8:48 I think I am recognizing my friend F.B who was bike tester and lived in Japan. He also prime tested japanese motorcycles for a french magazine for 15 years 1985-2000. Glasses, caracteristic head position and... no angle 😀 Do you have more informations about this test ?
Had a 99' 900RR, rode it across North America two and a half times until she blew up on me in Illinois one night while I was trying to get my iron butt certification (all documented on my Instagram with same handle as I have here)... Saved the frame as a souvenir and I'm looking at it right now. I named that bike Marceline, best bike I've ever had.
@@funstuff192 My Iron Butt route was between Madison, Wisconsin and Shamrock, Texas, just over 1000 miles. I set it up so that I would be running through Illinois at night, because the roads are bullet straight, and they have a law there that requires cops to use radars instead of lasers and I had a radar detector on the bike. I had the bike geared up on the rear sprocket and lowered a tooth on the front, gave the girl a lot more pep and made throttle wheelies possible, but not ideal when you're trying to break your families land speed record on some deserted Illinois highway. I really should have brought a gear change along, but in those days I used to travel for work and I was riding back home to San Francisco after a job out East. The plan was working perfectly, I had her absolutely pinned in sixth, which really only translated to about 145ish with the gearing, and held it that way for about a half an hour, off and on of course, but it was really easy to keep those speeds on that highway, and I felt invisible to cops. I wasn't concerned about keeping the engine pinned at 10,500rpm, over the course of years that engine had proven itself to be far more reliable than it had any right to be, I bought her for $2,000 with 70,000+ mi on the clock already years beforehand, and had bounced off the limiter frequently, I just had this feeling that she was immortal. Crazy little overengineered spaceship that never skipped a beat, never complained about being taken to its limits. Then pooosh... Loss of all power.... Rear wheel started to feel squirrely as it was slowing down from hyperspace so I knew it was bad bad (riding through my own engine oil). Connecting rod on the number 3 cylinder shot through the front of the engine like a bullet. I felt like I had killed my favorite horse. I cried, felt so bad for hurting her. I never cry.
I miss my '03 954RR. I was young when I had it so I don't remember much of it, other than it being really light and fast, head shaked liked crazy though. Needed a steering dampener from the factory.
As a current Blackbird CBR1100XX rider - (based off the Fireblade 900 motor) - the incredible quality/DNA and Honda rideability is one of my favourite things about it. Honda builds/built amazing machines.
@@twozup1098It's the "successor" to the CBR1000F, but they don't really have that much in common, the Blackbird is mostly it's own thing. As for the engine, I guess you could say it's based on either of the two, I don't think there's any radical difference between them in that regard.
The Blackbird is such a well built machine, and incredibly smooth and stable well beyond any reasonable speed. Honda really knew what they were doing, even if it's a bit too easy to ride for it's own good.
I bought one of the first Fireblade '93 models secondhand in 1997 cost me just under 5 Grand (Stirling). I had previously owned going back 10 years a GPZ600R 'Ninja' and the original 'Jellymould' CBR 600R with a Vance And Hines pipe (Oh yes! ), so was used to riding hooligan machines 😊! (I was a London and Countrywide Bike Courier back then and 'despatched' on both bikes.....happy days!). But nothing prepares you for the sheer mentalness of wringing the neck of one of those first Fireblade models. Having owned the GPZ ten years earlier, I was used to the 'twitchy' quick cornering that comes with a 16 inch front wheel, which always concentrated your mind😅 but the brutal torque and top end power was something else. It was useable power though and by then I had been riding bikes for pleasure and work for 20 odd years. I can imagine how unstuck a less experienced rider would become if they jumped on one as their first big bike though. As you said in your excellent (as always) video, the Blade was a revelation in large capacity sportsbikes at the time in much the same way as Kawasaki invented the middle-weight sportsbike 600 class with the GPZ 600R..... please make a video on that. I still get dewy-eyed when I see a photo of one of those in the classic red, black and silver paint scheme 😢. I've turned 60 recently ( how the f*ck did that happen!) but glad to say still riding and soon to buy a 2015 MV Agusta 920 Brutale......some people never learn do they? Grow old disgracefully peeps 😊😊.
