Discussion
ccr32 said:
I was going to comment on this thread about the SP test ride I had on Sunday, but it seems that I've found the armchair heroes thread instead...
Congrats Rawwr, it's a lovely bit of kit.
It's a forum, people agree, people disagree, this person doesn't like that one etc.Congrats Rawwr, it's a lovely bit of kit.
It's a bit like the real world.
I would and I am sure others would like to hear your thoughts on the new Fireblade.
Ho Lee Kau said:
Rawwr said:
You know those people you meet in life who have no self-awareness...
I hear you, there are so many around...But what can you do, that's humans, not everyone can be self-aware like you and I.
Don't tell anyone but I agree with your verdict on the 'new fireBlade' in that its a evo bike and not a 'new' bike in the sense of brand new development. As does john McPint who said in the MCN interview that the bike is a evolution and not really new. As did Guy Martin I believe. He also followed it up with 'its Honda' when asked about it being good.
This thread is about congratulating the OP on dropping 20k on his brand new bike.
Its not the Fireblade SP discussion thread. So unless you do that your going to come under fire.
I saw the SP in a showroom and had a sit on the base model and to be honest, it looked pretty awesome and looked high quality.
OP nice bike and I am sure your going to love spanking it
Fleegle said:
BN - it seems your title of BB Grumpy has been taken
I am honoured, but am not a patch on the original BB Grump
So, the new bike... I am struggling to write this because I really wanted to love it, but if I am completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, I was not using even a tenth of its potential for the 30 minutes or so of the cold, damp Sunday afternoon I had it – winding it up around a baking hot racetrack would I am sure reveal qualities I had barely scratched the surface of – but in the context and environment I had a go on it, it felt…. normal.
Struggling for superlatives when returning it to the dealer, and not the sort of person to reel off untrue hyperbole just to keep someone happy, the first thing I said to the chap was that it felt “very refined”, which it most certainly does. Having had similar rides on various other sports bikes over the past few years, the new SP didn’t immediately leave me with many reasons to turn round for a second glance when leaving the dealer, though the more I think about it the more it makes sense.
From a quality, fit and finish perspective, it is classic Honda. Yes, as some have said it’s plasticky in parts, but Fireblade’s (and most other sports bikes) have been like that for some time now. All of said plastics fit very well, don’t flex or vibrate, and are of obvious high-quality. Paint finish looked excellent, though couldn’t comment on thickness/strength – there were no stonechips on the bike I rode, but then it only had 50 miles on the clock…
The switchgear while not as Gucci as some Italian bikes clearly works well (except for the placement of the horn/indicator switch! Why did Honda decide to move them around?!) and will last the test of time and many miles. The dash to me looked well laid out and clear, and menu system reasonably intuitive. The riding modes can also be changed on the fly (once the throttle is closed).
Once sat on the bike, the riding position felt pretty much exactly the same as my 2013 Fireblade, albeit a little thinner at the tank between the knees.
Other noteworthy observations from my ride:
Clutch is very light – and yes, it’s got an autoblipper (which you had to be quite positive with to use, though I understand you can adjust the sensitivity somewhere in the settings) so in theory once you pull away you don’t need to use the clutch again until you stop, but in and around London that will be quite frequently. So this mattered to me.
QS works very well (save for a few juddery shifts to begin with as I got used to the bike/the bike got used to me) throughout the rev range, extending the ignition cut lower down/in lower gears and shortening the cut higher up the rev range, as you’d expect.
Autoblipper, as mentioned, required very firm/positive action to activate. Worked much better higher up the rev range compared to lower down in my short experience – the 1299S I rode a while back felt better on the downshifts in this respect.
Throttle and fuelling – aside from a very slight jitter on initial pickup from idle, it’s very smooth. You can feel the bike pulling smoothly through the rev range, not obviously bogging down anywhere. Any differences in throttle maps between the different modes were not immediately noticeable to me, it just felt smooth all the time. I’d imagine you’d notice these more over time using the bike in different conditions.
