https://motoridersuniverse.com/news/1253845-2019-honda-cbr1000rr-will-run-a-v4-engine.html I'd be surprised if the Blade becomes a V4, but I've been surprised before.
This is just another variation on a theme. You (DF) might remember my post earlier in the year when I tried to nail my dealer and put an advance deposit on one. They wouldn't be in it - mainly because there's no information (supposedly) with dealers. I've said many a time that the Blade has seen its day. A V4 with major facelift would be a great revival. Save for the race bikes though, the best V4 is this:
I would never down vote you Nigel. But opinions vary and on this occasion my favourite V4 from Honda will always be the RVF 750 RC 45.
Thanks for the consideration about the downvote. I copped an unexpected surprise one just the other day. I totally agree with you, dessp2. I have always thought of, and included, the RC45/RC30 etc as 'race bikes' which I'd excluded from my above reckonings. You're totally right in that they do command the highest respect and accolades of all road-going Hondas. Those homologation models were far more divorced from the 'basic' model and I think it is that that contributes to their prestige and rarity. They have reached a level that, unfortunately for me and others, the current SP2 will never reach. Edited to say: I now face a conundrum over my interpretation of 'race bikes'. I have not included the current SP2 as a race bike because it differs very little from the base Blade.
I'm not overly bothered if it's a Blade or something else, as long as Honda deliver an affordable V4. Obviously nothing's set in stone , but after 8, I'm thinking this maybe my last new Blade. Don't get me wrong, the bike's great and we've bonded over the last 350 odd miles, but I don't need the power it delivers on the road. I could also live without the riding position becoming more compromised. For me the Blade was a performance road bike and that's what I want. That said, I'd be happy for Honda to go back to making it a road focused machine and bringing out a more track focused V4. It'd be nice to have the choice.
Honda v4 has been promised so long now I wouldn't be surprised if this was an attempt to stop people buying other brands this year. More of a spoiler than a reality?
I think most of the hype is media generated rather than factory 'teasers'. Honda has too much to lose by offering snippets of the new model and then not delivering. But it is more than 4 years since the V4 was floated to the public: https://www.sportrider.com/news/new-honda-v4-superbike#page-2 I actually think opposite to you, BSS, and think the expectation wouldn't stop people buying other brands, but instead, it would encourage them to - purely by being jacked off with the V4's 'no show. As posted a few times, I have been caught up in the hype and want one. However, in its absence I very nearly bought an Aprilia - before settling on the 2018 Blade. I guess we can hope something comes to fruition within the next 8 months, because that works out to the time-cycle when @dainesefreak will be due for his next p/x.
I think Honda will update the current Blade first. End of the year will all be about the New Ducati V4 1000 and BMW S1000RR I think. would love to see them do a new V4 though.
Bullshit stories that have been doing the rounds for several years now , Mcn seem to keep reserecting it as do other bike mags . Such stories include headlines of Top secret v4 Honda spotted on test run Patents filed for Honda v4 This could be the new v4 from Honda (same pic for about 3yrs now) Blah blah blah blah blah Get the picture
The biggest issue here is one of economics. Gone are the days of engineering led bike models, purely done to show that Honda had bigger khunhas than anyone else and they could just do it for the hell of it. Now it has to make money and sell. Globally the sports bike market has changed dramatically and Honda have stopped competing at the top table of sports bikes. V4 development will cost some and then some more, and they are scarred by their V4 history, so it would have to be bullet proof. Just cannot see Honda committing that effort to one model, it would have to fit a range. That said, being a owner of a cam driven Honda V4, IMO they are the best engines they have ever made.
Some interesting and valid points you make, Kentblade. I think that historically, Honda has equated racing success with sales success (although the formula doesn't necessarily follow) and even now is 'investing' fortunes in its Moto GP programs with both its own and satellite teams. We have also seen Le Mans success (albeit at the hands of Honda France) and its defacto interests in the Isle of Mann TT. The current crop of Fireblades is a child of this investment. Granted, the Africa Twin is perhaps a greater financial resource for Honda, but the sports bike, although dwindling, still represents a significant share of Honda's global market. (Some stats here: https://www.statista.com/statistics/267277/worldwide-motorcycle-sales-of-honda/ ) I am on record here as often opining that the Blade is 'dead'. It's been revised and revised over its 26 years and must be replaced by new blood. I think Honda HAS to follow the likes of Aprilia and Ducati into the V4 market. It's not as if Honda doesn't have a head start on the V4 - it has the basics that would require lightening and revising. I admit to being more 'enthusiastic' about this than others. We have not seen anything really 'groundbreaking' from Honda (in the affordable bracket) since the CBX 6 cylinder. We take the Fireblade for granted now, as is evidence by many members on this forum saying they are 'due for a change'. So why the change? Is the Blade just another boring bike, OR, has it truly lost pace with the current market? My wish is that something REALLY exciting is announced at or before next years Tokyo Motorcycle Show in March.
Good points Nigel, personally have over 20 years continuous ownership of Blades, still think they are the perfect road bike, owned many others at the same time, but it’s always the one that does everything well, as far as being left behind, agree that technically other brands have gone ahead, but as far as my humble opinion goes, and being very much a dinosaur, most bikes are just 2 wheel cars now, technology wise, and from many comments a majority people appear feel they need all this wizardry, either to ride these bikes, or because it’s the thing to have. That’s why I am hanging onto my RRE, it’s a pure bike down to rider and machine, it’s the only way I want to ride a bike, and every bit of control comes from the rider and not some programming geek whose probably never ridden a bike in his life. Just getting my jacket............
Deserves a hundred kudos for that alone. Now, I'll put you on the spot - for general interest of course. Given that experience of ownership, how do you view my frequent comment that the RR4 - 7 is the most comfortable and best riding of the post-Tadao Baba Blades?
Well as a few people know on here, I estimate I have ridden over 350K miles on Blades in that time, and if pushed the 2014RRE is the best yet I have owned, but I did have a soft spot for the 954 and the RR6, but the sheer ease of riding the RRE, eclipses the RR6 for me, handles better, more midrange, lower COG, but fecking uglier the RR6 was the beauty queen, that said, 95K miles in just under 4 years on a 929, and just a couple of pairs of discs on a bike that was commuted,toured and tracked as the only non service items, was the reliability winner. Apart from freebie services agreed at time of buying with dealers, every bike has been home maintained and pretty reliable, just the mag sump issues on the RR6 and cracking bottom fork holders on a model I can't remember...........then there was the ABS disaster 2010, but apart from that these things are largely bullet proof.
Having owned a few, 954, 05, 06 & 15 in there, I'd have to agree. Got a real soft spot still for the 954 and the swap to the 05 was disappointing for me, it just didn't feel as sharp. The 06 was a better bike in my opinion, even though it was essentially the same bike, the 100 odd changes Honda made definitely made it a nicer bike to ride and a better package. I then had an 08, 10 and 15 and if I was to buy an older Blade an unmolested 954 would be first on the shopping list and then it'd be the 15.
