Kawasaki ZX9R vs Honda Fireblade Comparison (1998) 

All from the same cookie cutter.

what are you talking about lol dont be bitter because youre old. Old bikes can look amazing, new ones can look amazing (and go faster for longer with safer options if you prefer them)

@@lsixty30 I think older bikes, like older cars look at bit more distinctly different but old superbikes are getting a beating on track. Out in the real world it's all down the rider. Seen plenty of modern bikes with chicken strips.

​@@1000sofusernamesbut older bikes are really fast too Zach took was it k4 gixer and he was on par with what was the very new bike with all new fancy tech riding that. Proves that fast rider can be really amazingly fast compared to new ones. But for sure new ones are generally easier to ride for not pros, which like 99,9 are.

Old super bikes are beautiful. New ones are ugly.

Chris Pritchard I’m a new rider, 29 years old, and I got my hands on the CBR900RR model that’s reviewed here. It truly is a beautiful machine and because it’s my first motorcycle, I won’t sell it.

I was 3 years old when you started , before I had a 1990 CBR 600 I had time on a dirt bike, and I'm an original push bike rider and helped start putting Auburn ca. On the map has one of the best riding areas in the world rhere are guys that ride the tour de france . Come and train out of Auburn california, I had a 94, CBR 900 I built it after it was wrecked. I now have that 7 bikes 2012 CBR 1000 , 2016 Aprilla RSV4RF BMW s1000rr I loved 2 bikes the most , that 94 cbr can make a turn for sure . We are talking a 90 degree 15mph turn at 60mph it was the quickest turning back that i have been on. Full race kit 175mph . The other Aprilla RSV4 RF it was made for me ! 208mph over 200hp to the rear tire. I never liked that BMW it just does not have the low end power and punch out of the corner and can't turn has well. All my biks have been set up for track riding .

@@apollomorris9920 I learned how to ride the twisties on a 700S going up salmon falls, then cut to Auburn, stop at the In-n-Out, then head back home. Sometimes I'd cut south to Placerville. Pretty amazing riding areas all thru there. Ice House road, George town... Nearly got nailed by a dear once :D

@@karljay7473 I have a home in Christian Valley, during my divorce I rented a home in Greenwood 6 miles out of Cool , I would ride the 193 loop to placerville hit 49 and come back home about 4 days a week, One time I was passing a truck when he hit his breaks I hit my breaks too , dear crossed right in front of us, i've had two friends hit dear at about 60 miles an hour that's a good speed to hit a dear they both stayed up , I loved my Aprills RSV4RF I thought it was much better then the BMW S1000RR both 2016 models. I can't wait to get back to the states again and start riding again, here in the Philippines iv seen some vary bad accidents one guy lost his head riding a BMW S1000RR , full decapitation. His eyes where open still in his helmet.

@@apollomorris9920 Sounds awesome, I'd love to try the Aprills. I've got a Honda 919 now.

yeah , put ohlins on mine and that stopped the pogo effect and almost doubled rear tire life. i hated the 98 blade , it was the only bike ive ever hated

It's a KWAKA that's it, allbeit the dodgy handling,was still a great bike

peter Kwakman I don’t know what your talking about my 2001 ZX900RR handles like it was on rail’s and was as fast as any liter bike out there! The 900 engine in the 750 frame was a fast bike that was light!

@@tammyforbes2101 it must be down to tyre and suspension setups. I never had the chance to drive one new sadly. My neighbour let my have a go of his last year. It was like a fridge on two skateboards and I've got a 1999 hayabusa. "Yeah, I got it setup for the track!" He said. So some people can have a negative experience on other people's bikes. I had a 636 ninja, from 1200 miles and that was rubbish lol.

My 96 will do 175mph. Ya it's just a grocery getter

My work commute is 5 min. Gs500f was a good commuter

@@teds4983 96 here too and I love it!

@@MKylander its a great bike, WAY ahead of its time.

