Hi dudes ,in the September edition of Performance Bikes Magazine there is a nice piece about the 2002 to 2003 954 cc Fireblade .This particular Blade was the last one designed under Tadao Babas watch .This bike is really rated in the mag ,I never had one so can't comment have you or do you own this bike?
I had a blue and silver 53 plate 954 for a year and I'll be honest, it was the best thing I ever rode, not the quickest not the best looking but for sheer ease of getting the most fun out of a bike as soon as you got on it, it was just brilliant. The first day I rode it I loved it, and that was replicated every single time afterwards. Never got a sore back or wrists on her, never felt like she was trying to throw me off even when blatting down some of the finest Lincolnshire back roads, she just handled superbly well. Worst decision I ever made was to px her for a newer R1 thinking it would be better. I miss that bike. Spent a good six months before buying my current blade looking for a low mileage 954, but they're like rocking horse s**t and the ones you do find hold their value really well. About two months after I got the rr7 one came up on biketrader, I coulda cried!
Having had a 929,954,RR6 now a RA-A, my feelings are they are all cracking easy to ride superbikes, more so in terms of easy riding compared with the opposition. Each model has its merits, and covering lots of miles in all conditions I feel I really get to know the bike. As far as the 954 being the best Blade ever, sorry no misty eyes here, the current range is by far the most superior in terms of power, weight distribution, handling & braking. You just feel each model, slightly better than the last, but the 08 on was a major leap. For those of us unfortunately grizzly enough to have been riding 'sports' bikes in the 80s, the 08 is the size of a 600 with twice the power they had back then, it really has moved on that far. IMO this latest crop is the equivalent of an auto car, you can ride them with your eyes closed they are that user friendly. One of the biggest steps made here is the centre of gravity, its that key issue that makes these latest bikes pussies to ride along with that fat torque curve just where you want it in day to day riding. Having had a couple of test rides on a 12 plate BPS bikes, its got even better in the handling department than my 10 plate, its moved the goalposts on again. Sure the 954 was a great Blade, but not in the same league as an 08+
I had a red and black one, excellent bike and very comfy. Lacked a little power, but in reality was more than enough for the road. Did loads of miles on it and never ached. I actually liked the looks of it, but then I like old er style looking bikes. It also seemed to be better made than later Honda's.
I was out riding one last night, coincidentally enough... I really can't comment on how it compares to other Blades, or other superbikes of the more modern era, to be honest, as I've not put the miles in on any of them that I'd need to do a fair comparison. I will say though, that by comparison to the other big bikes I've had, it's ludicrously light. Lighter than the 550f it shares the garage with, lighter than the Ducati 750 it replaced and lighter than my mates brand new XJ6. A fact that constantly surprises me considering the power it possesses. I'm an extremely low mileage rider and embarrassingly slack and lazy when it comes to 'I must get this done', but I reckon the suspension would benefit from being set up specifically for me and I'd like to factor in a days yomp up to Arthur at some point to get him to listen to the top end, which is a tad more 'pattery' than I'd like to hear. Not that I don't trust Bridge Motorcycles to check it out, but Arthur's well............Arthur. It has more power than I'll ever need to use. It's yet to 'not' get me out of trouble and when I got stuck in the OAP Grand Prix of the Dawlish road last night, it leapt around Nissan Micras like they were land mines. It's not hugely sophisticated, but from what I hear, by comparison with all the other litre superbikes, neither is the new one. Oh, and I love it's Kaiser Wilhelm 'tache.
This is a really valid point. For many years I drove a 205 GTi. It was as incredible as all the hype that grew around it and I could not see anything around me that could possibly be a replacement for it. When it became inevitable that that time had come, Peugeot had just brought out the 206 GTi so I treated myself to my first brand new car. The 206 had and has none of the legend or mystique or anecdote connected to it that it's parent still accumulates to this day, but, the truth is, the 206 is a far superior car in every way. It's faster, quicker, better handling, waaaay more comfortable, you can sit in traffic without it stalling and lurching from stop to stop. It'll do every single thing the 205 did with none of the effort. But it still doesn't stop me looking back with rose coloured lenses at the pug. Because, it was of it's day. Then, it was state of its particular art. Moving on, everything has improved but by the same token, nothing stands out to be raised onto a pinnacle. To quote Syndrome: "Then, when everybody's super, no one will be."
For me to jump onto a blade after 21 year gap of motorcycling shows what an amazing bike the blade is. It is so easy to ride. Ok, to ease myself in after 21 years gap I bought a street tripleR earlier this year & after only 300 miles on her I wanted to get back in to a sports bike. I don't mind being the slowest blade biker out there but this is my first litre bike & after such a big gap of not ridding it's a great testimony to what a fantastic & easy ridding bike it is.
I had a 954, which I loved, but I would say it's slightly over-rated in the overall scheme of things. Every subsequent model of blade has been better IMO. But I did love it
Undoubtedly the later ones are better performers but why couldn't they have stayed with the same fairing removal procedures, thats my only beef with the later ones.
