Fireblade and SP2 Test Rides

[Scoobs]

Portsmouth Honda have got an open day on this weekend and they have most of their range of bikes available for testrides. I booked a go on the Fireblade and the SP2.

First out was the 'blade. It is turbine smooth with loads of roll on power. Anything more than 2 gear is pointless on the B road route that I went on, although I did hit the limiter in second. Oops.

It is deceptively fast. You feel like you are going quickly (obviously) but when you look at the speedo you can add another 30mph to what you "thought" you were doing.

The Steering damper is excellent. So much so in fact you don't notice it. At low speed there is no damping but as soon as the speed builds the damping increases. There were absolutely no headshakes, but the front wheel does like to lift under power

It is not much larger physically than my 600RR, and is just as easy to move around on and tip into corners, unless you are really tanking it. Then it needs a bit more muscle.

A very very nice bike, but strangely uninvolving. I love riding my 600RR and it's a thrill. The 1000RR feels too sanitised. Damn fast but you can't "feel" the speed.

Would I have one. Yep, but I would like to try an R1 first.

Next up was the SP2. Now I really like the look and the idea of the SP2. A litre twin. Ye.......es!

However, I was gutted. I really, really wanted to like, no love, this bike......but I didn't. Sure it is good, but it is no way worth the £500+ premium over a Fireblade. The 'blade is a far more sorted, developed, faster, smoother, lighter, more, more, more of a bike.

You have got to really want a twin to have this bike over the Fireblade. In fairness, I think their may have been a fuelling problem with the bike. It felt flat and the power really tailed off towards the end of the rev range.

When I got back to Portsmouth Honda, I was talking to the techs and they said they thought it was running a little lean.

The throttle was horribly snatchy as well. From a closed to on throttle it was awful. Really difficult to have smooth control with throttle alone. With a bit of clutch you could iron it out but it wasn't nice. The Honda tech said it could be sorted with a Power Commander PC3 and some dyno time. Not what you want to hear when you have spent well over 9 large on a new bike.

Overall I have fallen out of love with the SP2 and am not totally convinced by the 'blade although it is a very nice bike. What I have decided though is that my next bike will not be a twin. Sorry.

Scoobs...You need to get your ass on real litre twin mate! Take a 999 or an RSV for a spin. Now your really talking!

[fizzwheel]

Nice write up

SP1 was known for its snatchy throttle, The SP2 is supposed to be more sorted fueling wise, obviously not as much from what you've said.

600s (or SV650s ) are much more ‘fun’ than thous, you have to ‘work’ a 600 to get the best from it, the thous are just effortless. Sure that means they are ultimately faster, but that is not where I (and by the sound of it you) get the fun from!!

Not ridden an SP2, but ridden a couple of SP1s, the clutch was horrid on them too!!! Real on-off. Throttling was ok, but they had both been set up properly with a PC fitted (one of them had an insanely ‘quick action’ throttle fitted!!

I found the SP1 quite hard to get my kneedown on (and I am talking on the track), I was kinda ‘perched’ on it, seemed I was miles away from the ground.

Peter Henry – I’ve ridden a 999 round Brands, bearing in mind I expected something special, I wasn’t actually that impressed!!! Sure chassis was good, brakes good, but the engine didn’t give me what I was expecting from a 1L twin. The Duke ST3 I rode shortly after ‘felt’ stronger!!!

I think a thou is pointless on the road, people who say they NEED a thou are just bell ends!!

Blagging a test ride, sure, why not, but I'd not even consier putting my hand in my pocket for a thou now!! :P

Each to his own,some people prefer the relaxed power that comes from a thou rather than wringing the neck out of a smaller capacity engine to achieve similar results. Just because it is there doesn't mean you have to use it all the time ,but to have the extra power in reserve is reassuring


Yours Sincerely

Bell End

[fizzwheel]

I've got a 750 what does that make me. I am a "Bell" or just an "end"

justmacsv650 – dude, modern 600s have enough grunt for effortless yet extremely rapid riding even at lower revs, you can out accelerate pretty much any cage by just a twist at any revs. Its just to really make them fly you need to dial in some big RPM, which is cool!! !!!

fizzwheel - I suppose you are neither one nor t-other, which group would you like to be a honouree member of??? The thinking man or the bell ends???

At the end of the day, indeed, each to their own!!

Lets face it, if it wasn’t for pansy’s riding thous I’d have no one to play my SV-rules-the-earth games with!! … well not playing it an wining it … and lets face it if you can’t win, why play?!?!?

Blue.SV650s.

Well if someone like Ben Bostrom says the 999 is the most fun bike he has ever ridden then I am more likely to agree with that. I have a 749 and I know what that little extra the 999 would give me is,and that is more pick up and go out of bends.

Dont get me wrong my 749s is no slouch and I do not ride easy on roads I know. I would hope you tried to ride the 999 hard around Brands otherwise the exercise would have been pointless.

Scoobs stating he only used up to 2nd gear makes his comments on the Fireblade somewhat lacking in value also if I might add, as that is no full test of what i bike like the Fireblade can offer.

Did BB say that??? Why would you be more likely to agree with him?

I can assure you the 999 didn’t get it easy, neither did the ST3, or the Multistrada!!

Ridden a race tuned 748 (round Silverstone), the engine is a lot more fun than the 999, I’d have a 748(9) over a 999 any day!!! But that is me, I am more into bikes than badges!!

[fizzwheel]

Peter, not wishing to be rude, but everybodies entitled to their opinion and everybody rides in a different way. Just because their opinion isnt the same as yours doesnt devalue what they might have to say on any given subject.

Theres a huge difference between what works on a track and what works on the road as I'm know you are aware of. A track bike that needs to be ridden or pushed hard on might not necessarily make for a rewarding road bike. Personally I wouldnt want to ride a bike on the road that has to be taken to its or near its limit to enjoy its full potential.