Shanks' Pony

One of the sharpest Blades in the toolbox: careful with it, or you’ll get hurt! The RR4/5 was finally a full-fat 1000cc, used MotoGP technology from Valentino Rossi’s Honda RC211V, and it’s now a 17-year-old motorcycle: unbelievable…

- BERTIE SIMMONDS, MIKE BOOTH, CARL STEVENS

Blades – I’ve owned/had/used a lot of them over the last 25 or so years. And this model is one of the best – if not THE best, but I have a caveat when I say this, more of which later.

2021 marks this machine’s 17th birthday: check out the fresh looks? Yes, I know many of you/us are into 1970s bikes, or 1980s or you shade into the 1990s, and while I know that this is a decidedly modern machine, we here at Classic Motorcycle Mechanics follow the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club’s 15 year or older rule… so she’s a keeper…

So, let’s talk Honda FireBlade history. Back in 1992 the original 893cc machine was launched and it was constantly refined, through 1994-5, 1996-97 and 1998-1999. These sub-1000cc versions used powerplants of 893-918cc and went from being a wild sports machine of motorcycling with a twitchy 16-inch front-end to a softer, more gentle option compared to 1998’s Yamaha YZF-R1…

For the new millennium the CBR900RR-1/Y version had a 929cc motor with fuel injection, inverted front forks (for the first time), 17-inch wheels front and rear (at last) and a semi-pivotless frame. 2002 saw the 954cc machine released and, while it’s still a massive modern classic and one of the best road-going sports bikes ever developed, it was losing out on sheer grunt to the likes of the R1 and the new-for-2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Therefore it wasn’t until 2004 that Honda decided it needed a full ‘litre’ Fireblade. Yes, we’ve dropped the capital ‘B’ in the middle in honour of Tadao Baba (the capital ‘B’) in Fireblade as he retired when his work was done on the 954.