hey! putting in the obligatory intro post. HOW'S IT HANGING?

i have been riding since my teens, and have had street bikes since the mid 80s, so i have seen a lot of changes to the technology that makes modern bikes what they are now.....problem is, i prefer the older, simpler bikes. more "character" i guess. i can tell the difference between most any older bike right off the bat, but usually miss the mark in trying to identify any of the newer bikes....they all look [and sound] the same at first glance. just like newer cars.

anyway, this spring i thought i would pick up something that i can ride around, make a few road trips, and not have to be too worried about what might happen if the bike i am on breaks down. i currently have two older Hondas that i have a great affection for. the Custom is a cruiser that i have had for almost 20 years. the F is my "problem child" that i have pretty much rebuilt from the ground up at this point. but is a real blast to ride...for a 30 year old, 600lb dinosaur. i tell people "in its day, the F was the fastest bike on the planet"......well, like i said, that was 30 years ago. [LOL]

so i pick up this 98 Fireblade locally for next to nothing....comparatively.

it has been down...probably several times. the bodywork is mucked, and painted the prerequisite matte black to hide any serious damage. Mechanically, though, it seems to be OK, and once i fix the steering head bearings, should be good for my purposes. i would love to make it look good, and if i keep it, will eventually get some good body panels and a decent paint job. for now, i need to get use to this thing and see just how different it is from my F. besides being almost half the weight, better technology, and more horse power. hopefully i don't flat-spot the rear tire in the process....that chicken strip looks pretty scary

 

It's hanging a bit to the right, thanks for asking.

Welcome to CBRF!! Great intro by the way. I too prefer the older bikes, but it's mainly because I can't afford anything newer right now ...lol. Let's see some pics of the new-to-you Fireblade ...and what the heck, lets see your other 2 bikes too!

Swing by the 900RR section with any questions you may have about the "new girl" and enjoy the forums.

 

Welcome to the CBRF, man!
The 900rr is a great bike. Hope she treats you well, and you get her sorted how you like.

 

Welcome to the Forum. Sounds like a good one you found yourself there .....how's
she look ? Got a pic ? what kinda miles ?

 

according to the odo, it has 12,000 mile on it. it doesn't run bad, no funky noises or strange rattles. the tires [sportmaxes] are in pretty good shape, as is the chain. the bike came with a decent looking and sounding D&D exhaust. the guy i got it from had started replacing the damaged plastics, but it still needs a few better pieces. at some point, someone had put what looks like letters and numbers you can get from the local hardware store on the bike. and it is covered with the affore mentioned black paint.

the most obvious issue with it right now is the steering head, which is loose. i tightened up the adjuster nut, but i have a brand new set of All ***** bearing to install. it also needs new pads in front, and the speedo doesn't work. since it is a 98, i need to find a 98/99 speedometer, and it looks like i will be having to buy a whole cluster. other than these minor quirks, the bike seems like a decent ride.

as a side note, it is interesting that i should get a 900RR. i just happen to have a bunch of parts for this bike, since a lot of the parts from the RR are a favorite upgrade for CB-Fs like mine. do a search on google and you will find quite a few "hot rodded" CB750Fs, 900Fs, and 1100Fs with CBR wheels, forks, brakes, swing arms, and such. many parts are a simple bolt-on or easily adaptable to the air-cooled DOHC bikes.