At least that 'journalist' survived it - and the incident happened in front of the camera - and can be analysed by independent technical experts. Not all journalists testing new bikes have been so lucky, have they ?
Will be interesting to see how many issues come to light with this new model especially after having all the electric bits added. I always prefer to sit back a while before purchasing something new to let people give there feedback after they use the new machine on a day to day basis. All these raving reviews you hear after a couple of hours out on the bike mean little when the reality is the true test will be its reliability over the course of time and as well by being used on the roads as most of us do use them.
French motorcycle journalist apparently! Maybe same one who binned that new blade the other day lol Anyhows.....seems he escaped with a few bruises & dislocated finger....so maybe we're allowed le petite chortle
This was posted before, was half asleep when I watched, had to rewind it a few times to work out what happened. Sometimes, as unfortunate as the events are, you can't help but laugh but i certainly wouldn't want to be falling off the edge!
I wonder if they will run some kind of diagnostics on that pit lane crash ? I think they should. The technical experts should have that thing plugged into a laptop to see what went on, not just call the rider a dumb-ass and forget about it. Maybe the data is not recorded on the bike. But at this early stage of the bike's release they should be looking seriously at all crashes to at least understand what happened. If it was rider error they should be able to prove it.
I'm guessing that if people can fall off Segway's with all their electronics then falling of a motorbike is way easier. The electronics on a motorbike are rider aids not a guarantee against crashing.
Met a guy on an sp1 today. He come from a 2008 blade and seemed really pleased with it. Looked great in the flesh. Wanted a pic side by side but a guy pulled inbetween us.
I sat on the new Blade at my local dealer a couple of days ago and it felt no different to my 15/16 model. Reach to bars felt the same, footrest heigh, seat height, width etc all the same. It definitely didn't feel any smaller. Looked a little narrower at the front, lower screen and slightly narrower tank but apart from the new dash. I would not notice it was a new model. Wouldn't pay over £15k for it.
Sitting on one doesn't mean anything, unless all you do is posing on the bike at a cafe I was comparing the new blade to 2016 zx10r and being a short guy the position doesnt feel that much different apart from tank is narrower on the blade. You need to ride one to tell.
Sitting on a bike doesn't indicate what it rides like but you can still tell the height, reach, parked up weight etc and it feels no different. Maybe steers different etc when going but I am comparing like to like while parked up.
Totally agree! Let's face it the ergonomics are going to be the same, same bars footrests and geometry! If it ain't broke don't try and fix it. I'm glad they haven't messed with this just due to how comfortable the old bike is
Performance Bikes has a base model and will do a full write up in the next months issue but here's what he said about it when someone said they were looking at getting either a new R1 or Blade but couldn't make his mind up; "Indeed, I have ridden all the latest litre bikes and the answer to your question "R1 V's Blade" is simple. GSXR" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've got the new (base) Fireblade for my long termer, and put it this way, my first instalment in next months issue of PB starts with "Oh dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear.....", it is very hard to put into words just how disappointed I am with it. It just simply is not good value for £15,500. There's no easy way of saying it. The ride by wire throttle is terrible. If you're on the market for a new litre bike and don't at least test ride a BMW S1000RR, RSV4 and (now) a GSXR, if for no other reason than to bench mark the Blade and R1 against to see what I'm on about, then just buy the R1. I simply can't sit here and can't recommend the Fireblade with it's £15,000 price tag". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whats wrong with the Blade other than throttle? " In a word: Value. I can not think of a worse bike to spend £15,500 pounds on. It doesn't even have a quick shifter. The throttle has a mind of its own, so not like the R1's which is super duper aggressive (like early KTM's). No, it literally does different things every time you open it, as if the software for the ride by wire set up has been written by a person who doesn't really understand it. Then there's the TC. It cuts in pretty much whenever you hit full throttle, regardless of if you're at lean or the front wheel is up. Overly cautious is and understatement. Same goes for the ABS. It is also quite possibly the most uncomfortable bike I've ever ridden. It's power delivery is peaky like a 600. Admittedly that is a personal choice. You may like a 24lb.ft surge in torque in just 1200rpm, but it makes it really difficult to ride fast on track. The rear wheel spindle needs a 38mm socket to undo. Who the fuck has a 38mm socket in their garage ? I don't, so I can't adjust the chain. No, there isn't a spanner under the seat. There's no fuel gauge The suspension is really "trashy" over bumps, and I'm really trying to dial it out, but I have a feeling it's just massively over damped. On the plus side..... It sounds great It goes like fuck once over 7000rpm It's called "Fireblade". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " I suppose if I wanted to be kind, I could say that in isolation it's a perfectly good 1000cc sportsbike. Its problems only begin when you line it up next to it's rivals at the same price point. I'm especially looking at the BMW and Suzuki. Wait until you read what Rutter said about it.........".
