Revisited: Time to consider Honda’s previous Fireblade?
Honda’s ultimate blend of grunt and top tech can be yours for £8500
‘You don’t need power, you need control’
What we said then…
The Fireblade is better than ever. It’s 90% new, lighter, smaller, with more power and a plethora of rider aids. Over the years, the Blade has gone a little soft, put on a bit of weight, and appeared bulky alongside sharper rivals. But it’s a different story with the new bike. It’s still a Blade, but a much smaller, lighter and thinner one. The position of the bars, seat and pegs doesn’t feel much different from the old model, but the screen is tiny, the frontal area is small, almost like a supersport bike. Down the main straight at Portimao, with the full colour digital dash reading 175mph, I’ve got my bum pushed back against the seat hump as far it will go, with my chin on the fuel cap. While it’s fast, the power is useable, the torque linear, and the wheelie happy old Blade has gone. There are no peaks and troughs in the power curve, just continuous drive to the 13,000rpm redline – 750rpm higher than before. On paper the new Blade might be down on peak bhp compared to the competition – unlike some, Honda aren’t boasting the magic 200bhp – but the bike’s designers say you don’t need power, you need control. And this 2017 model makes use of every last pony with superb chassis composure.
Hit the apex, knee brushing the track, and you can simply crack the throttle and let the electronics control the wheelspin and hovering wheelies on the exit. It takes a while to trust the electronics, but once you’ve felt them save a slide or control a wheelie you have the confidence to lean on the rider aids and let them do the head work. To think the old bike had no rider aids and had remained essentially unchanged since 2008, this is a big step forwards for the Blade. Launch report, MCN January 25, 2017
What’s it like now?
The 2017 road racing season was pretty tough for this evolution of Fireblade. Issues with the HRC race kit electronics saw both factory riders, John McGuinness and Guy Martin, thrown down the road, with the latter even referring to his race bike as a ‘Jonah’. Ouch. But as a road bike, the Blade has wowed those who bought them. Build quality is excellent with only a handful of owners bemoaning furry fasteners and a couple of reports of sticking mode selection buttons. Oil usage has also been addressed on this evolution, which was a problem on the 2008-2012 bikes especially. Early 2017 bikes were recalled due to a faulty filler cap seal, which could allow water into the fuel tank.
Prices for 2017 base model versions (conventional Showa suspension and no quickshifter as standard) start at £8500 for bikes with around 5000 miles on the clocks; £9500 for a bike with half that. Fancy an SP with semi-active Öhlins, Brembo monobloc calipers, forged wheels and two-way ’shifter? £11,500 should bag you the topspec model with 3000 on the clocks. The electronics on both models were refined on 2019 bikes making for less intrusive ABS, more programmable traction control, and slightly more responsive throttle characteristics; prices for these start at around £11,500.
Worthwhile extras?
The screen is absolutely tiny meaning that, unless you’re 5ft nowt, you’ll get pummelled by windblast. An MRA DoubleBubble screen (£63.79) is 55mm taller than the stocker and is so effective that it was fitted to the Fireblades ridden by the travelling marshals at the 2017 TT. Quickshifters were optional on the base model but many will have stumped up the £750 for the dealer-fit extra so keep an eye out.
Failing that, HM Racing do an aftermarket autoblipper-shifter for £400 which they say is easy enough to fit at home.