Honda’s new Blade: PACKED WITH CONFIDENCE

How hard could it be? Don’t lean over too far and don’t run on; the electronics will take care of the rest, surely? APS, ABS, HESD, TBW, HSTC… so many acronyms (I counted 14) that there must be enough tech in this bike to keep even the least confident of

On the day, and nervous as hell, I was surrounded by race professionals – I was out of my depth. Yet, realistically, I’d expect a large proportion of these bikes to be sold to road riders like you and me, so I wanted to cut through the race hyperbole and find out what a machine like this – bristling with the very latest electronic aids – is really like for an average road rider.

There are three models available – the CBR1000RR, the CBR1000RR SP and the CBR1000RR SP2. The top bike wasn’t at the launch, so the day started with a session on the RR, most easily distinguished by its black frame, before trying the SP.

Both of them share the same engine and electronic rider aids that have long been awaited on the Fireblade, with the SP’s main selling point being its electronic suspension.