The 16inch front wheel with the 130/70 tyre was the only way to get the 900cc engine jammed into a 750 frame motorcycle to actually corner well enough to be signed off for release to the public. Honda's marketing said "Less weight"
My friend had a Fireblade when I passed my bike test and fortunately for me another friend was selling his CBR400RR which I bought in 1994, you want to talk light and agile now this is it, I have had it for 30 years now and it still impresses me on the twisty's. Wouldn't pass on a ride on the 2024 Fireblade which has taken a leap forwards with the tech.
Had buy a baby blade 600 08 because I'm priced out of another RGV250P(shouldn't of sold it) got the same colours blue/white. Best bike I've had for handleing. The RG500 sounded great and was quick, but was just lacking in handleing and stopping power, did have a few scares on it. But the 250 was just so planted and the brakes were great. Had the most fun on the RD's tho 250/350's and the LC2 YPVS. Cheap to run back in the day.
Hold on Bart , I love your content it’s always brilliant BUT you said that the fire blade never won a title in world superbike ???? Are you forgetting James Toseland in last race of the 2007 season he beat Haga and Biaggi on the Honda !!!! An amazing championship win in one of the best seasons ever in WSB History 🤦♂️
You really going to bust his balls over a single detail like that? Yamaha was so close that year it was crazy. change any single outcome for the better and they’d have had it
@@MarissaTheMuse it’s a big detail , he said they never won a title on the blade , and it was a privateer team , and as u say that year was one of the best seasons in history for ups and downs and some crazy racing 😎🤘
My personal favorite is the 954rr, the lightest model they’ve ever made to date, perfect amount of power, and looks great, and the last model baba had complete control over. However I wish it had undertail exhausts though 😭 Tied with that is the 2004-6 purely because of its looks, a lot like the rc211v
All joking aside, I have a Honda push lawnmower and that thing refuses to die, and I have taken it places for jobs no push mower has the business of mowing. The best I have ever seen.
They used to be at least. Their bikes back in the 90s-2000s were something else. CBRs, VFRs, RCs, Magmas, pretty much everything they made was at the top with the others trailing behind. Except when suzuki introduced the GSXRs in the 80s and kawasaki had the GPZ. Lets not forget the 70s CBs as well.
Totally disagree, we're seeing it now, but instead of top end beasts, it low-end mid range begginer bikes. Just look at how everyone is making new beginners full of tech for low low prices.
I also agree. 90s- early 2000s was the era. No fancy tech at all but maybe primitive fuel injection. It was all about who can create the best motor, chassis, and suspension. No thrills. Everything comes standard with saftey precautions now. Back then it was all up to the rider. I have both, a '23 and a 03. I ride the 03 more. Engine is more brutal and fun. If you learn how to ride without rider aids, it makes a better rider out of you.
I still ride my 1999 Honda CBR 919 RR Fireblade . It the most fun bike I own . Leaves a smile on my face every time I ride it. It's the last bike I'd sell in my collection of 7 motorcycles. One bike I regret selling was a Yamaha RD 400 2 stroke Daytona Special. A bike I wished I owned is a Honda NS 400 2 stroke. I like old school fully carberated motorcycles. Not into all the new electronic gismo motorcycles these days , to me they are junk & brake down way faster , not to mention the cost to fix them. Old school motorcycles last for ever, providing one changes the engine oil on a regular basis. Most are built like tanks to last .
Really really like your channel. Only very occasionally do I think "well.... no..." The 16-inch wheel fad had began (more or less) with the original Honda Interceptor, released some 10 years before the CBR900R. Along with Yamaha's FJ100 and FZ and FZR bikes, the early 80s Suzuki stuff... hell, the original Ninja 900. I'm going from age-fogged memories, but yeah. By 1993, it was well on its way out. Wasn't aimed at weight reduction, but primarily quicker steering. Twitchy bunch of bikes that lot, but also really fun. Anyway... always great content. Keep up the good work.
I had a Mk 1 Fireblade, it was revvy and twitchy, and it was very hard to keep the front wheel on the ground. I never had a bike that wanted to kill me as much as that bike did. It was wonderful. In the UK, the contemporary Yamaha was not the FZR1000 (which I also owned and was another wonderful, wonderful motorcycle) but rather the Thunder Ace. When I was looking to replace my FZR1000, I test rode both the Thunder Ace (which was a big improvement on the FZR1000, but not the generational leap forward that the Fireblade was), and the Fireblade in the same week before buying the Fireblade. Also, the GSXR750 of that year was an absolutely superlative machine. It is no great injustice for that to have won bike of the year. The twitchy, tank-slappery nature of the Fireblade could easily have put people off. I used to have to hold the handlebars almost by the fingertips and let it shake its head when it started to tank slap. Fighting it just unsettled the whole bike.
