Faults:

Nothing to report as yet they are fairly bulletproof bikes, but I did have a 98 Fireblade and the cam chain tensioner went in my local supermarket car park, but it was a very easy fix, solid bikes.

General Comments:

Fast, comfortable and very easy to use and feel secure; the Foxeye Fireblade is the best looking and sorted of the early models.

Faults:

The only real issue was the timing chain cam tensioner just went; otherwise my 98 Fireblade was an absolute peach to own and ride.

General Comments:

It was a custom bike with under seat exhaust conversion and 17" front wheel, and it had a single headlight like a 916 Ducati. A dark screen and custom paint job inc red/yellow/white wheels so when caning it the wheels looked like they were on fire?!?! Apparently. Paid £1500 with 15,000 miles. Should not have sold her.

Faults:

Nothing during my ownership. It's a Honda...

General Comments:

This is a much sought after motorcycle; a classic. Increasing in value month on month, year on year. It's the Vincent Black Shadow of its day; the bike that changed motorcycling forever.

The SC28 changed the world of motorcycling and won the hearts of many riders in its long production run. The best model to get is a SC28 from 1995 as it's a revision model with improvements on the first ones. The smooth engine being fed by a bank of 4 carburetors, tuned to fly down any road or track. Honda realised quite early on that the early models (pre 1995) had issues and quickly made the necessary changes. This made the bikes sell like hot cakes out of dealers' showrooms. Used in the IOM TT as a race bike, it won many trophies for riders and team owners.

Faults:

According to my mechanic, if sat over a few months, the plugs get damp and bike won't start, and the more you try the worse it gets with some big Honda bikes. Fresh plugs and an air box clean and she purrs now. Also nitrox in the fuel really helps it pull and rev cleanly at lower revs and gear.

General Comments:

Comfy, fast, reliable, well made, and even at 20 years old, looks nice. Best bike ever; get the 02 954cc bike if you can and hold onto it.

Faults:

Rear wheel bearings.

Radiator corroded.

General Comments:

I have ridden many motorcycles over 37 years.

I had never ridden a FireBlade, but have experience of 170BHP+.

The combination of over 100BHP in a lightweight package means you have to show restraint with the throttle even with a lot of riding experience.

I have owned many Honda motorcycles from the 1990s and 2000s, so not surprised about weaknesses of electrics and camchains which can be a concern on some of the FireBlades. I found build quality to be better than very recent Hondas that I have owned (VFR1200!) with corrosion limited to the fastenings.

Would easily buy another 929 or a 954 for day to day riding as used prices are reasonable. I'd love an earlier FireBlade as a weekend toy.

In Summary:

Rapid acceleration.

Wheelie prone.

Light.

Limited steering lock.

Tall riding position.

High footpegs.

Enormous standard silencer.

Well built.

Will be blown away by R1's and the like...