Honda Fireblade
December 16
You may recall me saying that I had removed the HESD damper from my Fireblade and suggesting that it didn't make a great deal of difference. Well...
Actually in most situations, most gears, most speeds, most everyday throttle positions on most decent roads it really doesn't matter much. However, on a recent road trip on some less than ideal roads and on some irregularly surfaced fast roads, I was given cause to think about my lack of a damper.
There were no tank slappers, but there was a certain lightness in the steering that made me wonder about the wisdom of 150-plus bhp with no damper. Not that I'm going to reconnect the ziggurat of heavy metal that is the HESD contraption, I reckon any 'normal' damper with a bit of adjustability for different situations will do nicely.


Honda Fireblade
November 30 The filth and the fury
Well, I'm still riding it and I'm still loving it. 149 horsepower might be considered overkill for a daily winter commute, but I'd rather have those well-behaved horses than not. However, it has to be said that the vile salty slime which coats the roads of Surrey isn't doing my Fireblade's looks any good.
I'm trying my best to keep my beauty looking, well, beautiful, but it's a losing battle I'm fighting here. In my hours of need I have turned to Scottoiler's excellent F365 solution. Wash the bike, spray on the magic juice, work it in gently with a clean rag and coat your entire bike (not tyres or brake discs obviously) and you can admire your handywork, feeling that you are trying your best. Short of leaving the bike in the garage till the clocks go forward, there's not much a better tactic for combating the horror of winter roads. Check out http://www.scottoiler.com for a stockist.

Honda Fireblade
November 15. Salt ahoy!
Salt. Salty roads. It's not good is it? The first time you wake up in the morning and see a coating of frost on the grass you know that winter really has arrived. And with winter comes salt and gritted roads. Well, this will be a test for Honda's legendary build quality.
And the lower temperatures will also be a test for the new Michelin Pilot Power tyres I got fitted over at Infinity Motorcycles in Purley last week. I know, here we go again, another spoiled journo telling us how great the tyres are. Well, you saw the blind tyre test results, so you can believe what you like.
In any case, switching from a pair of worn tyres to a new set makes a big difference - especially if they are inflated at the right pressure. Yes, I'm actually taking my own advice, following manufacturer suggestions and noticing a difference in handling. I tell you, an under-inflated front tyre doesn't help turn in or confidence. Try it and spot the difference for yourself.

Honda Fireblade
October 7
So, I had a bit of a spin on Simon's Kawasaki ZX-10R the other day and was impressed. Not at the power delivery low down - which is rabid - and not at the brakes, which are lacking bite, but at the lightness of the steering in comparison to the Fireblade.
I haven't ridden a ZX-10R since our group test back in March and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the lighter steering of the Kwak. Well, that got me curious to see how much the HESD electronic steering damper on the Fireblade affects the steering. I've got a GPR damper lined up, so maybe it's time to investigate.
Anyone out there got any experience of the HESD they want to share before I attack the job? Cheers!

Honda Fireblade

October 5
Here's a simple question. Just the one, in fact. When was the last time you checked the oil level on your mighty Blade? Or indeed whatever bike you are riding? Hopefully it was a bit more recently than me. I can offer no excuses, but if you could have seen me scuffling about the dimly-lit garage trying to see some oil sloshing about in the oil level window the other day, you would have laughed at the pathetic spectacle. Things weren't anything like as bad as I thought they were, but I did feel like a bit of a prick. I had visions of a terrible headline: 'Idiot editor blows up Fireblade...no oil blamed'. Now there's a story I don't ever want to be involved in. So, I say again, when was the last time you checked your oil level?

Honda Fireblade

8 September
Embarrassed by the lack of long term fettling action that I have carried out on the frankly spiffing Fireblade, I have finally got my arse in gear. 'Uncle' Frank Wrathall up in northern Lanky-lanky-lanky Lancashire, home of Dynojet UK, sent me down a Power Commander III with the fuel map for the LeoVince exhaust already programmed in. All I had to do was plug the magic box in and apply stickers.

Normally I run a mile when this level of tinkering is involved - the potential for screwing up was huge - but Al told me not to be such a twat and, in his immortal phrase, "RTFM - read the fucking manual". So I did. And an hour later it was done.

The trickiest bit was feeding the harness through from the rear seat compartment through the subframe, but beyond that, I could have coped. I say 'could have' because Al couldn't resist coming along to make sure I hadn't set fire to the bike and, if I had, he had a camera ready. Propping the tank up to fit the connector plugs to the injector throttle bodies needed a steadying hand. Other than that, it really was a case of RTFM and proceeding slowly.

