I think if you want your bike to have the different modes then really that is all you would be upgrading for. Or in my case from having a 2013 Anniversary blade. I'm not a racer, so they would have a different view no doubt.
For someone of my riding level/experiance im not going to be able to take advantage of any of the slight changes made so would be a waste of money for me no matter how much id enjoy being on the latest edition. Looking forward to trying one though as its always different once your sat on it!
I have been told in MCN tomorrow, very interesting bike comparrisons. Lets see if he was winding me up or not.
The SP1 comes out on top. Voted best on the road and only bettered, as in lap time, on track by the beemer - 2nd and ducati - 1st. I'll stick with my 08, not cos I want to mind.... not got the 19k ☺
MCN - P. 42 " On outright top speed the Honda's superior aerodynamics saw it come out on top, despite a power deficit." Perfect fuelling; lightness; natural balance and feedback; a doddle to ride fast and slow; could do with a larger screen; the fastest top speed of 181.84 mph (next was BMW @ 181.66 mph); Best fuel economy figures. On the road the SP was 1st place - with the Ducati 1299 S in second place On the track it was 3rd fastest with the Ducati 1st and Beemer in 2nd Overall test placed 1st . Complementary of its light weight, quality, velvety smooth and refined.
Due home for a wk and will get a test ride but I've only gone and torn my knee and on crutches oh well I will man up and manage to get leg over some how!
Test rode the new Blade last Sunday and its was a blast!! The dealer only gave me 30 mins on it. From the center of Nottingham I managed to get to Codnor in Derbyshire before i had to turn around. That gave me just over 30 miles of both city and fast A road riding. I think i gave it a good ringing. It was on new tyres and only had 100 on the clock - so i went reasonably sensibly. Mind out still did over 30 mls in 30 mins!! My thoughts: (i had the standard model) Felt very light and turned quickly Good pull in all gears - i was on power mode 1 (full beans) Strong brakes (!!) Small frontal area and screen Annoying horn/switch position! Excellent screen/visuals Overall its better than the outgoing model is every area. But not by much - i think the weight is probably the biggest factor. Don't think i'll be rushing out to get one though ...... yet.
Is the windblast more noticeable on it with the smaller fairing etc? that's something I'd have to take into account as a high mileage user
Dimensions are near identical to the out going model. But it "feels" smaller. I think its because the tank is narrower and the screen is smaller. Its certainly slimmer. My lad mentioned that I looked bigger on the new model when we got back on my '14 model.
I did a 3 mile stretch at "high" speed and I can say that I didn't notice any difference between mine and the new model. Can't say what it would be like over a longer time period as I ate up those 3 miles quite quickly. But didn't notice any obvious buffeting.
had an extended test ride yesterday, first impressions were that it was exactly the same as my 2013 bike only smaller, however as the miles progressed you start to recognise the subtle and not so subtle changes - Its obviously a lot smaller and lighter giving you a bit of confidence to really get your arse off the seat and attack corners, when you do its like its on rails, I went in hot on a couple of corners I know well, cranked it over, fed in the power and the bike responded exactly how you'd want it to, no fuss no bucking or wobble just smooth power delivery I estimate I went through there 10 -15 mph faster than I would on my current bike, the test bike was fitted with Dunlop 214's, my bike metzeler m7rr's You seem to be over the bars a few degrees more than the old model, this creates the feel of planting the front wheel, with this in mind I concentrated on how my arms and wrists were feeling over a period of time (90 minute test), I don't think its any worse than what I experience on my 2013 bike to be honest, in fact I had no white finger when I got off the bike, something I do get on my current bike. I had a play with the electrics/modes I ended up leaving it in full power 1, tc 1, eb 1, (lowest settings for tc,eb) and that's probably where I'd leave them all the time unless track or winter riding. The gearbox is a lot better,smoother and not so clunky anymore The engine I have to confess I was a bit disappointed by, I don't know if its due to the exhaust, euro4 restrictions etc.. the engine just didn't seem to be as strong or as fast as my 2013 bike, with 11bhp more and a smaller lighter bike I was expecting to pull harder and fly along, the engine seems to be "held back" in the lower revs (4 - 8000rpm) having said that this was a demo bike with a measly 80 miles on the clock, with it being a new bike on the market I'm sure given a relatively small amount of time there will be power commanders, ecu flashes etc.. available to make it fuel better and more free revving, having spoken to the Honda salesman Akraprovic already have exhaust systems in the pipeline. The biggest bugbear for me is undoubtedly