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The Honda CBR900RR FireBlade was launched in 1992 and set new standards for sports bikes. Its designer, Tadao Baba, was focussed on keeping everything lightweight, giving far more agility than the old-school 1000cc competition. Capacity started off at 893cc and gradually crept up over the years, with the current model at the full litre. Various other things changed over time too; the bikes did get heavier and easier to live with, or soft as others might say.
My bike was a Candy Blaze Orange 1998 RRW, with 918cc capacity and was the penultimate year before the changeover to fuel injection. The RRW isn’t the ultimate ‘Blade by any stretch of the imagination, but is quite fast enough, corners like a Jack Russell Terrier, and is supremely reliable. I gave mine a major service at the start of summer 2007 and it rode like a new bike again, even after 37,000 miles. I used it everyday to get to work, from January to September 2007, come rain or shine and I just knew it will start every morning - it was a Honda.
My ‘Blade was fairly standard, except for the double bubble screen (I’m a fan of these!), carbon can, and a grab rail for when my girlfriend goes pillion.
For what I used it for, my FireBlade suited me just fine and I can’t think of another bike that would give me the same balance for the same money! However, in the in the Autumn of 2007 a bike was no longer practical enough for daily use (not with a dog to transport) so the ‘Blade made way for a Toyota Celica.
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