The LeoVince system hadn't upset the stock fuelling too much but it was a bit wooly around 3,000rpm, so the Power Commander was required to sort it out and, sure enough, the wool was sheared away. What I have now is a crisp and responsive fuel map for the best bike on the fleet. I'll be off to CarbonTek to check the gains and silky smooth power and torque curve soon enough.
In the meantime, you can all check out the cornucopia of Power Commander fuel maps and products on http://www.powercommander.com or click on http://www.dynojet.co.uk for British based info. You could even call 01995 600680 because the last time we spoke to Uncle Frank he reckoned he could even sort out the fuelling on a Triumph Daytona 600...

Piece of piss...I only need one hand for this job

Slightly more complicated. Note simian petted lip and receding hairline caused by spannering
related stress

Honda Fireblade

7 September
We got an email from an American reader who asked us why we never weighed the bikes and why we relied on the claimed weights which the whole world knew were always bullshit. He inspired us enough to invest in a set of scales and I've just weighed the Fireblade which tipped them at 195kg. Given that the claimed dry weight is 178kg, you have to believe that when Honda is talking about a 'dry' weight then it really means dry. No fork oil, no oil on the chain....no air in the tyres?
Well, it got better. I knew the beast needed petrol but JP had been using it for a few days and I wasn't sure how much was in it. I soon found out. 400 yards out of the office it cut out. So now we know that, bone dry in the petrol stakes, it weighs 195 kilos. Thankfully it was 'only' a half-mile uphill push to the nearest station.
Thanks to the fella in the silver Renault Espace who stopped to help, thanks too, to the two other drivers (bike riders all) who were ready to help. And a heartfelt 'Fuck you pal' to the guy on the blue and white '03 Suzuki GSX-R who bimbled past me on Duppas Hill road.

Honda Fireblade

August 6
Truly, it never rains but it pours. First off, thanks for all the feedback on the crash bung conundrum I was having. It's pretty much sorted itself out. And, while I am in the process of sorting the WP Competition shock and the Leo Vince end can, a nice big box arrived in the office yesterday with a totally space-age Two Brothers Racing Carbon Fibre end can - or 'muffler' as our American friends call them. The sticker says "these mufflers are made of the best carbon fiber you can buy. We use only the highest quality, high temperature carbon fiber available." Friends, I've got to tell you, it doesn't come with an approved for road use type EU-stamp on it. And it comes in dinky cloth carry bag with a Two Brothers tag on it. Nice. If you are interested and can't be bothered/don't care about how many more horsepower you will gain, contact UK importers Carbontek racing on 01737 789878 or check out http://www.twobros.com/ for those of you who live outwith our sceptered isle.

Honda Fireblade longterm test

Bobbins for dobbin
To be honest, I feel naked - and that's not good. Every other bike on the magazine's test bike fleet has crash bobbins fitted and the Honda has nothing but expensive plastic between the engine casing and the tarmac. Since the bike arrived - before that even - I've been trying to locate some crash bobbins but came up blank. Apparently Italian company Walter Moto make some for the Ten Kate Fireblades in world superbike, but Walter Moto's UK importers aren't bringing them in. Honda UK have none, Honda Racing Products don't make them, Team Vitrans don't use them and...well, you get the point. If anyone out there knows where I can find some bobbins could they let me know? Ta!

July 14
Tinkering, just tinkering...
I can't believe it's been so long since my last entry on the long term 'blog. It's not as though I haven't been enjoying the easier-revving Fireblade and, inevitably, I've decided to have a bit of a tinker with the suspension. Step one was taking a note of what the settings were at before I started messing about and, to that end, I needed to press-gang the long-suffering wife into helping with the static sag measurements. I felt like the bike was a bit soft at the front and a bit hard at the rear and the fact that the sag measurements were a little bit outside of what I had been advised was 'normal' seemed to point to the fact that a bit of a tweak to the preload (front and rear) was required. So I got out the spanners and all and...and...chickened out. I'm going to talk to an expert before I wreck the handling.
In the meantime I can happily report that the bike drives like a fiend upwards of 9,000rpm in every gear and will show 109mph in second just before the limiter starts to come into play. I should point out that the second piece of information was determined on a test track and not on the M40, southbound entering the motorway from junction two. Not a chance.

Not a picture of the M40, southbound

June 16

Only 147bhp? Ooh, where can I put my lippy?
I had the bike dyno'd by the boys at Carbontek Racing (01737 789878) in Reigate on their Fuchs dyno. After having to endure Simon's jibes about the Fireblade "running on three cylinders," it was time to put up or shut up. Well, in stock trim after 700 miles, the Blade put out 145.7bhp at the rear wheel. The power and torque lines were smooth as you like, nice and straight, making peak power at 11,000 revs, just short of the redline and maximum torque at 8,3000 revs. The engine seems a little bit looser now and feels like it is spinning up more eagerly and I'm sure there would be a couple of more horses to come in a couple of months even if I don't start messing with the exhaust.

