01 Fireblade project and 94 Urban Tiger Blade purchase.

[Exuptoy]

I like the RRW-RRX especially in the ginger colour.

Spent a couple hours up the garage, cleaned up the rusty sidestand, etch primed then painted satin black.
Got all engine and pinch bolts torqued and paint marked (still need to helicoil the RH headbolt which holds the crash bung, after the previous owner ballsed up the thread. Just waiting on my helicoil kit. It won’t be a factory fresh bike once finished but it’ll be presentable and safe.

 

[GRW]

I lusted after the first 900cc carbed 'Blade. Knew & rode with guys that had them, but I was impoverished with young family etc. I thrashed about on an FZ750 then.
Test rode a '98 later Blade around 2002 with a view to buying, but that bike didn't stir me (it made going stupidly fast feel like you were cruising, & sub 100mph feel a bit insipid somehow. I know that sounds mental but it's how I felt).
Ended up trying (& buying) a mates Honda X11. A strange mix of loopy & Honda-sensible bike, but far more engaging to ride at 80 to silly than the 98 Blade.
I always felt that the more edgy original Blade (in moody Black please) would be the most fun & challenging Blade & the one I'd get on with..... I'll never know now!

 

[Exuptoy]

I had the 97 RRV (last Foxeye) and the fat blade, the 98 RRW, and you’re spot on, the refined 918 still with the 16” front felt too sanitised…too polished, you felt comfortable and unflustered then you looked down and were doing 130-140. I had the 2000 R1 after (5JJ) and it had moved the goalposts like the earlier 893 Blade had done. It felt special. Later still Suzuki did the same with the Gixer, I had both the K3 and the seminal K5 and I felt the K3 was better, the K5 just had a bigger following. I rode that K5 after a fork rebuild with K-Tech shim stacks back 2 back with an L4 (9 years newer) and when I got back on the K5 I stopped to check I didn’t have a puncture as the big piston forks in the L4 were that much better. It was an eye opener. We take it for granted how good things are through continued development!

 

[harveyp6]

A mate if mine had an early Suzuki GSXR1100 which he rode to work every morning. Came up the North circular in the damp and drizzle, crossed some white lines and because they were wet, got a little wiggle on, so off the gas, let it straighten up, then look at the Speedo. He was still doing nearly 130mph.
He had no idea he was going that fast. Got into work, got on the phone, and chopped it in for an XBR500

 

[dobbslc]

XBR500

That would slow him down a bit

 

[harveyp6]

That would slow him down a bit

That was exactly why he did it. He thought the GSXR was going to end up killing him. He's long dead now, but at least it wasn't a bike that did for him.