Suspension feel was, to me, very nice. Firm yet plush, but admittedly not pushed anywhere near the ragged edge. I presume it was doing all its electronic adjustment stuff beneath me but couldn’t tell you for certain – that said I’ve always been a believer that you don’t notice technology that quietly does its job and works well, and looking through that lens, it is very good.
The above are the most objective comments I can think of. There’s other stuff too but it’s more subjective. Of course it’s fast – giggle-in-your-helmet fast, and faster than I will ever be – but what 1000cc (or equivalent) bike these days isn’t. The bike turned well and felt planted to me, but again there are too many variables for me to speak about this objectively.
Me being me, the first thing I do after such an experience is begin drawing comparisons to other bikes I’ve ridden or seen, and what else you can get for similar money. The Fireblade is expensive, let’s not make any bones about that – you can get a lot of bike for 19 grand whichever dealer you choose to walk in to, so obvious comparisons will be made. There are other bikes which evoke a stronger “phwoaaarrr” reaction in me than the FB (even in SP trim), so that also becomes a personal consideration – this is naturally weighed up against the fear of stuff going wrong on Italian exotica.
Overall for me it’s a ‘head’ bike rather than a ‘heart’ bike… but on balance, it still makes a whole lot of sense.
ccr32 said:
Stuff
I agree with pretty much all of that. However, I felt the quickshifter and blipper were damn near perfect but I guess you're going to get variance from bike-to-bike, especially ones with so few miles on them.Ultimately, I'm a Fireblade wh*re. I love Fireblades. They just work. I can't say they'll always work spectacularly but I'm confident in saying they'll always work.
I also lack emotions, feeling and soul. It's a win win.
I raced Honda's pretty much all my life. Definitely a head not heart bike (in my opinion)
Bloody brilliant and getting the job done and super reliable which made for cheap club racing. They lack a certain something which I guess is the heart bit but if I was going back to competing Id have one in an instant
I only ride italian stuff on road now as I ride for fun, I like the quirks and knowing that if it rains my bike might melt away...
Bloody brilliant and getting the job done and super reliable which made for cheap club racing. They lack a certain something which I guess is the heart bit but if I was going back to competing Id have one in an instant
I only ride italian stuff on road now as I ride for fun, I like the quirks and knowing that if it rains my bike might melt away...
Steve Bass said:
OP...
Congrats on the new bike.. Fantastic choice. I have a sneaky feeling the Blade may be the pick of the bunch of the current Superbike crop.
I'm really trying to like the R1 but the combination of the gopping face and the rubbish brakes kind of ruins it for me.
Mr. Kau.... Stop being a chop...
Hey, I think the first thing I said is that Fireblade will be a great bike. I would not say that if I did not believe it, I do have my own FireBlade, you know, and I love it (despite its certain deficiencies, but it's a 2002 bike, you know).Congrats on the new bike.. Fantastic choice. I have a sneaky feeling the Blade may be the pick of the bunch of the current Superbike crop.
I'm really trying to like the R1 but the combination of the gopping face and the rubbish brakes kind of ruins it for me.
Mr. Kau.... Stop being a chop...
I was just taking a piss at a guy who feels offended when someone says something other than "wow, the most amazing bike in the world!" about someone else's bike (not even his), feels compelled to "defend" the owner, and having nothing better to say starts throwing words like "s
t", and afterwards starts digging for "dirty laundry" in previous messages. I mean, this guy has issues! I did not see OP getting offended by my comments, and why would he, it's a freaking forum, not a meeting of Politburo!
Edited by Ho Lee Kau on Monday 27th March 19:11
ccr32 said:
I was going to comment on this thread about the SP test ride I had on Sunday, but it seems that I've found the armchair heroes thread instead...
Congrats Rawwr, it's a lovely bit of kit.
Aren't we all, aren't we all, armchair heroes that is...Congrats Rawwr, it's a lovely bit of kit.