the windblast, with a smaller more compact front end you've lost quite a lot of windprotection, on my 2013 bike my shoulders are in line with the fairings combine that with a double bubble and you have a nice comfortable space to be, the new bike is narrower and as I've said previously you seem to be over the top of the front wheel more than before, my shoulders stick out either side and my head is up higher creating a large amount of windblast, I had to be down on the tank for any kind of respite, obviously not great when leathers, zips etc..meet paintwork, I would have to have some kind of tank protection and most definitely a double bubble, maybe even a Mcguiness screen, The seat is smaller, a few times whilst monkeying around I found my arse hitting the back seat, which is great actually as it stops you sliding back to far, however if you had a seat cowl fitted, i'd imagine your leathers would soon scuff this up, at £225 a pop is that what you want ? Venture shield and perhaps a bit of foam would be needed, talking of accessories, Honda prices are horrendous for example - seat cowl £225, hugger £225, quick shifter a criminal £600, best to look at aftermarket parts for better deals, as already said with this being a new bike there isn't a lot available at the moment but it will come with time. The switchgear is hard work with gloves as has been said in previous reviews you end up beeping the horn when going for the indicators, tad embarrassing when theres a bunch of 16 year old girls on the pavement (must of thought I was a paedo) So would I rush out and buy this bike, if I was in the market for a new bike then yes I would, if it was just to upgrade then probably not just yet, probably best to wait til 2018 when any wrinkles will have been ironed out, for those of you that cycle i'd compare the old bike to be an endurance bike whilst the new 2017 model a competition/racer, basically the old bike whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, carries a bit of weight and is not so sharp to turn in, but it is comfortable, the new bike is sharper, lighter but sacrifices a bit of comfort (windblast).... apples and oranges ps. Current rearsets and levers will fit this bike
Not sure if it the same with Honda but my mates have BMWs and both The S1000R and the RR were restricted when they got them new, after the first service (500 mile) the dealer twiddled the electronics and was then full power.
Have to agree with what Julian ( above ) has said. I took the new base model blade out for a spin yesterday and instantly just sitting on it the weight difference and slimless compared to my 2012 anniversary model is instantly noticable. I took the bike onto some nice roads that i knew would`nt be busy and places where i could lean the bike into the corners and open it up wherever safely possible and to me the power delivery was so smooth with the ride by wire but what a bark the bike makes when you do open it up.Cornering is spot on and it just makes you oooz confidence going in even at speed its planted the feeling you get back. Brakes were super sharp but the clutch for me had the bite point right on the end of the lever, prob just needed adjusting tbh. Even with the standard exhaust ( anti aircraft gun size ) it dosen`t have a bad tone to it but with regards to the newer shorter screen you do feel more of wind resistance against yourself at certain speed. The annoying thing as previously mentioned by Julian is the relocation of the indicator switch/horn, having been swapped around you do find yourself beeping the horn rather than indicating where you intend to turn which is mildly annoying at times and should of been left where it was. The new dash is superb, very colouful and bright and easy to understand whats being displayed and being able to go through the different modes and along with the LED headlights it looks an evil piece of machinery head on. Gear change does seem to be smoother than its previous model but the bike had 400miles on it so still new just a touch! Would i buy????? well.....If i was bikeless and in the hunt for a new bike then most prob out of the normal top manufacturers i would. I could just be saying this as i already own a blade and to me there a fantastic bike that does it all and handles perfectly for my riding abilitys, Honda have done it again in my opinion where they`ve tweeked few bits to make a already great bike that bit better to keep up with the pack. Some will say the electronics, weight saving, sharper looking and just trying to bring it up to date prob wont tempt alot of exisiting owners to part with there beloved machines they own now and in essence underneath all that shiny new exterior its basically the previous model. For me i enjoyed my time on it just to see what it was like but dont think i`ll be signing on the dotted line just yet.
They are only restricted to 9000rpm and nothing to do with power. The rev limiter gets taken off at the first service.
Yeah I think that's what I said! I'm interested in the analogy that an ECU restriction to below the rev range where the bike produces its peak power is as you say "nothing to do with power" Maybe I'm missing something.
