Well nearly had my Anni blade a year now, and have to say I absolutely love it. Was not convinced at first , wanted my Ducati 749 back, despite all the pain and suffering it gave, but stuck with the Blade and now dont see me moving away from IL4`s again. Just love the ease of use, if you want to cruise or go banzai, it just does everything so well...... Now got my Arrow can and infill finally sorted, replacement cowl after I lost the HK special I bought and could not be happier, just need some sun up here in the north to put some more miles on.... Cheers Dave
I'm on my first blade year 3 and still it makes me grin every time I use it. from a blat on the weekend or evening, touring to trackdays. it's been faultless and I also thought WTF when I sold my Speed triple for the blade at first. Then after a week just forgot the triple and loved the blade Yes there are lots of good bikes out there but I just gel with the blade and hope to but another when they go a big upgrade. Maybe another year or 2 for that
Im also on my first Blade, had it nearly 4 years now. Keep thinking maybe its time for a change, but soon change my mind when I get back from a ride... Why fix something that aint broken.. If I do change bikes it will be for a CB1000... But not yet.
On my 5th Blade and 15th year, and IMO they just get better, its ridden 5 to 6 days a week, 12 months a year, and for that you need a compromise bike, so its not the sharpest handling, not the most powerful, not the fastest stopper, but as a package to grunt 12K a year in all conditions, there is not another superbike made that rivals it for all round useability. And trust me, you do not need any fancy electronics with these bikes, in fact when you put 45 to 60k on a bike before chopping it, the last thing you need is an array of expensive electronics that will have the potential to go wrong before any mechanical woes will trouble the bike. If it was track use only, it would be something else, but for day in, day out, its the only tool needed.
I agree, it's not the best in any one of brakes, power or handling, but it's also not the worst and it's still a pretty competitive package. The brakes and suspension and the little bit of extra power on the SP make it a much better bike IMO, and it definitely is a better handler than the standard. It should have been the standard and the SP should have been another notch up (with new wheels).
Also one year into my first blade (2012 ABS model). Got back into biking after a 21 year gap - initially bought a street TripleR & after only 300 miles I traded it for a blade. I just didn't get on with the naked thing. So considering I was really & I mean REALLY rusty - to get on a blade & feel confident is testimony of how good these bikes are. They are so easy to ride. However, my dealer said that was true but they are hard to ride well. Probably also true. I love it. It's plenty fast enough for me. Yet to do a track day. Nothing else really appeals to me - although in a year or two I would be tempted to test drive the 899 Panigale. But apart from that I'am not swayed by any of those 'trick' electronics & fastest bhp stats etc...etc
