Honda Fireblade 2008 Review

Year after year the Japanese manufacturers release litre sportsbikes with incremental improvements: millimetres here, grams shaved there, power up a miniscule amount.

And we are expected to rush out and buy the new model based on those minor improvements and subtle graphics changes.

Honda Australia motorcycles national service manager Greg Granger said: “Everything has been changed. There is very little from the previous model used.”

The changes are not incremental. For example, you wouldn't call an 11kg drop in weight to 167kg incremental.

Despite the new Blade being a quantum leap forward, the price has been increased only $700 to $17,990, which is $500 under Suzuki and undercuts Yamaha and Kawasaki by $1000.

On the road and on the famous Phillip Island racetrack where the '08 Blade was launched last week, the upgrade translates to an even more user-friendly sportsbike than before. And that's saying something for the Japanese sportsbike that is universally recognised as the most rider-friendly.

First up are the radical styling modifications which look better in real life than the photos.

The nose is now blunt with headlights resembling a BMW car's eyes.

The frame has been shortened 50mm with an 11mm longer swingarm, pushing the rider further forward, resulting in better high-speed stability and a reduced tendency to wheelie off the line.

The steering damper is now hidden under the tank.

Mirrors now include neat integrated blinkers like on a car with small, white LED daytime running lights in the top corner; an important safety device.

Now that it comes with a shorty side exhaust, gone is the fat boat-like tail.

Tank and front fairing are also much narrower with a more sculpted seat that makes it easier to put your feet and knee down, even thought seat height is 10mm higher.

The plastic tank now features a metal Honda emblem like Yamaha, not a cheap looking sticker. The yellow model also has a raised CBR badge on the fairing while the red retains the sticker.

The engine has been slimmed down, lightened by 2.5kg and given more low and middle torque, plus an extra 6kW at the top end.

On the road, the Blade retains its usual manners with the high-speed damping taking the sting out of sharp bumps.

The riding position also lends itself to longer spurts than a couple of laps of a race track.

Speaking of which, this is where the Blade excels; here at “The Island” where it was first launched to the world in 1992.

The new slipper clutch is infallible. The only wiggle into a corner I experienced was when I accidentally dabbed the rear brake going into the downhill MG right hander.

Just bang it down several gears, stay off the rear brake, and it behaves itself beautifully.

At high speed the smaller screen gives less protection. But with high-speed stability markedly improved, even in sweepers such as turns 11 and 12, I was able to get on the gas earlier, getting a nice head start to the main straight and realizing higher top speeds than I have ever reached before.

And after all, isn't that the ultimate value for judging a sportsbike?

Snapshot

Honda Fireblade

Price: $17,990

Engine: 999.8cc liquid-cooled inline 4-cylinder

Power: 130kW @ 12,000rpm

Torque: 113Nm @ 8500rpm

Fuel: 17.7 litres (3.5L reserve)

Transmission: 6-speed