Calling all Blackbird owner........

[sjtscott]

Can I have your honest opinions of the bike please?
I've read and heard various comment about the riding position not being ideal and size of tank spreading your legs wide. Would you need bar risers to make it comfortable? Also what the deal with mirror extenders?
Are they a pain to commute in heavy traffic on?

Currently considering one as a replacement for my CBR600F, mainly as I want to do some effortless comfy Euro touring later in the year and I'm also fed up with thrapping the nuts of my bike to get it to move at all.

Cheers for any help.

Edited by sjtscott on Thursday 29th May 13:57

[GM182]

I've had mine for nearly two years now because I can't think of anything better to replace it with, which tells me something.

The question of comfort both in town and touring depends on your height and build I would say. I am 6'1" and 17 stone and my biggest gripe is the low saddle height. For long distances I just can't stay in the saddle long enough to drain a tank (150 miles easy). I find around my hips, top of the leg sort of area is worst. Bar risers might help by making your position a bit more upright but although I tried one with VFR bars I probably wasn't on it long enough to notice any difference.

Around town there are certainly plenty of more manoueverable bikes. The 'bird is longish and quite heavy, that said I find it bearable in central London.

Overall though it is stable, handles well, build qaulity is excellent and it is fast. I haven't ridden a litre sports, but the ease with which it will hit 160 (where conditions allow) is remarkable. You have to show a bit of commitment to see top whack but the real benefit is from the decent torque which makes fast A roads your playground...

Cheers
GM

[G Man]

I would check out a BMW K1200s against a Blackbird for these reasons
no chain hassle, better luggage, electronic suspension allows a nice comfy ride. Bloody cheap to insure with BMW insurance.

[black-k1]

G Man said:

I would check out a BMW K1200s against a Blackbird for these reasons
no chain hassle, better luggage, electronic suspension allows a nice comfy ride. Bloody cheap to insure with BMW insurance.

+1

... and a BMW dealer will give you a test ride that'll last a whole afternoon if not a whole day.

Edited by black-k1 on Friday 30th May 13:26

[Silver993tt]

G Man said:

I would check out a BMW K1200s against a Blackbird for these reasons
no chain hassle, better luggage, electronic suspension allows a nice comfy ride. Bloody cheap to insure with BMW insurance.

Yes, but up to £4000 more to buy (if new).

My ZZR1400 is cheap on insurance - £260 fully comp (incl some modifications). With regards to chains, what's the hassle? My old ZX12R with 165hp at the rear wheel still had the same chain from new at 30,000 miles when I sold the bike and it still in perfectly good condition. I had a Scottoiler, so was basically maintenance free. One of my German colleagues has a BMW K1200s (in fact his second one), it's a good bike but at the price difference (his bike cost over £14,000 with extras such as baggage etc) even he admitted the difference wasn't justified.

Edited by Silver993tt on Thursday 29th May 16:20

[sjtscott]

Well lets make it simpler, I'm not interested in a K1200, I sat on one in the dealer and its not for me.
I'm setting my cash limit if buying new to £9k max.

All my bikes so far have had chain drive.. perfectly happy to keep it that way too.

ZZR1400, well I've been looking at these too, for some reason I'm expecting my insurance quote for this to be far more than a Blackbird. In any case its East London postcode (one of the highest risk areas of the country) oh and no garage.
My biggest issues with Kwaks having owned one is the build quality.. in the late 90s it was p*ss poor, has it actually improved? Of all the bikes I've owned suprisingly my Aprilia Falco along with obviously my current Honda CBR600F have been the best overall quality of finish and have stood up well to year round use. Yamaha next followed by Suzuki/Kawasaki close together at the bottom.

Edited by sjtscott on Thursday 29th May 17:12

[Tiffer]

Hi

I made exactly the switch you're talking about from CBR 600F to Blackbird.

I've found it to be great. At 6'2 I find the Blackbird comfortable for full tanks and more kinds of mileage.