I’ve got a yellow 98’ CBR900RR. I got it for $2,000 off a guy in Cali. It was his friends bike, but the friend moved away and gave him the bike. It sat for 5 years and the guy was gonna junk it. Thank goodness I found it. Currently restoring her to stock.
Stock is the way to do it. Do some tasteful mods but keep the bike looking stock. Stock blinkers, stock rear fender, even keep the reflectors on it. A bike that old deserves to be unmolested. Like my 2003 TLR, I kept it stock looking, except for pipes, but underneath I have done a lot to make it perform and run the way it should. A lot of wiring mods that can be done, hotter coils, modifying the airbox, ect. Runs strong.
The 1st street bike I purchased new was a CBR1000F- I still have fond memories of that bike- so much so that I have a framed pic of it on my wall- she was an amazing machine! Current owner of a 18' Triumph Street Cup, 09' Buell XB12Ss, Triumph Trident 660 & a cute 24' Honda Super Cub
I started riding in '78 on a stock RD250 then about a year later picked up an RD350 that was basically a race bike with a head and tail light. It smoked all Honda 750-4's stop light to stop light until the VFR-750 Interceptor came out. My 1st new bike was an '86 FZ600 that I raced at Willow Springs and once at Riverside before it was torn down. The best handling bike I ever owned was my '05 XB12 SCG. I really have no need for triple digit HP bike any more so I currently have my '76 RD400 and could not resist getting a '23 XR150L after seeing many YT videos of it. Such a fun little bike to ride.
I had a CBR900 and the front end spooked me. Not so much twitchy as lacking in feedback, at least for my primitive brain back then. I worked with Peter Kates at GMD Computrak to get it more to my liking. We put on a CBR600 17” front wheel and he fabbed a triple clamp to adjust the geometry. Night and day. One of the sweetest handling street bikes I ever owned.
I've been subscribed to your channel for quite some time. I was, as usual, very interested in this, your latest. However, I have decided that every vid maker on YT who punishes ad skippers by returning them to the start of the vid will be unsubscribed. Most YT ads are fatuous, annoying and irrelevant. Some are insulting and politically inexcusable, and I will not suffer through them or allow them to pollute my screen. Good luck and safe riding.
I have two 929's, one of which I'm restoring. I think they are the best fireblades for real-world use. I commute all summer on mine. Comfy, reliable, powerful, relatively easy to service. With the launch of the Yamaha XSR900, it would be cool to see Honda make a retro/throwback fireblade with modern technology.
Here i was watching a vídeo about one of my favorite bikes when all of a sudden… “Hey THATS ME!” Ahah awesome work man! You gave me a reason to record another ride on my blade with better quality and audio! Cheers
What a fantastic video, easily one of your very best. I was already enthralled with the Fireblade, but this has made me fall in love with it and supersport bikes in general.
I had 3! My 2nd road bike was the CBR250RR the baby blade (does this count?), then my next bike was a 95 893 fireblade. I loved that bike, she ended up being my track bike. The next fireblade was a 94 893 and it was set up as a stunt bike. A couple of times I put knobby tires on it and went dirt track racing on friends farms haha.
Please make a video about the Honda CBR1100XX The SUPER BLACKBIRD. It was the next evolution of the fireblade & still the most powerful (per volume) naturally aspirated engine ever designed.
Twin headlight Blade is the best bike I’ve ever owned. Light, nimble, contient crosser.Not twitchy, as some commenters make out.Easy to service, ride position makes sense at 70mph, it was even economical at sane speeds. Fabulous machine.
I will be looking for one of those eventually. Anywhere from a 92 to 94. I like the flat nose with dual headlights. I think in 95 they changed it a little. Or maybe 96 I don't remember.
