I am in the process of buying a 2008 Fireblade. Wondering if any of you have some pointers on what to look out for. I have heard stories about some of them burning oil but haven't found any solid info on it. How would I diagnose this issue and should I walk away if it does have this problem. I wouldn't mind the bike burning some oil as I am only a fine weather driver and will not be clocking up big miles. But I would not like to buy a bike which is going to give serious engine issues. Are there any other issues with the 08 blade that I should watch out for and how will i diagnose them.
Oil wise .I believe it's a long term thing. If it's burning blue smoke when you start it up.then yes .walk away. I think with most Hondas it's a pretty good bike. I've just bought one a month ago. So don't really know the ins and outs of the specific models .But use common sense. Listen for rattles. Pay attention to gear change on road test. Make sure you use all the gears and accelerate. Bare in mind it's now a 12 year old bike. So check service history against mileage. Spark plugs are due at 32k I think .have the valve checks been done. Or will you have to pay a fortune to do them on the next service. Maybe the suspension is due a refresh. A cheap bike that needs £600 of work might no longer be a cheap bike. That aside. Buy the one you choose. Ride it and love it.
Agree totally with all that @Bikeboy advised above. His point about valve checks is most pertinent. Honda recommends they be done at 16,000 mile service which is a MAJOR service. For info, I had that service done on my 2011 and it cost the equivalent of $US570.00 Massive variety of opinions on the 'oil burning' issue. It seems the early 2008s had only two oil rings rather than the usual three. A long discussion about it here: https://www.1000rr.net/forums/oil-lubrication/69871-1000rr-08-solve-oil-problem.html You might find that the 2010- 2011s are in the same price bracket (as they are in UK). Much the same bike, but the better prospect of fewer miles and no maintenance issues. The 'HRC' version is known to be the fastest:
Mine's an 08. I was worried about oil consumption before I bought it. I figured some of the 'higher' mileage bikes might be a safer option than a 3k 'minter' thats sat in a garage for 10 years. Mine had 25k when I bought it and uses about 100ml every 1000 miles. That's fine with me, it means I need to put in around 400ml a over the year. Apparently a lot of dirt/oil around the end of the exhaust is a sign of an oil burner, though I don't know what 'a lot' is, as all my bikes have had some degree of something around the opening. But I guess if the bike you're looking at is spitting stuff out the exhaust it's probably not a good sign! There's horror stories about crank whine and cam chain tensioners. Mine neither whines or rattles, but if the one you're looking at does it might be worth walking away. Though, my old 929 whined in 1st gear and never had a issue for 35k miles... It's really just as Bikeboy said, just check the normal things. Valve clearances are every 16k. A lot of people say wait til 32k to check them as they never need adjusting at 16k. I prefer to get them checked, just in case. Air filter & Plugs may need replacing, depending on when they were done. The bike will be at least 10 years old, so suspension will need a service as well. If you're buying from a dealer, they might do that as part of the deal, if not, it's something to haggle over.
Mine's done 39,500 miles since I bought it new in 2009. It's always used 100ml oil about every 800-1,000 miles. Hasn't got any worse since new. Always check it so it's never been run low. New plugs at 36,000m, valves never checked yet - my Honda dealer said not to bother. Serviced and oil changed every 4,000 from new. Engine runs really sweetly - far smoother than my 2017 Z1000sx that I've only done 11,000m on (Although that one uses no oil at all).
I wanted a "winning red" one, but got such a good deal on this one (£8,000 brand new, old stock in 2009) that I couldn't resist. I have gradually come to really like the colour scheme that every one else seems to hate. Although it did at first remind me of a Citroen 2CV Charleston...
bm69 - in response to your original post, I hope you do buy a cbr1000rr8 and it turns out well. Mine is by far the best bike I have ever had, that's why I have kept it so long despite having bought others since. If I ever have to replace it, it will be with the nearest newest equivalent- a pre-2017, non-ABS model.
2008 with oz wheels, quick shifter, olins rear and k tech front is what I'm looking at. 18000 miles. Black and white colour scheme. Just unsure of how I can check myself how the engine is.