The power is effortless through the rev range so considerably less gear changes on the commute.

Regarding the size I've found filtering much the same at the CBR 600. True the Blackbird is a little wider but it's not cause me any issued.

Chris

[Rubin215]

Biggest problem I had was the riding position trapped nerves in my neck giving me pins and needles in the outside of my hands after 30 minutes or so. More than an hour became dangerous with lack of feeling.

I do have neck damage after 25 years of front row rugby, but this is the only bike I have ever encountered it with.

Other than that, the bike was fantastically fast and stable at speed, but rather thirsty.

[The Pits]

I used to have a blackbird and an excellent allrounder it was too. Very fast and comfortable. If anything it was a little too smooth and clinical for something so fast. That might sound like a good but lacking the raw edge of something sportier almost made it harder to judge how quick you were going. The blackbird isn't scary at all and I think it's healthy to have a bit more respect for something so fast.

I now have a zzr1400 and for me it strikes the perfect balance between being impressive in the corners and comfortable on the straights. Unlike the mental ZX12R I also used to own, it's also as good as a blackbird for pillions. With louder end cans it sounds as mean as it looks too and I definitely have a healthy amount of respect for it. I'll wager it offers a good deal more feedback through the bars than the blackbird and the build quality is excellent (really). You'll love the way it rides, much less flighty and wheely prone than the current sportsbikes but very eager to turn and mind boggling on the anchors. If you like the way it looks (it's a marmite bike) then it's a hell of a bike for less than £9k. I haven't ridden the new 'Busa, I'm sure it's mental and very impressive but I don't like the way it looks and the build quality of the old one at least (fake carbon instruments anyone?) isn't up to the ZZR1400.

Surely they're going to update the blackbird this year or next!? I owned mine in 1996 and it looked identical to the current bike!

[Alfa_75_Steve]

I considered a BlackBird, but they're just a bit bland (if rather bloody quick) when compared to a pre-VTEC VFR.

So I kept the VFR and bought a Ducati too

[big geoff]

had my blackbird 4 years i get 200 plus to the tank full its a good all rounder ,brakes are great, comfort and reliable handles well a bit quiet though

[welsh blackbird]

Alfa_75_Steve said:

I considered a BlackBird, but they're just a bit bland (if rather bloody quick) when compared to a pre-VTEC VFR.

So I kept the VFR and bought a Ducati too

I started off with a VFR but found it a bit under-powered. I traded it in for a new Blackbird.

I have had the 'bird for five years. During that time it spent one winter outside without any ill-effects, so the durability of the finish is beyond doubt.

Reliability has been 100%. Power a plenty and about 170 miles to a tankfull. A rear tyre lasts about 5,000 miles and a front about 8,000.

Buy one!

[sjtscott]

Test rode a Blackbird yesterday from Honda dealer, oh yes it goes fantastically well, I really liked it. Slighty heavy on the wrists so bar risers (noticed even after a 20min ride) would be a must for town work

Edited by sjtscott on Sunday 1st June 10:01

[Smiler.]

I've had one for 10 years, can't bear to part with it.

[The Pits]

sjtscott said:

Test rode a Blackbird yesterday from Honda dealer, oh yes it goes fantastically well, I really liked it. Slighty heavy on the wrists so bar risers (noticed even after a 20min ride) would be a must for town work

Edited by sjtscott on Sunday 1st June 10:01

wait 'til you try the ZZR1400! That said, if you think the blackbird bars are too low, you'll probably feel the same way about the big Z. These big hyper sports tourers, or whatever, might not be that fashionable compared to the sports bikes but they are brilliant for anyone over 5 foot nothing and go just as well if not better than the sportsbikes in a straight line. They are also better round the corners than most people think too. I actually lapped silverstone quicker on my ZX12R than I did on my GSXR-1000. I sold the gixxer shortly afterwards.

I rode the ZZR 300 odd miles at the weekend and I shan't be going back to a sportsbike.

