ROUGH AND READY

Regarding the test with golden-era superbikes, I was a little miffed as the SP1 you had to use was such a poor specimen. How was this so? The owner had either no respect or no empathy with his machine. And why did you not do the comparison with bikes from the same model year?

For myself (I’ve got an absolutely mint SP2), I thoroughly road-tested all three of these bikes at the time (SP2 though) and found by some distance that the Honda was the star for me, hence why I bought it and still have it – though now I’m a bit precious about it. I only now use it for a minimum of 100 miles rides, but it always amazes me. Even now, things like the brakes are easily on a par with the other modern bikes I’ve got. While the SP2 isn’t the easiest of rides compared to the Blade, for example, it is still a superb bit of kit on any level and was way ahead of its time when I got mine in 2004. The handling, effortless poise and the way it goes is exceptional, even today.

David

Hi there David,

When it comes to testing road bikes, especially used ones, we depend on the decency of our readers to lend us their machines. The truth of it is, the SP you’re referring to here is 20 years old and has been used every day, and so it’s going to show signs of weakness and wear that some of the newer bikes may not. It’s always a role of the dice with anything used and, of course, there will be tidier examples out there, but it did the job just fine and we had a great time riding it. I have to agree with you: the Honda SP2 is a brilliant bike. It’s timeless and a classic that’ll definitely be worth holding onto for the future.