Funnily enough I decided I didn't quite smell enough of my own p*ss to buy a Trophy when I was in there.
Frame isn't new it's just been made thinner in places, swingarm is the same, forks the same, calipers same, rear shock the same, and so on! So not quite the new bike Honda promised
Personally, in time I think an engine, electronics and suspension transplant would be the way forward for the best of both worlds for mine. Not keen necessarily on the looks and can live without few hundred grams shaved off the frame.
Biggest weight saving from old models are the change from honda's own abs unit to Bosch, the titanium petrol tank over steel, lithium battery over lead acid, the weight saving from the frame and seat unit really is marginal
Has anyone up there seen accessory listings published by Mr Honda? I'd imagine your dealers must have price lists for the obligatory factory endorsed options seeing the bikes are rolling off the floors?? Back when the RR8 was released this was sorted before time but I get the impression they are playing off the back foot this year...
some of you seems to miss the point here, the lighter frame is the result of disappointed the flex of the frame when the bike lean over to give it more corner stability because your suspension cant compress when the bike is lean right over, also I don't think standard bike have lithium battery and titanium tank; the SP have which counter its weight gain form all the electronic suspension and stuff which still makes it i think 1kg heavier than the standard model. and yea I am very disappointed that honda is so push back on the new blade's brochure and what do you actually get, seems like all they care is the SP model this time around, its not very helpful for a normal customer like me just want a normal bike
Local dealer now has a standard and sp model in the shop! Standard being put on the road for next Wednesday so will be sorting a test ride for Thursday
i ridden the base model of the new blade last monday. i was handed the opportunity tho he knew i wasnt interested so what do you do then? to cut a long story short, i like the gimmicks tho i propably wont use any of it. the weight savings i think are hardly noticable at best on the street. it handles pretty much the same as my own bike. ergonomics felt similar and the added horsepower i didnt try as it was damn near new but on the street the motor feels not much different apart from being stiff as it had hardly any miles on it. brakes felt less powerfull as mine but i blame that on the low mileage aswell. the thing that really stuck out like a sore thumb to me is how much more wind u catch on it. the fairing got much smaller as does the screen and its very noticable and not a good thing i reckon. almost cosmetic that fairing compared to the old model... all in all i wasnt instantly over the moon with this bike and i wouldnt shell out 4k euros more for it as i dont really see the benefits in daily street use and thats where i ride the blade mainly. the wind protection is defenatly a huge step in the wrong direction in my opinion (ofcourse it might differ between people length wise) to the point that it could even be a dealbreaker if i was in the market for a new bike. just my 2 cents..
I see Honda UK have a brochure now posted and a few accessories to option. Aside from the color rear fender option it is a little underwhelming what they have listed. Back in 2008 they had a catalogue full to spec the RR8 out with
I've ridden an S1000R (not the sport) back to back with my 14 Blade and it's a seriously competent bike, I don't think you need the semi active suspension tbh but even the base model has traction and abs, other than the rather metallic sound of the engine I couldn't fault it and most of my riding is country twisty stuff. Anyway at £10750 it's on my list, I'm either keeping my Blade or getting one of them, I'm not paying £15k for the new blade.
Standard and sp have titanium tank! SP has lithium battery to counter act the extre weight of the electronic ohlins Only top level riders are going to notice frame flex so not really required to the standard road going bike! And if they sprung the bike to the weight of the rider rather than the so called European average! It would benefit better and wouldn't cost anymore as could be done when a new bike is ordered
How safe are lithium batteries, we have all heard the Samsung note 7 fiasco caused by lithium batteries catching fire? I used to fly RC helicopters and those lithium batteries burn very well indeed if overcharged or damage, makes me a bit lithium shy
Yes, after much googling, I found it. I thought I'd read that it was only the sp's with a titanium tank. In the end, items like shorter and lighter bolts were used where possible, along with a titanium exhaust, titanium fuel tank (for SP models), magnesium engine covers, aluminum subframe, smaller radiator, and thinner frame walls are just a few of the techniques Honda engineers used to meet that ambitious weight target. But here’s just one more example of Honda rethinking every component: the fairings on the new CBR are now just 1.8mm thick, versus the 2.0mm plastics seen on the predecessor. All in an effort to shave precious grams.