[sjtscott]

The Pits said:

sjtscott said:

Test rode a Blackbird yesterday from Honda dealer, oh yes it goes fantastically well, I really liked it. Slighty heavy on the wrists so bar risers (noticed even after a 20min ride) would be a must for town work

Edited by sjtscott on Sunday 1st June 10:01

wait 'til you try the ZZR1400! That said, if you think the blackbird bars are too low, you'll probably feel the same way about the big Z. These big hyper sports tourers, or whatever, might not be that fashionable compared to the sports bikes but they are brilliant for anyone over 5 foot nothing and go just as well if not better than the sportsbikes in a straight line. They are also better round the corners than most people think too. I actually lapped silverstone quicker on my ZX12R than I did on my GSXR-1000. I sold the gixxer shortly afterwards.

I rode the ZZR 300 odd miles at the weekend and I shan't be going back to a sportsbike.

Well in my london bike dealer travels last Saturday, I sat on ZZR1400, 08 Busa, gsxr1000 (for comparison), fz1 fazer (urgh!) and of course sat on brand new bird and test rode a slightly used one. Agree with the comments on the bars on the Z being similar to the bird.
Sorry but I want to retain Honda build quality and reliability and to be honest something that does gets to 100mph as quick as the bird and with a potential 170mph+ top speed is plenty fast enough for me thanks. Don't get me wrong I'm sure the ZZR is an awesome bike and I'd love a go but I still don't think they're built as well as Hondas and it fails the marmite test for me on its looks.
I'll be using mine daily for year round london commuting and the odd weekend also with 2 weeks euro touring with full luggage come september. Additionally I don't have a garage.

Edited by sjtscott on Tuesday 3rd June 17:39

[The Pits]

if you don't like the looks then fair enough but the build is first class, I've owned 2 hondas and the zzr is just as good, if not better. Don't be put off by lesser kawasakis, they aren't built like the big zz which isn't struggling to hit any anorexic weight targets or any such thing.

[Silver993tt]

The Pits said:

if you don't like the looks then fair enough but the build is first class, I've owned 2 hondas and the zzr is just as good, if not better. Don't be put off by lesser kawasakis, they aren't built like the big zz which isn't struggling to hit any anorexic weight targets or any such thing.

I would agree (I do have a ZZR1400). Weight wise it comes in at 215Kg for the ABS model a touch less than the Blackbird at 225Kg. However, it has at least 8 years worth of newer development which can only be good.

[Caruso]

I've had a 1996 Blackbird for 4 years now. If you're looking to buy new, then I think there are better all rounders if you're looking to commute on it. They are heavy on the hands/wrist, partly due to the reach and partly due to the front end being too stiff at 30km/h and too soft at 300km/h! However, even at 10+ years old mine is completely reliable, and I can't find a better bike for my needs and budget.

[sjtscott]

Caruso said:

I've had a 1996 Blackbird for 4 years now. If you're looking to buy new, then I think there are better all rounders if you're looking to commute on it. They are heavy on the hands/wrist, partly due to the reach and partly due to the front end being too stiff at 30km/h and too soft at 300km/h! However, even at 10+ years old mine is completely reliable, and I can't find a better bike for my needs and budget.

Yes I'm looking for an all rounder as it will be used pretty much year round every working day to get me to from work as its primary job.
I rode a 2006 model with about 4000miles on it last weekend, I was very impressed. Does need bar risers for town work.. I noticed this after just a 20mins ride round london.

You guys with ZZRs are you commuting on them? Let me know your experiences of everyday use if you are.

To be honest any bike can retain its finish if used for fun at the weekends and cleaned and polished regularly its the daily all weather use where it might not get cleaned for quite a while that hammers them. For example my CBR600F has not been cleaned properly for over a year, yes it gets serviced every 4000 miles gets chain lube fairly regularly, yet I know if I take it down the jet wash and then give it a polish it will still look pretty damm good. It does need a good clean after the recent heavy rain this week