Now, give us a load of your test ride impressions, because that is actually useful information, even for those of us, who think that the new Fireblade is not actually New (compared to bikes like R1 and GSXR1000).
BTW, my test ride is outstanding, IF I can find SP (the standard Fireblade I do not like in terms of looks and it does not have the electronic suspension, which is actually the only New thing on the Blade! OK, up-down quickshifter as well.).
Edited by Ho Lee Kau on Monday 27th March 19:12
ccr32 said:
....
So, the new bike... I am struggling to write this because I really wanted to love it, but if I am completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, I was not using even a tenth of its potential for the 30 minutes or so of the cold, damp Sunday afternoon I had it – winding it up around a baking hot racetrack would I am sure reveal qualities I had barely scratched the surface of – but in the context and environment I had a go on it, it felt…. normal.
Struggling for superlatives when returning it to the dealer, and not the sort of person to reel off untrue hyperbole just to keep someone happy, the first thing I said to the chap was that it felt “very refined”, which it most certainly does. Having had similar rides on various other sports bikes over the past few years, the new SP didn’t immediately leave me with many reasons to turn round for a second glance when leaving the dealer, though the more I think about it the more it makes sense.
...
Haha!So, the new bike... I am struggling to write this because I really wanted to love it, but if I am completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, I was not using even a tenth of its potential for the 30 minutes or so of the cold, damp Sunday afternoon I had it – winding it up around a baking hot racetrack would I am sure reveal qualities I had barely scratched the surface of – but in the context and environment I had a go on it, it felt…. normal.
Struggling for superlatives when returning it to the dealer, and not the sort of person to reel off untrue hyperbole just to keep someone happy, the first thing I said to the chap was that it felt “very refined”, which it most certainly does. Having had similar rides on various other sports bikes over the past few years, the new SP didn’t immediately leave me with many reasons to turn round for a second glance when leaving the dealer, though the more I think about it the more it makes sense.
...
Watch this and listen what he says:
https://youtu.be/_EsnFRSXJck
:-)
I do have to say, I love my CBR954RR for what it is, a very friendly bike that is very easy to get along with and that is easy to ride in corners because it simply takes care of you. I also like the way it looks, in particular, ain't it funny, the big exhaust that sticks up to the sky in a nice parallel fashion to the seat.
ccr32 said:
....
From a quality, fit and finish perspective, it is classic Honda. Yes, as some have said it’s plasticky in parts, but Fireblade’s (and most other sports bikes) have been like that for some time now. All of said plastics fit very well, don’t flex or vibrate, and are of obvious high-quality. Paint finish looked excellent, though couldn’t comment on thickness/strength – there were no stonechips on the bike I rode, but then it only had 50 miles on the clock…
...
From a quality, fit and finish perspective, it is classic Honda. Yes, as some have said it’s plasticky in parts, but Fireblade’s (and most other sports bikes) have been like that for some time now. All of said plastics fit very well, don’t flex or vibrate, and are of obvious high-quality. Paint finish looked excellent, though couldn’t comment on thickness/strength – there were no stonechips on the bike I rode, but then it only had 50 miles on the clock…
...
Again, it was I who said it felt a bit "plasticky", I did not like the plastic covers on the sides of the tank, they flexed and felt thin, unlike the solid feel of RSV4RF that I compared it to (again, because I am active Honda fan and (in my heart) Aprilia fan). I did not like the small plastic covers on the frame, Honda should have done better!
I front looked a bit Ducati-like (imho the best looking Honda is the 2006-2007 version), but the rest of tha fairing looked good, paint is nice, gold alloys are nice, unpainted aluminium frame is lush (but Aprilia has done it better).
As for the rest of your comments, I haven't ridden the bike, but I see you find it "friendly".
Seems like Honda did not fix the "aside from a very slight jitter on initial pickup from idle", I felt this on the previous Fireblade and 2014 Daytona 675 and 2006(!) GSXR1000 have nicer throttle response.
