very fond memories of my K6's superb 'velvet iron fist' of an engine. It was an IL4 with great 'character' and I loved to ride that thing hard and fast everywhere I went - I'll never forget jumping on the Eurotunnel without anywhere to go, and ended up doing 1000 miles in a weekend just tearing through the open country roads in France. The GSXR is cheap too, reportedly with much better quality/finish than before, and nowadays seemingly less chav than the S1000RR or R1...

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles...

I picked mine up last week, and it's awesome. bounce

If it'd stop raining for a weekend I could finish running it in, as 6.5k rpm is a bit limiting. Sounds incredible on the gas though.

Edited by MrsMiggins on Sunday 2nd August 09:51

Momentofmadness

2,364 posts

240 months

Sunday 2nd August 2015
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Do you actually want a 1000cc Mastodon2?

I've got both, but the 600 is the one I love for the thrash feeling rather than the effortless power (to me the 1000 is like an automatic car cos it doesn't matter what gear it's in paperbag)

Keep the SRAD and go trackday crazy cool

mga32

84 posts

165 months

Sunday 2nd August 2015
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Mastodon2 said:
You may want to consult your owners manual, I think it's under 6000rpm for 300 miles, then 9000rpm for the next 300 then the first service and it's good to go. Have a look, it will be in the book.

Spareparts, good shout on the Suzuki, I think it's a very attractive package now.
Thats about what I have been limiting it too to be honest, wasnt sure when the dealer said that, it about due for its first service already!


This was my 2012 one, think the nose looks better on the 2015

sorry about the matching helmet, was a good idea at the time and was in the sale :-)