In the late 90's and early 2000's, the Cbr 900rr was THE bike to have. I drove around a 98 900 rr as I'm a mechanic and was doing some clutch work on it. It was wild and fast af. It accelerated like a banshee. Downshifts were epic with no slipper clutch, the whole bike would shimmy or wiggly. It always reminded you that it was a wild bronco, that let you ride it.
I owned one of the 93 models. It was twitchy and always felt like it wanted to kill me. I loved it and should have kept it. The singer from the Prodigy had one as well. Wasnt he the fire starter so I guess it was appropriate.
I bought a wrecked CBR900 1994 and built it back up my self. It would do 175 mph. I could brake so hard the brakes would fade. It never had a twitch ! I never understood why others were complaining that there's twitched when mine was rock solid. I guess I just didn't ride hard enough. Now I believe that that frame came from MotoGP and was pretty much a copy from the two-stroke 500 machines. And that those machines were running the 16-in front wheels. To this point I have had many CBRs . They're very capable road machine they're not a tract machine. My Aprilia was much better suited to the track especially when it was all outfitted to ride on the track.
I had a 929 for a few years and it was a dream to ride (especially in New Zealand with our twisty roads here). I still miss it, it was the best steering bike that I have ever owned.
I loved my 1995 'Blade. Traded in my ZXR 750 for it and was hugely happy. I felt I could go faster with more control yet still feeling like I didn't have to do anything to get it there. Unfortunately, I was beguiled by the charms of an R1 and switched. I should really have just upgraded to a newer FireBlade.
I made the mistake of buying a Yamaha FZ1000R the year this Honda came out and always regretted that decision! I do think the Suzuki RG500 gamma in 1985 and the Suzuki GSX1100R in 1986 were perhaps even more groundbreaking than the Fireblade that followed, as they truly blew everyone's minds with the low weight and high horsepower compared to what was available then.
@@StratfordWingRider planning on getting one,and i haven't seen a single negative review about it. Its just difficult to pick between carburetors and fuel injection
Of all things I bounced around, first the 900RR, then the ZX-11D, and finally the 2000 R1. It was pretty scary, very light steering, using ball bearings rather than more standard modern bearings. This made the R1 pretty squirrelly. After riding a Honda CBR929RR, IT really was the most fun if them at the time versatile and planted.
I think its worth noting how many of the ideas that went into the fireblade were concept tested in the development of the CBR400RR NC29. The twin spar multipart frame, the retention of the unfashionable RWP forks, massively braced swingarm and even that newer 90's styling, as early as 1989.
the 929 were recalled because of tank slapping due to lack of steering damper which arrogant honda consistently refused to acknoledge. The recall consisted in swapping the taper bearing out for a old school loose ball one but it didn't resolve the issue. It also misses parts of a proper bike frame LOL
my old 2003 954rr was a serious tank slapper. NEVER understood why there wasn't a dampener on it. Didn't make any sense and it was a liability for Honda.
I spent a large portion of my college student loan money on a 900RR in 1994. I had to make a lot of pizzas in the following years to make up for the gap, but I never regretted that decision. I've owned a lot of different bikes since then, but the 900 is the "if you could only have one..." bike for me.
I totally clicked this thinking it was going to be about the RC51. Speaking of, it would be interesting to understand how that line of bikes was being developed at the same time as the fireblade. Was it for homologation only? As much as I have respect for the 'blade, my bike-bucket-list has a few RC's on it before you get to a 'blade.
@@gcrain464Crain-rd6hf For sure. I've seen a couple of them in the wild, they just look like pure sex. I've also wanted to go for a long spin on that 400cc version, I've heard it's one of the best 'small bore' sportbikes ever made.
The Fireblade has always been the jack of all trades - one of the few bikes that will actually make you feel like a better rider. Incredible machines with an equally spectacular legacy.
Mate gave me his one to get some beer for a bbq while he cleaned up the skid pad. Got back to him saying " Oh I was going to tell you the rears regrooved for inspection so stay under 180." Was only under 4 times getting the beer being 2. leaving and arriving being the other 2.
Suzuki's RG250 had a 16" front wheel & it is the sharpest handling bike I've ever ridden. The Fireblade came pretty close though. The Fireblade was such a popular bike here in Australia that when companies started grey importing the Honda CBR250RR MC22 "Babyblade" for the learner market they sold like hot cakes. They imported almost every inline 4 250cc bike that Japan made but nothing sold any where near as well as the Honda. If you were in to Japanese sport bikes in the 90's in Australia you either rode a Fireblade on a full license or a Babyblade on a restricted license. The market was so big that Honda Australia started officially importing them from 1996 until stock ran out in 1999.