@@teds4983 Yup. Even though it's not the same as modern ones and doesn't make as much power, I love the simplicity and rawness of gravity fed carbs, Akra full titanium, lack of driving aids.. And despite it's old, it does have enough oomph to break the rear loose accidentally past 100km/h, sometimes even closer to 200km/h.

I like ABS and safety things that is not the problem for me. But the lack of I4s, ugly exhausts, increased prices and the look are.

@Gordon Gekko Not on the early blades mate . lt was caused by radical steering geometry which made for very sharp steering at the expense of stability which is why a lot of people who do mostly road riding generally (but not allways) prefer bikes like the zx9 which has a reputation for being rock steady at speed on roads

Ross the zx14r is definitely my dream bike. I’ve only gotten to ride one a few times but it’s the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden and one of the fastest!🤣

A stock ZX14 isn’t a scary bike at all as long as you take it easy. The motor has a ton of low end torque and the power comes on predictable. A 600 or 1000 super sport is much peakier on power delivery

Robert Smith modern day liter bikes can be ridden slow just fine, the issue is they accelerate super quick, and with all these new rider aids, you can find yourself suddenly going faster than you intended on going.

Kawasaki H2 750 as your second street bike!!!!!!!! Bloody hell you must have had well soiled denims back in your younger days, mine was a more (at times) sedate z650b1.

Karl Walker bikes are tiny. The new models today are impossibly thin and razor sharp. I love motorcycles

@Rick Simpson we're you drunk writing this.. locked down?

9RRRRRRRRRRRR OH YEH

I wanna be 27 again in '90 on me H2

josh786manchester so true lol , whats your ride bruv

If you take into account inflation, those were equivalent to ~£17500 in 2019. So not as cheap after all.

MotoQuickShifter had the 2016 suzuki intruder m1800R. Sold that beast last year now i just recently bought the new Honda CB1000R+.

MSTR-RPTR really..? No way..😱

Me neither. UNLESS. its a real Ninja. Then it really is the only right color.

Trumpets!

I had the same blade too, wanted a zx but couldn't find one so i got the Honda. Tuned her a bit and she really became alive. Miss it still

Still have mine in this colour. Had it since 2004.

Annoyed they never mentioned the 'DODGY' front end of theC1,but it was a great machine apart from that,Steve Hislop (RIP) said it didn't inspire confidence in a fast bikes video back in the day,but i loved the power it delivered!

Dylan, European bikes have different specs. Even different countries in Europe have different specs. Horsepower/Torque/Carb Size/Compression/Cam timing etc. Not trying to bully you, only help. Besides my Harleys, I build, race, and restore 80z and 90z Suzuki GS and GSXR.

@@t.s.racing im in europe pal ireland all the blades here from that era were 130 bhp from factory standard these videos are known for quoting wrong figures and i dont need help im a qualified motorbike mechanic i dont disagree on certain specifications being different. My point is the figures stated here are incorrect and alot of these old videos quoted wrong BHP and topspeeds. And no im not talking about the gentlemans agreement between honda kawasaki yamaha and suzuki to limit bikes to 299 kmh on the clock hope i seem knowledgable enough to not be "bullied"by you any longer 👍👍👍

Did it really handle that much better than a zx9r? I am a bit sceptical, lap times of standard bikes at the time certainly didnt show it if that was the case.

@@GoldenCroc The Zx9r is livlier and more aggressive the fireblade was more reliable and handled much nicer.

60 in first!

Z9r was 144hp and torquey.

Maybe it's time for an updated review? 🤔 What do you think? 😎

@@Menandmotors Absolutely, 90s sportbikes still have plenty of fans and are still relevant.. It would make a great series 👍

I have a 1998 zx9r Ninja with a Muzzy Big Bore kit and full Muzzy Titanium exhaust. It's a hand full sometimes but so much fun to ride. Bought it new in 98 and still have it.

