30yrs of the Blade

[Potter]

I remember my mate getting his hands on the first one in our area and he swore blind there was some sort of magic involved because it made his Exup feel like an old bus. I can't say I've ever been that keen but the odd one has stood out, I think the 954 was supposed to be very good.

My mate who had the 954 has had several later incarnations but still waxed lyrical about the 954!

I remember Phlik having one at Pembrey and he was going very well on it, it looked good too - but that big exhaust can would have to go.

[Skub]

The first Blade was memorable because it was a ground breaker. I remember it as light,fast and twitchy. That was when it first came out. I rode the same model about 10 years ago and it just felt tame compared my 04 10R. Time moves on.

The 954 was a great road bike,surprisingly comfortable for a sportsbike.

The last Blade I rode was an 05 model,it was typically Honda,good build quality and easy speed,but I wanted it as much as a new kitchen appliance. It never seemed to give any warning of impending disasters and in some ways that made me a little uncomfortable,always wondering if you actually even get a warning.
As it turned out I was sitting behind a mate when he was riding it,a nasty old lowside on a righthander. The bike went up a bank and barrel rolled to destruction,forks ripped off,wheels smashed,nothing much of value left aside from the engine. He had no clue what happened. The only moment I had following him was not running him over.

[wull]

The first Blade was memorable because it was a ground breaker. I remember it as light,fast and twitchy. That was when it first came out. I rode the same model about 10 years ago and it just felt tame compared my 04 10R. Time moves on.

The 954 was a great road bike,surprisingly comfortable for a sportsbike.

The last Blade I rode was an 05 model,it was typically Honda,good build quality and easy speed,but I wanted it as much as a new kitchen appliance. It never seemed to give any warning of impending disasters and in some ways that made me a little uncomfortable,always wondering if you actually even get a warning.
As it turned out I was sitting behind a mate when he was riding it,a nasty old lowside on a righthander. The bike went up a bank and barrel rolled to destruction,forks ripped off,wheels smashed,nothing much of value left aside from the engine. He had no clue what happened. The only moment I had following him was not running him over.

I had the same experience with the R1, they were a bit bonkers when they first came out and I’ve owned them throughout the years but what I found funny was a few years back I was riding a friends race R1 and it was so slow, I had my 1299s that day on track which was bonkers, the R1 I could relax and take everything in.

[Rockburner]

I rode a few models. All seemed capable, but missed the 'crazy' gene.

Has any Honda, not including their specific race bikes, had the 'crazy' gene? They've always been the 'sensible' choice iirc.

[The Spin Doctor]

The original Blade was awesome looking back in 1992. That looks like Dolly Parton in a school uniform. Just wrong.

That's just reminded me of Sharon, who used to catch the same school bus as me many years ago

[The Spin Doctor]

It never seemed to give any warning of impending disasters and in some ways that made me a little uncomfortable,always wondering if you actually even get a warning.

Oddly enough, when I was very fortunate to get an invite to ride some Honda pre-production models by Honda US, I had a spin on the next-year Fireblade and my feedback was similar... it just didn't really tell me how hard I was pushing. It felt totally calm and controlled on the same roads I'd ridden over on a BMW GS which was bouncing around and letting me know the surface was crap.

[asmethurst99]

If I had to explain you wouldn’t understand ……

[Mr. Dazzle]

It felt totally calm and controlled on the same roads I'd ridden over on a BMW GS which was bouncing around and letting me know the surface was crap.

That's a very strange way of saying the Honda had better suspension that the GS

[dern]

My 929 was excellent and my 2007 was good on the road and superb on the track where it lives now.

[The Spin Doctor]

That's a very strange way of saying the Honda had better suspension that the GS

It's hard to explain but it was too good - I KNEW I was pushing quite hard on a shitty road surface with some really awkward rises, dips and sharp bends but the bike wasn't transmitting any of that. I was pretty close to MY limits, but had no idea where the bike's limits were. The BM was wobbling all over the place, and was actually not just more reassuring because it was letting me know it wasn't actually dealing with the road all that well, but it was actually more fun because I knew I was being a bit silly on it.