Still got a '95 Blade... yeah.. a modern sportbike is much much quicker.. but it's still pretty quick and it feels so fun.. a tad twitchy when you give her the berries.. but love it
I missed out on buying a brand new..roughly 99 to 2001 (I’m no expert) 954? Honda fire blade circa 2007 for below retail. We ALL did I should say. Everyone who lived near Butler county Pennsylvania, and knew of the Honda dealership in Butler at that time (I don’t remember) had a chance at it. Leave it to that era to leave a RC954 (again I forget, but I think you know what model I am speaking of, it was not a 927, but the badest model of that era) unsold and begging for money years later. The lesson here kids is that THESE YEARS, yes, THESE YEARS, are the best of times. It only gets worse year after year
Nice work again. I would love to see you do the story of the birth of Super bike. Honda, Kawasaki Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson 70s air cooled monsters. Your work is fantastic, thank you.
the bit about the fireblade being deceptively faster because the rider didnt have to work as hard brings up the question; "what makes a better consumer experience; posting better lap times or feeling like you did?" i had 2 snowmobiles, one was a 600cc and the other a, 5 years newer, 800cc . the 600cc was slower in a quarter mile, it had no legs at the top end but, with some aftermarket mods, it had tremendous power low in the rev range (such to where, if you werent ready for it, and hit the throttle hard it would give you mild whiplash and yank your arms straight). because of this it felt alot faster than the 800cc even though it wasnt. when i sold it; the guy i sold it to said to me after test riding it, even though he was a very experienced rider, that "this thing is almost too powerful" i just told him "it will get you into alot of trouble very quickly if you're not careful". the 800 i still have does certain things better, the 600cc was more of a deep powder/high mountain sled that would overheat quickly on trails, and the 800cc does everything pretty well, but i still sometimes miss the burst of power that 600cc had.
mid 80's 500cc Two Stroke - Hold my Beer. Nice that Honda was quite active in killing off Two Strokes - more money in 4 Strokes. Anyway - I got me a 04 Fire Blade and it was a great bike. Still going strong.👍
I had 2 of these, the 93 model and later the 95 model. Everyone says it wasnt that powerful. I can assure you it FELT powerful. I remember riding a friends FZR-1000, the new GSX-R 750 SRAD and the limited edition ZX-7R. The all felt tame and slow in comparison. The blade is still the only bike i have ever ridden where you could be cruising in 2nd at sau 40lph and if you gave tje throttle a tiny blip your ass would slide back on the seat.
I drive a 2023 (ND2) Miata RF, manual transmission. She's not all that powerful, but she weighs a bit less than 2500 pounds. The fun factor is off the charts! That light weight, combined with the handling, makes for a car that regularly surprises drivers of the heavier, more powerful cars that I drive alongside. I'd chose light weight over crazy power any day, car or motorcycle.
I have a 2005 and a 2015 - and I never should have sold the 2000. I love them, and for a fast road rider, with occasional track days, there is no better.
I don't do it myself but it has always fascinated me that you can go and buy almost any motor cycle and out of the box can commute to work ride on the road as normal usual transport then race it if you want to on an appropriate track if you want. If as a rider you are good enough do well on it too. and in the world of transport and racing for relatively pocket money.
Years ago my local Honda dealer bought up a '94/'95 Fireblade and have it as a permanent exhibit in their storefront. I'm not sure it's even for sale, probably just there more as a piece of history than anything else (or until the right buyer comes along).
The 1988 NC23 & later the 92 & 94 NC29 will always be the best Fireblade to me. Its sacrilege that the CBR400R isn’t even listed as a Fireblade by Wikipedia
I had a 1991 CBR1000F in red, white, and blue…exactly like the one at 4:24. It was more of a very sporty GT than a sport bike. Think Aston Martin Vanquish rather than FD RX-7 (the car I bought after the CBR). Long and comfortable, I was able to stretch out on long highway runs but still hang with GXR750s in my group on windy roads…if there were enough straights to apply my superior power against their superior handling. The 900 Fireblade fixed all this, but at the expense of some elegance.
