Honda Fireblade CBR954RR

As the old adage goes, life isn't meant to be easy - but someone obviously forgot to tell Honda that while it was busy developing the latest in a decade-long line of Honda FireBlades.

That's because the latest incarnation of Honda's flagship large-capacity sportsbike, the CBR954RR '02 model, is a gem of a motorcycle, and one that signals a significant - no, make that massive - leap forward compared to its 929-powered predecessor. And one that even a mere mortal can be made to look half reasonable on.

"This thing will make a bad rider look good," opined Wayne Gardner, the 1987 world 500 GP champion, at the official Down Under launch of the new weapon at Phillip Island. Not sure if he was pitching that comment to the assembled throng of journos or not...

Okay, so let's air the potential conflict of interest before we go any further. Gardner has been a Honda man through and through since the early '80s, and he's now the official face of the marque's sales offensive in Australia, but that aforementioned comment certainly would not have sat easily with the FireBlades of previous years - and it would have been seen as pure theatre.

Especially as Honda embarked on a process of "total control" with its recent 'Blade updates, while Suzuki (GSX-R1000) and Yamaha (R1) forged ahead with a more laissez-faire (ie liberal) attitude to sportsbike production.

All in the past now - the sunset has well and truly closed on the old 'Blade and the sun is shining on a new era.

WORTH ITS WEIGHT
The local unveiling of the CBR954RR followed on from the world launch late last year, which was held at the Estoril circuit in Portugal - a launch which AMCN attended, with those first impressions featuring in Vol 51 No 12.

The bike received universal praise in Portugal, with comments focusing on its overall production virtues, total refinement, superb brakes, linear power delivery, stability and mid-corner grip from the special-purpose Bridgestone BT012 rubber. Can't say that the comments varied wildly from the Estoril script at Phillip Island.

For me, the most poignant aspect of the new CBR954RR is just that - the extra cubes. Similar to what Kawasaki has achieved with its 636cc Supersport bike, the extra 25cc on the new 'Blade is worth its weight in gold - although in Honda's case, the advantages are still able to be felt on the racetrack, unlike the Kawasaki, which has out-cubed itself from active competition.

Torque has been the main benefactor of upping the capacity ante, and that was clearly evident in back-to-back comparisons with the 'old' CBR929RR, conveniently in attendance for the local launch. That extra torque also had a bearing on top speed readouts.

For example, most of my laps on the new 'Blade saw the speedometer hit the 268kmh mark down the end of the main straight, which was about 5-6kmh more than I could manage on the 929. On the premise that most of my laps were consistent offerings, I put that down to better drive out of Turns 11 and 12, which is vital for terminal speed at the Island.

Once you move past the ample midrange, which kicks in about 4000rpm, there's nary a difference between the old and new in the upper reaches of the 11,500rpm redline engine - but that's not really an issue because the 954 has already given its all anyway.

Mind you, the FireBlade engine is still not as intimidating as an R1 or GSX-R1000 powerplant, but it does provide a linear response all through the rev range - more than enough to make a bad rider look good!

HUGE CHASSIS ADVANCES
On that score, I think the 954's handling is another calling card - well, any bike that makes the track feel three metres wider and doesn't enforce punitive measures for even the littlest mistake must be on to something.

The 954 is a claimed 2kg lighter than the 929 for a start, which is great in isolation. But when you add in a bike with a better change of direction, then the handling mix is just about right.

Despite the weight loss, the bike didn't move around more appreciably than the 929, its responsiveness through the 'bars never a concern.

However, a few times it did get a touch of the heeby-jeebies, especially exiting Siberia (Turn Six). But that's a common curse at Siberia, where a few ill-placed track variations always seem to conspire against both rider and machine as the power is applied and the front-end gets light.

Gardner for one believes that Honda has made huge advances in recent years.

"In the 10 years that I've been away (from the racing scene) there has been a huge improvement in chassis development," he said. "Honda just wasn't too focused on chassis in my day - engines got all the attention."

Gardner, by the way, punched out a 1:45.6 on his first flying lap on the stock-standard CBR954RR - not bad for someone who had just got off a plane from Tokyo two hours earlier! With some suspension fine-turning, I have no doubt he would have broken into the 1:42s.

Mmm, it'd be interesting to see what sort of times the gun riders were pumping out when the Blade had its world launch at Phillip Island in 1992. I reckon a 1:50 would nearly have seen it out. (Ed: I was there, and 1:51s were the quickest.) The pace of change continues unabated.

The brakes are also worthy of a special mention. They are in another world compared to the 929's units - more feel and power throughout. Nothing has drastically been altered, so perhaps the gains have been made with different compound pads.

THE SOUL IS STIRRED
The 954, which has been on sale nationally for just over a month now, is available at an attractive price of $17,290 - well ahead the three-bike Japanese troika that constitutes its major opposition. The Kawasaki ZX-9R is next in line at $17,990, followed by the GSX-R1000 ($18,390) and YZF-R1 ($18,699).

That's a definite headstart, and one that Honda Oz will be keen to emphasise in the coming months through its various arms of advertising. In past years, that price advantage may not have been enough to sustain the momentum, but this is a new era - and the ball-tearing Blade has returned.

In the inimitable words of Honda founder, the late Soichiro Honda "Life is measured by the number of times the soul is stirred". After the launch, I now might be around long enough to receive a telegram from the throne.