And – don't laugh – but I really came to love my Kappa magnetic tank bag last year. Now I know why women are so attached to their handbags. On day trips the Kappa was a repository for all manner of odds and sods – suncream, spare ear plugs, waterproof trews, spare visor, mobile phone, wee bottle of water and a map to make sure I never got too lost. Well, thanks to the plastic cover on the Honda's fuel tank, my Kappa bag is now redundant, parked up and it's back to the trusty Knox backpack. So far, the plastic tank – along with the gash dual exhaust system – is the only thing that I don't like about the bike. Although I'm not entirely sold on that HSED electronic steering damper thing. The jury among riders I have spoken to is still out. I know a lot of racers have dumped it and fitted more orthodox dampers.

Before I forget, the adjustable span clutch lever is a great touch.

Fireblade 11 June

Gas guzzling Blade
Having enjoyed the buzzy pleasures of a Yamaha R6 last year, I had forgotten how quickly a litre bike slurps down the go-juice. Every time the petrol light comes on at around 110 miles I think there has to be some kind of mistake. Mind you, this state of affairs hasn't been helped by those miles being mostly in first and second gears on the ride to work, so maybe I shouldn't be that surprised. I managed another 20 miles with the light on before I chickened out and filled the up again. Maybe I had another ten miles in the tank in first and second gear, but I didn't fancy a sweaty push to the garage.

June 8

Arlen Ness Jacket and Honda Fireblade
OK, so strictly speaking this isn't about the Fireblade, but since I was riding the bike at the time, it sort of works. Being a bit of an old giffer I am kind of paranoid about wearing decent riding kit every time I get on a bike. Not for me the shorts, flip-flop and T-shirt combo beloved of the apparently indestructible rider. I like to feel protected. In the hot weather we've been enjoying, it's always a bit of a pain in the arse, but I have to give a big shout out to the Arlen Ness Road Trip jacket, which is the coolest leather jacket I've ridden in, in the literal sense of the term. Check out http://www.arlennesswear.com for local stockist info. It comes in his and hers sizes and cuts too.

Anyway, about the bike. I managed an oil and filter change which constitutes its first service and can now rev the bike as hard as it was meant to be revved. My first thoughts? It sounds too muted. Just as well that Leo Vince system has turned up! Ha!

Longterm test bike

Fireblade update
When we picked up the Fireblade from Honda, it had 1.7 miles on the clock. When Mr Simon Roots of this parish dropped it off at the office on Monday 17 it had 45 miles on it. Now it has 515. That means it's time to relax the owners' manual restrictions on tickling the upper end of the rev counter and press on a bit. But first I spoke to Honda's press fleet mechanic, Steve Frost. Steve, I said, I managed to pretty much follow the rules, I've clocked up the miles, now what? Change the oil and filter, make sure the cables and chain are OK too, I was told. And because I like the logo on the sticker and I've been hearing good things about the product, I spoke to Steve Delaney at Agip UK to source some of their slippery stuff. Await pictures of me struggling to carry out the oil filter change shortly. For Agip info and stockists contact 01775 719100. Mind you, for an Italian company with links to Ferrari in Formula One they could do with a bit of a rethink on the packaging don't you think? Anyway, careful with that sump plug people...

And, for those of you who care (seriously? You are interested in fuel consumption figures?) the Blade managed 139 miles of A-road, M1 motorway and a few commuting miles before the fuel light came on. And, before you ask, no, I wasn't going that slowly. 7,000 revs in top gear on a Fireblade being run-in will still lose you your licence with a bit to spare.

Longterm fleet line up complete!

Le Fireblade nouveau est arrive
Yes, indeed, the new Fireblade has (finally) turned up at SuperBike mansions. As editor I can take my pick of our fantastic long term test fleet and, coming back from our litre bike test, I reckoned that the Fireblade would be the bike for me. Although I had my eye on the R1 and the GSX-R750, I went for the Honda. Of course, if I had known that the Fireblade would arrive a month after everyone else's bike I might have yanked the GSX-R750 keys from Al's sweaty paws, but there you go...
We've read the reviews from every bike mag in Europe and everyone - to an hombre, mec, signore, mensch - reckons that it's a bit on the unexciting side. Well. We'll see about that shall we?

Plus, by great good fortune, some rather amusing T-shirts arrived in the office, one of which was the 'FireBlade Fanny Magnets' design sported by the frankly camp and ridiculous looking fool perched on the Fireblade. For more T-shirts to make you smile, check out http://www.wristmoto.com