Fireblade owner Ben rates the latest SP
Racers and road testers have mixed opinions of Honda’s latest Fireblade. But what will a habitual Blade buyer and 2014 model owner make of the £20,000 SP?
“I’ve had a thing about them since I was a youngster”
BEN SMITH IS perfectly placed to rate Honda’s latest Fireblade SP against its predecessor. A longtime fan of Honda’s flagship superbike, his 2014 model is the sixth Blade he’s owned. In the past, the 36-year-old has lovingly restored an original 1992 icon and a pair of the following year’s vintage, one of which he still has. His garage has also previously housed a 1996 Blade and another from 2002. “I’ve had a thing about them since I was a youngster,” says the man who returned to bikes ten years ago. Prior to that, he’d ridden off-road since the age of just ten, taking a break after a big crash put him off when he was 16.
“My Fireblade gets used for pleasure only. I have a CBR600F for day-to-day duties. Most of the 5500 miles I’ve clocked up on it in the past couple of years have come from stuff like bike nights and 600-mile weekend runs around Wales when the weather’s good. I’m heading off to Spa on it soon, where I’m doing a trackday. I’m really looking forward to it and expect my Honda will perform well both on the road there and on the circuit. It’s a really versatile sportsbike.
“I bought it privately from a guy who was giving bikes a rest — I fell for it as soon as I saw it. I do all my own maintenance and it’s been totally reliable. I’ll get the valves checked by the lads at work when the time comes,” adds Ben who handily earns his living as the service manager at Honda dealer Thunder Road Motorcycles in Gloucester. Bar a tinted double-bubble screen, his Blade is standard.
“I’ve not felt the need to upgrade it as it feels so sorted. I’m really interested to ride the new SP to see how much better it might be though.”
Fireblade history
Rocking the bike world with its unparalleled power-to-weight ratio when it hit the sportsbike market back in 1992, Honda’s iconic Fireblade has seen constant evolution and development since. Yet in recent years that process has slowed. Generally upgraded every two years or so in the nineties and early noughties, the Blade hasn’t changed enormously since 2008. It got Honda’s clever C-ABS
(combined anti-lock braking system) in 2009 but it wasn’t until 2012 that the next improvements were seen. Even then they weren’t radical. Prettier styling, a little extra power and torque from better breathing and remapped fuelling, Showa’s Big Piston Forks, new 12-spoke wheels and clocks and a comfier riding position completed the list of revisions. By then it was no longer the top-dog sportsbike, though still had plenty of speed to offer, with nigh-on 180bhp. Anyone wanting to go faster could buy the SP model, with its higher-spec Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes. Aimed at racers, its engine spec gave it the potential for significantly more power.
Then last year Honda produced three new Fireblades. The base model comes with slimmer styling, another 11bhp and clever electronics including the Fireblade’s first ride-by-wire throttle, traction control, and cornering ABS. Its frame, swingarm and exhaust were all revised and the bike features a TFT dash and LED lights. It weighs a remarkable 14kg less than the previous version. For 2018 it costs £15,769.
Option two is the SP version we’ve got here. Equipped with Öhlins semi-active suspension and a two-way quickshifter, the bike comes in single-seat form only and costs £19,770. The third version is the £22,549 SP2 homologation special, built for racing, with revised cylinder head, bigger valves, slipper pistons, launch control, forged wheels and a pit-lane limiter.
2014 Fireblade v 2018 Fireblade SP
With both bikes photographed and fuelled near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, Ben and I head off in the general direction of Silverstone. I know a really good route and expect my anticipated hunger pangs will coincide with our arrival at the Super Sausage Café on the A5 just south of there.
While we wait to be fed, I ask Ben for his views. It’s obvious he’s impressed. “It’s lush, really lovely. I instantly felt more at home on the SP. It just suits me more. It’s a lot smoother in the lower gears, less jerky. When you get on the throttle, the go is phenomenal. I think there’s a marked difference between the acceleration of the two bikes. My bike’s not slow, but the SP feels appreciably quicker.”
His chicken-and-bacon special arrives but Ben won’t touch it until he adds more. “I like that you don’t need the clutch as much thanks to the quickshifter. It’s slick and smooth, especially going down the box. One less thing to think about.
“The brakes don’t feel too much different even though there’s a famous brand name on the new bike’s calipers. There might be a difference when you’re on track though.
“The SP has a lighter feel and turns a bit quicker too. Those Bridgestone RS10 tyres suit it as well. I’ve got those on my R1 trackday bike and really like them.”
I’m in agreement with Ben on all counts and after persuading him to tuck into his lunch, he nods as I talk about the SP’S refined and friendly feel. “I knew I’d like it. It’s lovely, isn’t it?” adds Ben.
“I played with the rider modes as we went along and could feel the difference in the suspension settings. I like the fact you can press a button as opposed to getting out a C-spanner! The system wouldn’t necessarily persuade me to buy the SP, but it’s good you can instantly change the settings to suit the road you’re on. It’s a very good feature. The new bike sounds good too. Only the mirrors on the old bike are better for me.”
Filled with the cafe’s fine fare, we head off on another 60 miles of varied roads to generate more opinion. Ben’s right about the old bike, it’s not slow. I’d argue it has slightly keener response at lower rpm but overall the SP just feels that bit more athletic and willing. Combined with the button-adjusted power, suspension, engine-braking and traction-control modes, it’s a superior motorcycle. But is it worth the £12,000 extra?
“No, not for me,” says Ben. “I’d score it at 9.8 out of ten and go for it at £15,000. I love the motor and knowing it is lighter puts me in a good place. It’s been a great day riding it. Maybe I’ll be on the lookout for a used one in a couple of years.”