Christian Szilagyi your choice Both bikes look really nice, but my money is on the green machine

@@farmerman7947 Yes siree

Thanks! 👍😎

The rear brake is useful on a motorbike, but it's not THAT useful in scrubbing off speed. I mainly use it for slow speed control, use it a fair bit in the wet as I'm wary of locking up the front in low traction, also for some slight reductions in speed and to adjust my line in a bend, but it's really not that effective a stopping tool. They say that 70 percent of your braking is from the front (I wouldn't be surprised if it was even more, and I've heard of a lot of trackday riders nearly exclusively using the front brake). When you brake, the weight shifts to the front which has the most traction, while the rear has very little traction due to this weight shift. Even a single piston caliper can lock up the rear quite easily, whereas it's a lot harder to lock up the front in this condition. I will use both brakes in an emergency stop, but really my priority is the front brake as that is what's going to be the most effective tool, and any additional braking from the rear is a bonus. The front brake is what is going to really stop you. If there's one thing that I want to get on early and get right in an emergency stop situation, its my front braking. It's a progressive squeeze, and as more weight shifts forward you can squeeze harder and harder. If there was a failure, I would be perfectly comfortable riding a motorbike without a functional rear brake even at decent speeds. I would only do a slow speed limp home without a functioning front brake, and even then that is pushing it.

@@bluezedd Brilliant answer! Thanks for taking the time. The reason I asked was because of my bicycle days where using the front break hard meant a trip over the handlebars!

Weight shifts forward when your slowing so all your grip in on the front

@@wesmatron It didnt, that was just a common myth. Try it yourself, if you have anything like a reasonable cycling/riding position there is no way you, or anyone else for that matter will go "over the bars". Dont know where that myth originated, heard it a lot myself when I was a small child from many people. Certainly the older bicycles that they were talking about didnt have close to the braking power to lock the front wheel even on gravel or anything similar. I can guarantee not one of them had ever even used the front brake. Funny how things can perpetuate.

Rider tho what is a leader bike? It’s litre bike!!

I could be wrong there,but i did have one at 36

I think it’s not about quality , probably more about different way of engine engineering . Kawa always looking to be faster and explosive , Honda to be durable with more mild rpm power curves and that’s why their engines have better longevity.

My zx9r had about 140tkm when I sold it to next rider. Didn't see anything bad in its build quality.

Srad one ?

Will not deny, but ZXR750-H2 OOH LA LA,i loved being thrown around and bouncing in the air at 27,that was pure BAD fun............ZXR

@@adaptiveagile Yeh both ZX-9R and YZF-R1 launched in '98,i test rode the R1,uppety uppety all the time.....NUTS,then after beind knocked off my C1 i got a 2000R1! Pure bliss

@@adaptiveagile I rode the '98 on a test day,my thought's were how do keep the flighty front down,i was knocked off me C1,it was written off,then i got a 2000 R1....WOW! Total love and respect for that bike

After being wrecked off me C1-9R(in 2000), i chose to get the GIXXER on it's stat's,but it was just a grand over my budget,years later i got a '96 SRAD,YEH what a bike

I have an 01 and the front end comes up without hesitation, corners really well. I love it

@@luckyseven6402 I'd love one!

@@ericgeorge5483 paid 2k for mine 4 years ago 👍

@@luckyseven6402 That's an incredible bargain.

@@luckyseven6402 You are very fortunate.

Betty and Michelle.

Apollo Morris - breaks? What the fuck are breaks? And YOU'RE, the contraction of YOU ARE, not YOUR denoting possession of something.

Give us a BREAK.....or brake.

No

Why do you expect a british motorbike show intended for a british audience filmed in the 90s to use kmh?

Cramped peg to seat set up on those. Look nice tho .

@Rob Smith nope have both zx9r is quicker

No way

@Independent don't get mad

Ha! Ha! They just build great bikes