Could not agree more. If I had £20k+ to spend on a bike/bikes, given the choice between a new Blade or a garage containing an AR80, ZX7R, NC35, mid noughties Speed Triple and my current RR6, it's an absolute no brainer for me. Spend an hour pre ride faffing about selecting how much power I want/how sharp my ABS is/when the TC kicks in/anti wheelie/etc, or, spend an hour drooling over my 'collection' and deciding which one to ride. I'll take the drooling, every time.
Guys, girls, I’m certainly not advocating everyone runs out and buys an old bike or dissing new ones, jeez bought enough of them in my life, but if you feel the urge to ride a bit of history, you just need to do your homework and research, be prepared to look at more tat than gold and you will find some stonking bikes. Ignore the ‘future classic’ and ‘prices will are rocketing‘ hype, and you can own a great bike for a few years and most likely get your money back when you sell it. Vary hard for a 3K bike to depreciate by 8K after 3years like a new one.
I'd agree with some of the comments above. However, I'm also happy paying £10k for my new Speed RS in the knowledge that it's got plenty of power, electronic bells and whistles and a warranty. I can also turn all the electrics off with two presses of a button. So where are we at? Horses for courses.
It's a completely free choice and I think that the only thing that is demonstrably true is that as the price rises, demand falls. Arguably though if demand falls due to fashions changing then I guess also the price will rise as those that continue to buy the sportsbike will have to pay a greater share of the development costs. That's not helped at all, has it? Anyway, I really hope people continue to buy them new so that they'll be available second hand. I'm happy with my choices. I paid 7.5k for a second hand ktm 1190 adventure and actually really like all the electronics as I think it's really handy to have them in my back pocket on the road. I not fussed with it all on my blade as I use it now on track almost exclusively and really don't feel like I'm good enough to require the electronics and don't want to lean on them. It's a 2007 which I paid 4.5k 5 years ago. Seem astonishing to me that they fetch more or less the same now. I also have a 93 ZXR750 which is sat in my garage awaiting an overhaul to produce a classic to play with on Sunday's and classic track days. I only paid 1.5k for that and have no intention of keeping it original so it's definitely not an investment.
Always horses for courses and I genuinely hope my take on the world of modern superbikes isn't interpreted by anyone else as criticism of their choices. I've enjoyed reading the reviews of those who've bought/ridden the new Blade, always good to get differing takes on things. I'm just a miserable, stuck in my ways, kinda biker
I've already emailed my local dealer asking what he's got in. They've got an SP, which I'll probably go and have a look at and a sit on. I may even take them up on a test ride if they offer. And then I'll go home happy I'd looked and had a play and we won't mention it again. This won't be Blade no.9.
Personally it's Sportsbikes all the way for me ,,,,,,,,, as long as I can get me leg over but I can't warrant paying loads of money for a weekend toy ,,,,,,,,,, but hey each to there own
Does anyone think these things are getting to powerful for an average joe bloggs on the roads we ride on?
i think they are getting too fast for everyone else on the road. Other cars that now think 45 is the new 60 and a camera sat under a tree on a tripod the minute you sneeze in your helmet and hit 70. shame really because what i do miss about a sportsbike v a naked, is that feeling of chest on the tank full corner lean, the interaction isnt quite the same on a naked, but thats why we buy them, 100 mph is more than enough sat perched above that little dash.
Arguably true for any bike this site is set up to support. It's fun to have more than you strictly need
People have been saying that ever since they first hit 100bhp and I am sure even long before that, can just imagine my great Grandma saying my Great Grandad "bloody hell why do you need 20bhp, the average rider doesn't need that much" but a bike is only as fast as the rider makes it so NO, they aren't getting to fast for the average rider imho...
Couldn’t agree more, the reality is both cars and bikes performance far out weighs the abilities of most riders and drivers, there’s nothing wrong with having the power, the main issue is whether that rider or driver has the intelligence to know how and when to use it, and on the evidence most of us see, most do, it’s just the usual few that tarnish the rest. You can be just as dangerous with 50bhp as 200bhp in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mantra has always been you can never have too much power, but too little can kill you in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But isn't this Great Grandmama @SimonRR getting her new charabanc seized in Matlock for a small number plate and going over 5mph
To me the question of too much power or not comes down to whether or not it can be ridden without all the electronic wizardry. In the same way that modern jets can't fly without the computer if a bike can't be ridden safely without all the gizmos then maybe it has gone too far.
You can ride any modern sports bike without the Electronic wizardry at roads speeds and faster, although ABS comes in handy in an emergency stop in wet weather, all the other stuff is not "Needed" for road riding, but gives you an edge at high speeds and on track... Modern jet fighter is a totally different story, give a sports bike a 2000bhp, it might be a different story
At the end of the day these modern day sports bike are way over priced, I've just had a quote to chop my SP in for a new standard blade.....they want my bike, 7k and 170 quid a month, no zero percent finace from Honda this time round. This was just of interest, there is no way I'd spend upwards of 18k on a bike again. I'm happy to keep it for the remaining 18 months. But when it does go, I've got this to fall back on, an iconic sports bike which cost me £3450..... just shows you what you can get for your money!! It'll always be sports bikes for me though, as long as I'm interested and my 6'2" frame can fit on one that's what I'll have. The R1 is huge so no worries there, it's a keeper. Even if I do get another after the SP, it'll be another sports bike.
Why not just keep your current SP? I intend to pay off the PCP balloon on mine. No way would I buy the new bike.
Lovely Kwak you have there matey. Most bikes of that era ‘kinda stop’ Just spent an afternoon stripping down all the calipers on my 94 Blade and rebuilding them getting rid of that fu*king coppergrease some jokers use plus the organic pads it come with, added EBC HH’s and some fresh fluid, night and day difference, kinda stops a lot better now
