It was back in 1996, during my penultimate year in high school, that I first clapped eyes on the Suzuki GSXR 750. I was immediately smitten, and vowed that one day, I too would own one of Suzuki's legendary GSXR machines. Nearly nine years later, the dream still simmering, Suzuki released the legendary K5, a barely tamed monster of a machine that would move the goal posts forward, making all of the other Japanese manufacturers rush to catch up. It was only in mid 2010 however that I found myself on a racing blue Suzuki GSXR1000 K5, a machine I love to pieces and have never thought about replacing.

So why the hell am I posting here? Good question. Monday was a public holiday in sunny South Africa, meaning that fast bikes get out on the road and do silly things which annoy law enforcement officials, such as having a good time on public roads. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of using a superbike to a 6th of its potential in a public space, I was on my home after riding responsibly, and just happened to pass by a Honda dealership. "Turn right" said that voice at the back of my head, the voice normally associated with things like "she's going to kill you for this" or "this is going to hurt" or "take me drunk I'm home!". I listen to this voice, so we turned right, meandered through a parking lot, and within minutes, found ourselves sitting on a Honda CBR1000RR painted in the HRC tricolor scheme.

"This is nice" said the voice.
"**** off." I mutter in response, "we ride Suzuki GSXR's. Hondas are for tourers and wannabes, people afraid of real bikes and racers called Dani."
"You'll see." replied the voice, sounding smug enough to deserve a smack (which just hurts me…odd that…)
During this internal dialogue, a salesman had snuck up on us, starting his friendly patter, pointing out key features of the machine, smiling a lot and being really, really friendly. Bastard. I found myself powerless. The voice had taken control. It asked questions, listened to answers, and when asked if it wanted a test ride, said yes.

About five minutes later, after the voice had made me sign some paperwork and allowed the sales rep to take a copy of my license, the voice let me come back.
"**** me!" I yelp, "What the hell are you doing???"
"Riding a CBR1000RR. Need you to wake up, there's a corner coming and we seem to be going rather fast." answered the voice.
"Are the brakes and tires okay on this thing?" I ask.
"No idea." responds the voice, "Shut up and ride."

And what a ride. First off was the power. Fireblades must really, really like the sky, because the test bike seemed to enjoy getting up on her rear wheel for a long look. Given some gas, it just seems to rotate around the rear axle. Next up was the handling. I was uncomfortable at first, because it feels like there's nothing really there, no reassuring weight. Power from closed throttle is smoother than my Gixxer, which is a little snatchy off of the return. Once I got a little more used to the bike, it felt like it was on rails. I rode the non-ABS version, which is the one I'd buy, so no chance of testing the C-ABS system out. The stock braking, however, was great. Nice feel, and powerful enough to dislodge loose teeth. Something that really grabbed me was the clutch and the gearbox. The clutch was really smooth and light, and the box was a pleasure to flick through. I would seriously consider flipping her over to a treader box (race pattern), because that smooth power delivery and the silken box, coupled with a race pattern would make short shifting at hard lean on the track far easier, and it is easier to change smoothly while cranked over at speed on the road, especially on a bumpy surface where a slick up change is paramount.

By the time I got back to the dealership, I was grinning like a loon and gibbering like an idiot. I want another burn on a CBR to reaffirm my thoughts, because as my Gixxer catapulted me home on a wave of noise and unchecked aggression, I couldn't help but wonder if the Blade would deliver the same sense of insanity as I feel on my own bike. I think the difference is that I'm at home on the big Suzuki, and therefore happier to give her beans, whereas I'm still a little shy around the 'Blade, which is new and feels a little funky.

I did however take my missus to see the 'Blade this morning, and she's given me the green light. I've asked around on pricing for certain mods I want, and have been sourcing some of the carbon body bits I want off of the 'net, so I've a sneaking suspicion that if I find the right deal, I'll be swapping one set of keys for another.

TL;DR

I ride a Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 now, but test rode a Honda CBR1000RR ('09 demo bike) and loved it. I'm therefore considering trading in for a 'Blade.

 

regular magazine article you've got there. i can't make exactly the same comparison, but i can tell you the cbr is a hoot to ride and handles like a dream. coincidentally, i spent some time last week sitting on some of the newer bikes while mine was getting some service, and i have to say i didn't care for the general riding position/feel while sitting on the zookies. like most people, the gsxr is what attracted me to riding back in the day; it's when you finally start looking at the details that you realize there may be other (better) options for you.

thanks for coming 'round the site, welcome to the forum! you won't find a shortage of people here who love their honda.

 

welcome to CBRF,

hope to see some pics of you with the blade soon.
once moved to honda people seem to stick around for a while.

 

Oh well, all Blade plans on hold for 8 weeks. Had a pedestrian step out in front of me yesterday, and ended up grabbing a handful of front brake to save his sorry ****. Net result was the mother of all endos which dissolved rapidly into a forward flip, one trashed K5 and one rider with a broken right wrist. Off to another Honda dealer this weekend to start the search for a new bike. Ironically, binning my baby leaves me in better shape financially than trading it would. Karma?

 

Hope you feel better Paul! Get the blade and come over here more often. I like the way you write (are you a writer by any chance?).

PS: I'm wondering if you are considering the ABS version now that you have filpped your Gixxer?

 

Thanks for all the welcomes and condolences guys. Much appreciated. Off to a Honda dealer on Saturday to look at their run off stock (unregistered 09 and 10) Blades, which are all going for cheap. Got my setup/after market guy looking into pricing on extras, and will be hunting down a new lid.

8 weeks on the sidelines is going to suck badly. My missus is going to need to drop me off at a dealer on a Sunday just so I can sit on a bike and make engine noises.

 

I yelled at the pedestrian that he was about to get his head kicked in once I got up, at which point he figured it was a good time to run away

Thank you, but no, I'm not a writer. I do however manage to be rather useful with the English language, and figure that a story worth telling is worth telling well

 

That was a fantastic story. Sorry to hear about your injury,get well soon man. It's great to have you here no matter what you ride. (altho we are a lil bias).
Hope to have you stick around and tell some stories while you heal up.
And good luck getting your new bike no matter what brand it is.

We also like pics so post em up, and make sure you keep listening to that voice in the back of your head.

So I said to myself, "Self"
Which is very unusual.
Usually I say "Hey,You!!"

 

If you have an iphone there is probably an app out there to help you out with the engine sounds.

So ABS or non-ABS after your little stunt?