As far as quickshifter is concerned, I found that quickshifter (=upshift) on 1299S works much nicer than on my Daytona 675, especially in lower gears. Same goes for BMW S1000RR, upshift is much smoother than on Daytona. I don't know, maybe the engine size matters.
In terms of "Of course it’s fast – giggle-in-your-helmet fast, and faster than I will ever be" I think we passed that 10 years ago, when we had 150hp/100+Nm bikes (like my 954RR), for the road use they are more than enough fast (yes, that's the grammar I wanted to use). The other 50hp is for competition use or for adrenaline-deficient riders on German Autobahn.
ccr32 said:
...
Me being me, the first thing I do after such an experience is begin drawing comparisons to other bikes I’ve ridden or seen, and what else you can get for similar money. The Fireblade is expensive, let’s not make any bones about that – you can get a lot of bike for 19 grand whichever dealer you choose to walk in to, so obvious comparisons will be made. There are other bikes which evoke a stronger “phwoaaarrr” reaction in me than the FB (even in SP trim), so that also becomes a personal consideration – this is naturally weighed up against the fear of stuff going wrong on Italian exotica.
...
Me being me, the first thing I do after such an experience is begin drawing comparisons to other bikes I’ve ridden or seen, and what else you can get for similar money. The Fireblade is expensive, let’s not make any bones about that – you can get a lot of bike for 19 grand whichever dealer you choose to walk in to, so obvious comparisons will be made. There are other bikes which evoke a stronger “phwoaaarrr” reaction in me than the FB (even in SP trim), so that also becomes a personal consideration – this is naturally weighed up against the fear of stuff going wrong on Italian exotica.
...
It is very expensive. I hold no grudge, I think the money are well-spent when one buys SP Fireblade, but RSV4RF is less expensive and, no doubt about it, more special, being Italian, having V4 and handling no worse than the 2017 Fireblade. It does not have electronic suspension, but it has Ohlins, still top components and easier to service and more predictable in response. Personally I prefer analogue suspension, that is why I am so curious about GSXR1000R with its balance-free components, I haven't experienced those yet, I am curious.
ccr32 said:
...
Overall for me it’s a ‘head’ bike rather than a ‘heart’ bike… but on balance, it still makes a whole lot of sense.
...
Overall for me it’s a ‘head’ bike rather than a ‘heart’ bike… but on balance, it still makes a whole lot of sense.
...
That's EXACTLY what it is, and that's EXACTLY how I feel! "Armchair warrior", huh?
For me RSV4RF is more special and more exciting, and the New GSXR1000R is more New (still being IL4, with more power than SP, with MotoGP technology, and surely as comfortable for the road as the Fireblade and previous GSXR1000).
Again, I do like Fireblade, have one myself, have two other Honda CBR bikes as well, so I put my money where my mouth is!
Dog Star said:
Ho Lee Kau said:
Speed bump yellow is the best color for R1
"Speed bump" yellow! I like it 
If the throttle response was not as crap as it is, and the exhaust collector was covered by a piece of plastic/aluminium, it would be one of my dream bikes. Track first, road second, Yamaha says it as it is. Unfortunately I am road first.
Birky_41 said:
I raced Honda's pretty much all my life. Definitely a head not heart bike (in my opinion)
Bloody brilliant and getting the job done and super reliable which made for cheap club racing. They lack a certain something which I guess is the heart bit but if I was going back to competing Id have one in an instant
I only ride italian stuff on road now as I ride for fun, I like the quirks and knowing that if it rains my bike might melt away...
Damn, I have to get that RSV4...but I am not selling my 954RR (or CBR600F4i, which is a great everyday commuter bike!), if anything, Daytona and GSXR will go first!Bloody brilliant and getting the job done and super reliable which made for cheap club racing. They lack a certain something which I guess is the heart bit but if I was going back to competing Id have one in an instant
I only ride italian stuff on road now as I ride for fun, I like the quirks and knowing that if it rains my bike might melt away...
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff