Am I the only one who finds it rather depressing to read on a Fireblade forum thread after thread of numerous people who have either already, who are about to, or who are thinking about replacing their Blades for something else ? I wonder sometimes if I'm on the right forum. As has been mentioned the Blade is being left behind in the development stakes with all the hype being concentrated on the competition. This obviously makes a difference to what people think about their bikes and makes us all take a cheeky look at the competition from time to time. What's missing, the attention and focus the more exotic machines bring, the crowd of people it draws at the local meet, the praise it gets in the press. But for me it's still a great machine backed by an amazing Honda heritage, an amazing machine that hasn't 'needed' the toy box thrown at it to attract glowing praise from the journos. A bike that is still so good it hasn't 'needed' the constant fettling of the designers to make it better. Unfortunately these things aren't 'needed' but people do want them it's what creates hype which intern sells bikes. Many people say the Blade is boring, too clinical no character that usually gets the response it's too good, is this really the case or is it in fact a boring characterless bike that's driving people away to other manufacturers ? So I thought I would start a Fireblade appreciation thread, for those who are still happy with their bikes and enjoy the competent package, the great handling, the tick all the boxes approach the usable power delivery the comfortable ride and fuel efficiency the design and build quality. Why do I love mine. It looks great is easy to ride to the shops and equally as fun on the track and hasn't let me down, I was able to thrash it round the Isle of Man with no dramas the bike took everything in it's stride with ease. We covered over 1000 miles, the bike was hanging by the time I got back but with some TLC it was back to looking good as new again all bar a few extra stone chips. It goes like stink makes all the right noises and makes me grin from ear to ear when everything is flowing. Long live the Fireblade Untitled by (MrB), on Flickr
Hurrah!! I love mine and i'm not ashamed to admit it. I bought the blade as a do-it-all superbike and so far it had done it all. A lot of bikes i tried just didn't light my fire, but when i pottered out on my test ride, I thought this is very civilized... Then i iopened it up. Well needless to say 1 hour later after the ride, the deposit was paid. There isn't a lot else that interests me in the superbike market. Maybe a Ducati, but I have some of them and bought the blade as an all rounder. A Ducati is never an all rounder lol. A Gixxer? but a bit too common. I love mine to bits
I'm with you... I love mine and when people find out I have a bike and ask what it is - I reply a FireBlade or just 'blade' depending on who's asking and they always seem impressed! enough said View attachment 14789
I pray to the bike gods every night and give thanks by making offerings of age old plants and animals. My bike also prays up towards the sky on most spirited rides. I hold on for dear life and wind back that throttle further! Love it.
Totally agree and although just parted for the time being my Blade looked stunning and never let me down .My only gripe and reason to part " and not for the latest jewel encrusted must have" was simple ..ABS..I am not willing to fork out £700.00 for ABS only to be told later down the line that I would have to spend £400.00 every two years to change the brake fluid .Great bike but had to go.
Well said MrB. Couldn't agree more. For me, to have a gap of 21 years riding & get on a blade (ok, I had a street tripleR for a few months this year to ease myself back into this biking malarky) is testimony of what a great machine the blade is. it still has for me anyway way too much power for what I can use every day. And after riding her I can't wait for the next time. It is such an easy machine to ride. I said this to the dealer where i bought mine from recently & he said something quite true - he said "your right it is an easy bike to ride but a hard bike to ride well". Probably true at least for me as I'am only just getting back into riding bikes again & I'am not the rider i was 22 years ago I doubt very much I would change the blade for another litre bike - if I were maybe a gixxer 750 - but that would be a different turn rather than bowing to the hype that another litre bike is better or faster etc.
Love mine and have done since I got it (new in 07)! She is a keeper for sure even if I'm too old and someone has to lift me on I will still continue to ride it! I'm not drawn in by new this and that and question why is the blade so good with so little electronics etc! Just love the engine, the way it rides etc etc... Honda for me all day long! The new blade is a better bike but I'm still happy and she still does the bizz!
I just say do 70,000 miles on your sports bike with no breakdown other than a comedy horn failure in Spain, on a bike that wins the TT time after time, which just keeps going then fair play. For many riders who find it lacking something some training in road riding for a £500 or so investment would make the biggest difference and allow them to get so much more enjoyment from their bikes. I've taken my blade though so much sh!t it barely deserves to move but still rocks!
Well said guys. I bought mine in 2009 and have refreshed its looks for 2011. No doubt I imagine I will eventually update the fairings to 2013 fairings to refresh the look. Underneath the fairings I have a bike that has never missed a beat for me and offers plenty of power. I have invested thousands on extras for my bike (Marchesinis,Ohlins and Brembos) for my own amusement and don't plan to move on for a very long time.
I don't get the 'don't like the looks of the 2008-2011' brigade. That snubbed nose looks the biz to me. The 06-07 and the 08-11 are the sweetest looking bikes going. I spent the day looking into suspension upgrades, but to be honest, it still astounds me how good the standard set up is. If i do it will just be because i cant stop tinkering rather than any real need for it.
If you park your bike up after a ride out, walk away from your bike & don't look round - you're bought the wrong bike. Every time I open the garage I don't get anything done - i just stare at the blade.
As soon as I saw the very first Repsol 'Blade I knew I had to have one. I've been wanting one ever since and now I have one (a very recent purchase of an '09 Repsol), after such a long wait I feel like I'm living the dream. I grin every time I open the garage and see her looking at me. I am regularly heard giving audible "whoo-hoo!" 's (not in a gay way) inside my helmet when I'm out on her. My previous bike was a Honda (almost 10 years owned) so I know just how good they make these things. Here's to the next 10 years!
Ive had a 9 month lay off from bikes, last 4 bikes have been screaming 600's, for sure before the blade, i tested a few bikes with all the gadgets n gizmos, yep it helps with bragging rights down the meets n cafes, yep the journos love em ( but i dont care or respect wot journos say, neva have, neva will ) & yep they, the gadgets do wot it says on the tin, however i went for a bike that wows me, that awakens my senses ( esp with the racefit growler ) that makes me feel glad to be alive, that takes my fears of life away, that helps me forget about work, bills arguments n all the other mundain things we humans have to put up with n most importantly that just lets me get on with it and ride her how she was born n evolved to ride. I spend the week, washing n polishing n cleaning every cm of the Blade, i treat her like a baby, my eyes light up n theres a daft grin on my face when i take off her covers, i can sit their for hours just looking at MY Blade n never get bored. I cud have had any ( most ) new bike, however i did not, i chose with my head n heart a machine that will live with me forever ( THE BLADE is my last eva bike ) That my brethren is a human invention called " FIREBLADE "
Yes! I have had issues with my 2011 Repsol, hell they're documented on here... But by feck do I love her to pieces, she still scares the living bejeezus out of me down the country windies!! I looked at all the others before I took out my 4 yr finance agreement, and still bought the blade....Nuff Said! Blade is a reputation as well as a bike!
I do love my blade but I do look at other bikes too and do like to swap them about a bit(I get bored easy) but TBH if this was a forum that the only thing you could talk about was blades it would be a bit like the audi forums...and they are VW snobs and boring as hell lol.but thats what forums are about, go to the duke forums, there is threads about blades,suzuki's and even the odd triumph one,its part of being a motorcyclist.