Does that make sense?

[Mr. Dazzle]

That's a very strange way of saying the Honda had better suspension that the GS

It's hard to explain but it was too good - I KNEW I was pushing quite hard on a shitty road surface with some really awkward rises, dips and sharp bends but the bike wasn't transmitting any of that. I was pretty close to MY limits, but had no idea where the bike's limits were. The BM was wobbling all over the place, and was actually not just more reassuring because it was letting me know it wasn't actually dealing with the road all that well, but it was actually more fun because I knew I was being a bit silly on it.

Does that make sense?

It does, and I can see why people criticise Honda for it. McLaren get much of the same sort of stick.

Both of them can sometimes seem like they're taking a boring dispassionate view towards vehicles. I've not worked with Honda on bikes but I've worked with McLaren quite a lot. Their attitude is a little bit "we'll make the car as good as it's possible to make the car, regardless of whether that's 'fun' or not" and I get the sense Honda are a little bit the same.

I suppose they design it to be as calm, collected and controlled as possible because that's how you make the objectively best (and fastest) bike. A real expert would be able to tell when such a vehicle is at it's limit, and if you're not a real expert WTF are you doing riding that fast anyway? That's what they'd say

[The Spin Doctor]

It does, and I can see why people criticise Honda for it. McLaren get much of the same sort of stick.

Both of them can sometimes seem like they're taking a boring dispassionate view towards vehicles. I've not worked with Honda on bikes but I've worked with McLaren quite a lot. Their attitude is a little bit "we'll make the car as good as it's possible to make the car, regardless of whether that's 'fun' or not" and I get the sense Honda are a little bit the same.

I suppose they design it to be as calm, collected and controlled as possible because that's how you make the objectively best (and fastest) bike. A real expert would be able to tell when such a vehicle is at it's limit, and if you're not a real expert WTF are you doing riding that fast anyway? That's what they'd say

I suspect that it's why some people have dismissed bikes like the later Fireblades as 'bland'.

Don't get me wrong - I'm happy to have a bike that's easy to ride for day to day use, as I ride bikes for work!

[Bigjawa]

I rode a few models. All seemed capable, but missed the 'crazy' gene.

Has any Honda, not including their specific race bikes, had the 'crazy' gene? They've always been the 'sensible' choice iirc.

NS400 was pretty mad.....

[Bigyin]

I know some are going to hate this but others might appreciate it.

A mate has an original Fireblade restored back to how it should be and it now lives a cosseted life ........... He decided to do a new Fireblade race bike in the same colour scheme and all the design and application done by Tommy Hills company. The company logo's on the bodywork give away the owner for those who know

It looks nice but this isnt a show pony........ its a race/track bike that gets fucking thrashed to an inch of its life

Here are both the bikes

[The Spin Doctor]

I always liked the colours.

I find it a bit scary that we're sitting around talking about '30 years of the Fireblade'. Imagine if the Norton Commando had stayed in production 30 years - it would have overlapped with the Fireblade!

[Mr. Dazzle]

I find it a bit scary that we're sitting around talking about '30 years of the Fireblade'. Imagine if the Norton Commando had stayed in production 30 years - it would have overlapped with the Fireblade!

The original Bonneville only fell short by 4 years if you include the years it was made by 'not quite Triumph' So you might have seen a 'nearly new' Bonnie in a showroom next to a spanking Fireblade

Probably not the same sort of dealers!

[weeksy]

I still think this one looks amazing, as i expect will KFB



My first ever really big boys bike it was.

weeksy200 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[Mr. Dazzle]

My Dad had one exactly like this when I was 18ish, back when I first got my licence. He bought it as an ex-Demo and rode it every day as a commuter, rain or shine. After 2 years it still looked almost new, the build quality was amazing.

It was the first proper big bike I ever rode, he let me have a go on it not long after my 33bhp restriction ended when I was 19. That was quite an eye opener. I still really want one, but realistically I hate the riding position and I'd never use it properly!