When I bought my HRC Fireblade John McGuinness had just won the Senior TT and broken the lap record - that is not the same now is it. Suzuki have since come up with a brand new model, the GSX-S1000F, at a reasonable price. The options open to me in 2017 are different to 2015 - and I have had Suzukis before. 30,000 miles with the VFR+CBR in the last three years.
You'll have to let us know what you think as the months roll on, especially around the supposed build quality differences between Honda and Suzuki. If the base Blade would have rocked up with the same price as the base GSXR, I would probably already own one and be sitting here decrying any one who hadn't ridden one. As I said before, for me there's nothing exciting enough about it to justify stumping up the extra £5.5k. If I don't test ride the Gixxer next year and like it enough, I'll probably end up with the Blade if the deal's right.
Same herewith the Honda pricing, I'd be in the queue, I'm waiting for Matt's verdict on the GSXS1000, I've had plenty of Suzuki's over the years and found them totally reliable, definitely not as refined as the Blade but no less fun, my current other bike is a 82 1100 and that engine is bullet proof
Just out of interest, how many UK based forum members have new blades (either standard or SP). My local dealer in Newcastle posts them on their FB page when people pick them up and he had about 4-5 when they first came out but I haven't seen any on there since then.
Visited Honda today and took a 2017 Blade out for a spin. Defiantly much lighter, feels narrower and certainly feels more powerful. My issue is that when I brought it back i was feeling a little underwhelmed! Don't know what I expected but I know I expected more
I had a look at one in Miles Kingsport in Hull. It did not have the wow factor for me. I will get a 2016 SP blade with an Akrapovic on next year.
Guy i ride with test rode the base model today. Hes been racing/riding for 25 years and been through alot of bikes so hes a rider i respect the opinion of. His feedback is that it was bland/boring which i hear alot about with the blade, even going back to 08 model. What is it about other bikes that make them not boring? I rode his new s1000rr last year and cant say it blew me away over the blade. Not saying its not better but i wouldnt say it was any more of an experiance than the blade? Ive not ridden a gsxr or zx10 etc so i cant really compare with my very limited experiance but would be interested to know where the bland comments come from.
The Australian review video from "Bike Me" hits the nail on he head for me when he says - the Blade is beautifully well mannered.....you would not know that it is capable of mincing your brain into garbage unless you twist that thing on the right real hard. It is like it is asleep with one eye open up to 4,000 rpm allowing you to trundle about at your leisure, no trouble - you would not have the faintest idea of what it can do. And he is right that it is not until you give it large quantities of right hand that you realise what it is capable of. If you spend your time pootling about it could leave you with the false impression that it is all very tame - give it a big handful up past 8,000 rpm and feel the front wheel come up ! That well mannered behaviour may lead people to think it is bland - is all I can think really.
I can imagine something like the rsv4 being an experiance and a bit of a theatre with its engine characteristics but cant imagine how the other inline 4's differ that much from the blade. Like i say though i have next to no experiance on other models. The blade will still skip and slide into/out of corners, front jumps about easily enough and certainly dont notice being down on power when using on the road. Plenty of feel and puts a big grin on my face. I need to try some more bikes to see what all the fuss is!
Maybe the transition from pootling along to hooligan happens quicker. I did a short test of the new GSX-R and that is what I noticed - it went from pootling along in any gear, to - I am out of here - quicker than the Blade. Did a short test of the new R1, which seemed to hate pootling altogether - like it was bored shitless - like taking a greyhound for a walk round the block ! Some of you have extensive experience on these bikes, but I just had short test rides. I liked the GSX-R because it would pootle happily enough - but when you got your chance to overtake it would be ready to go and be gone. The R1 did not seem to want to bother with the whole pootling side of things at all, like it was all beneath it somehow ! Like I say - some of you on here have a lot more experience with these, and other bikes, than me.
I haven't been on any of the new bikes other than the Panigale so I can't advise on them but I think the statement that any litre sportsbike is bland is BS tbh, the Panigale is fantastic at going very fast but an absolute pain in the arse everywhere else, it won't do thirty through villages, it feels like you are sitting on a tiny clown bike, I couldn't live with it but I'd have one in my garage full of bikes if I could. I think that's why some of these reporters now say the Blade is bland, because it doesn't have the character of something like the Ducati, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing on a bike you want to do a lot of things on. We all have a mate who's an absolute hoot to go out for a drink with once in a while but do it every night and it sharp gets tiring
I've twice got rid of blades to go to Aprilia Tuono's (first a V2 then a V4) because I found the blade bland, very capable, but bland. Just my opinion
Everyone has one (opinion) and they are all valid, if we all liked the same thing the world would be a very dull place
Actually as a follow up I was out on the Blade yesterday and I had an extremely difficult time losing an MT-10, could only pull away from him on the long stretches, he was right with me though on the twisty stuff, so if you want to save about £4K get yourself one of them
A696 up to Otterburn, we were heading to Kielder via Carter Bar, cracking run out, roads were fairly quiet, other than a Police Helicopter escort for a bit
Yeah its a decent road, i try and stay off it as you can sit at silly speeds for 90% of it. I tend to turn off at the crossroads labeled for hexham and go to kielder through chollerford/Bellingham, my favourite route that and then head up to hawick after havi g some water at kielder. Suprised ive not come across you although blades are very common up here! We are bound to have passed at some point.
Yeah we stopped the layby before Catcleugh reservoir as the police helicopter had been alongside us for a bit but there had been an incident between a BMW car and what looked like A CB1000R so I think that's where it was headed, We usually head back along the Chollerford/Bellingham road. Yes there are lots of Blades up here, but Westgate road is not what it was so I try and steer clear of the more popular haunts/roads.
Booked in to test ride the new suzuki up at Hartside cafe this weekend, be a good comparison to the blade as its like a race track up there.
