In light of the S1000RR and '11 ZX10R....?

I light of the massive power advantage that both the BMW S1000RR and the new 2011 Kawaski ZX10R have managed to produce,do you think that Honda will try to compete on BHP terms with any future Blade.Many of the US based forums are saying that they will but concidering that the '11 ZX10R has had a major recall(yes,i know that they are not stating that its due to the increase of BHP) and the actions that Honda has to done to date with not keeping up in BHP wars in the recent past,what do you think?Its well known that the '08 Blade has a much healthier real terms road important mid range advantage over both of the newer upstarts and that they rev lower than nearly all of the competition (lets not forget that more rev=more power).
Does more power mean a better road bike ?Would you want reliablity over overall balls out performance?

What do you think guys.

 

TC and Q Shifter would be a good good move and a V4 would be even better.Having heard an RSV4 with a full Akropovic system last year,i can testify what the blood curdling wail of a V4 sounds like.

 

dont pust money on a mega new honda, you may be waiting 4 years until the next super updated blade...

 

Honda, have redesigned the superbike and blade since it's inception in 92, they never went balls out power like kawasaki always do! Look at the first ZX10 for god's sake! Totally ridiculous, as nobody could ride the thing without the fear of it Biting them at the earliest chance it could! With the R1 coming along in 98, the Blade felt somewhat overweight and underpowered compared to it, and rightly so.
The R1 pushed the boundaries just like the Blade had done some years before. And then the GSXR1000 would grace the stage, providing even more of a choice and dare I say, a kick up the backside for the guys at Honda and Yamaha. The FireBlade was somewhat upgraded!!!
In fact it was all new, the 929 was a good bike, but Honda still refused to go to litre capacity, they're thinking that usability was more important than outright power, yet this model would be superceded unusually quickly by Honda's standards with what some people have refered to as the most complete Blade ever, the 954. Subtle hints are there as to the design cue's for the next incarnation, but again, this blade suffered from now punishing competition and failed to set the world alight.
Then in 2004 the world was given a NEW Fireblade with Honda DNA, Mass Centralisation, and as close to a MotoGP look as possible. And for the first time, a litre capacity with very good power output and low weight!
This design stayed, however slightly changed until 2008 with the introduction of the latest model, which again apart from some minor changes, ABS being the most obvious, is still the same.
This history of the CBR is proof that Honda do things they're way, and they're way only. The competition is upping the game with the likes of the S1000RR, and without real world, UK A nd B Road testing, who knows what the new ZX10 will be like! Tracks are not where we ride to work and back unless your a WSBK rider of course, but time will tell. I will admit that despite the Recall by Kawasaki for the valve spring issue, it does look like it could finally be a Kwak that does tick all the boxes.
But never underestimate the Big H!
The chances of us seeing the blade morph into a V4 are non exsistent, more likely a SP2 type of sportsbike, totally seperate from a formula that Works, and works very well.
And as far as development of the Blade, well, back in 92 most journo's and punters alike were saying that biking couldn't get any better than this!! Time stands still for no man, let alone a machine!
Andy

 

Honda have always had the reputation of being reliable and real world good.Its easy for them via HRC to produce a race kit which makes them track competitive.Prior to my Blade,i had a more powerful gsxr1000 K6 (had a bit done to it) but the Blade won me over in the way it felt on the road with it complient suspesion and handling,good brakes and general poise and is a keeper.One of my neighborours has a D16 RR desmo and the Blade has no problem whatso ever in performance department due to the mid range despite the Ducati having more rampant Italian Brochure Horse Power at the top end.Mind you the Ducati makes a wonderful noise and sounds like tearing silk apart form the death rattle at idle due to the dry clutch.

Well put Repsolblade btw.

 

I heard a rumour on one of the many sites or magazines I read that honda may do a V4 type superbike but it will be alongside the Fireblade not a replacement and at a premium price.

Wait and see if the rumour is true I guess

 

The others might have more power for the track but the latest blade is still the best real world road bike, reliable and quick enough for any road or rider, what more do you want?

 

We Always want more bud, that's in our nature, but the point is, the manufacturers seem capable of pushing the boundaries further each year, and don't forget that R & D is on average 4 years behind production, so they will already be working on 2015's machines now! Now thats a thought provoker. And, don't forget that BMW were working on the S1000 for 3 years!!!

 

That's very true and no doubt Honda will give us more in the future, but for what's around at the moment I still think the Blade is the best bet for real road riding. Maybe if you do a lot of track time one of the others might be better, but for real world blasts and grin factor the Blade gets my vote.

 

As far as i can work out,the S1000RR motor is heavily based on the GSXR 1000K5/6 engine and the new ZX10R is using the same formula,i.e.rev,rev rev and hairy cams to boot.

Why do I think that 30,000 miles on my blade would be a walk in the park but not on the others mentioned here.Lets be honest and say that the BHP tested on the others is not far short of British superstock BHP, most new bike buyers would probably only do about 5,000 miles in two years before moving their bikes on and buying the lastest new must have and leaving the repercussions to any future buyer.

I could be wrong but i think its what they call marketing........... or what do you think?

 

There is no question that Honda stands for quality and reliability! That's a given. Even now, when we have lighter this, smaller that. My RR5 will be 5 years old this April, and I can assure you that my 5 year old, will look and feel ten times better than any other sportsbike out there at the same age and mileage! And it will go the same too. I really do like the look of the new ZX10, and even the RSV4, but I would never be tempted away from Honda, not unless something went seriously wrong within the company! Or I couldn't get my bloody leg over the damned thing anymore!!!! lol

 

Hee,i said that to my lovely lady only today.lol

 

I recently road tested the ZX10R before I made the decision to buy the 2011 Repsol blade, I have to say that it was awesome, well balanced, stopped well and pulled like nothing else, but it had to be in the upper part of the rev range. I am not a WSB rider and would never get the max out of any of these top superbikes.
The following week I tested the 2011 Blade and was blown away at its all round excellent performance, its feel, the geometery suits my average body size, after the test I rode home on my 05 Airwaves 749 and it felt like pooh after the blade.
I suppose the point im making is unless were on the track ( and a good rider ) we will never get the max out of these machines. We all like different aspects of these amazing bikes, thats what makes the forum interesting if we all thought the same it would be boring !
Blade ( for me ) wins hands down all the way, regardless of BHP.
Thanks for the welcome to this top forum.Bit different to Ducatisti.........

 

my mates s1000rr snapped a crank about 10 miles after its first service (after rev limiter was deactivated)

got a new motor on the warranty

track day/club racers are blowing gearboxes every 2 minutes.


i had a bmw g450x enduro bike and went tits up so got a brand new replacement on the warranty after a 4 month fight with bmw uk

i was thinking about the s1000rr but the additional £4000 and the 100% certainty that it WILL go wrong put me off.

the honda just gets on with it. a great bike

 

Oh yes,i know what you mean,i'm under a diferent user name on that forum but proudly use a avatar of my blade,allways good for a wind up on that site.

 

Thought I'd seen you boys before!!!!! LOL...

 

I used to have a 748R and my first name is stu...........................