Honda Fireblade
Undiluted road-based superbikery £8,695
As demonstrated a few months ago in these very pages, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to pure sportsbikes in second-hand form. At around half the price of a 2017 base model, this 2014 Fireblade has just 3,000 miles on the clock and Bransons are asking for a mere £8,695. So, just to reiterate, that’s a bike that’s just been run-in for half the price of the much-maligned 2017 bike. And because we’re kind and considerate chaps, we’ve also budgeted a few hundred quid for a quickshifter – something the ‘Blade has been crying out for since its rivals started wearing the technology years ago.
Forget 2017. I’m sure Honda and a few others will want to. What this bike has achieved since the last major update in 2008 is nothing short of stunning. Bar some aesthetic changes (snazzy wheels, dash, and other cosmetics), and the good old Honda ‘revised cylinder head’ or ‘mass centralisation,’ the crux of the bike remains, which gives you some idea of just how good that 2008 model was. This 2014 model, in many ways, is just as good as this year’s bike without being a victim of its own technologies.
Assuming you’ve gone for the track option, circuit etiquette shouldn’t have much consideration in this line-up, which is exactly why we’ve gone for the ‘Blade – it’s only when you’re chasing tenths aboard the Honda that its shortcomings manifest. BMW S 1000 RRs are holding their value in frustrating fashion and only high mileage, gen 1 munters are available for similar coin. In a world of 200bhp and enough rider aids to worry factory racers, the Honda’s simple no-nonsense outlook makes things very easy. Turn key, twist throttle, go. None of this toggling through menus and searching for your chosen modes. The ’Blade really is the last of the undiluted superbikes.
Bragging a plump midrange that the new model can only dream of, the 2014 model is the perfect example of why dyno numbers mean bugger all. There’s a delectable spread of power throughout the range that’s ready for exploitation at 3,000rpm before the midrange swell at 6,000rpm. No matter where you are, the ‘Blade has the minerals at hand, and no ride-by-wire and consummate fuelling means a glitch-free throttle and an easy life. The throttle connection is as sweet as they come, which makes traction control redundant.
It’s not the lightest, nor is it the quickest steering bike by any means, but it makes up for this with a planted mid-corner stance that provides endless confidence. In fact, you’ll struggle to find a more composed bike at any given apex. It also lacks the rapid change of direction of newer rivals but, again, its neutrality and predictability make up for some lethargy.
Although the Showa suspension is the same kit seen on many other sportsbikes across the board, the ‘Blade manages to carry it with superiority, its chassis masking iffy surfaces and chewing up the road ahead. Occasionally, we’ve experienced a shock that doesn’t respond well to heat when being punished on track, but we’ve never felt discrepancies on the road.
Its only true form of anything resembling rider aids comes via the brakes. A bugger on track (for faster riders), the C-ABS is a seamless thing of beauty on Her Majesty’s highways, further cementing its place as the most proficient road-only superbike of this era. Although the pegs are high and leave your legs cramped on lengthy stints in the saddle, your upper torso is wonderfully catered for and there’s no reason why big mileage should be outlawed. The Fireblade really is the all-round master.