What the press say - Doble Motorcycles

CBR1000RR
Fireblade
What the press say...
It’s been an iconic model since its original launch back
in 1992. It’s why every new Fireblade launch, hard
questions are asked of the new model by hardened
motorcycle journalists who have come to
expect the very best. The new Blade,
launched to the press at the Losail circuit
in Doha last December, seems to have
come up with the right answers…

CBR1000RR Fireblade What the press say...
Its’s the first 1000cc
superbike test and
the Fireblade emerges
a clear winner
MCN Feb 2008
Michael Neeves & Adam Child
Honda Fireblade v Kawasaki ZX-10 v
Yamaha YZF-R1 v Suzuki GSX-R1000
the Honda’s rear Bridgestone gives massive
feedback . . . Honda’s new shorter stroke
engine is an epic powerhouse . . .
The fact is, the Honda recorded the quickest
lap time, making it MCN’s track winner.
The factors that go to make a successful
road bike are a different matter. It should make
the rider: a) go all tingly while riding it and b)
appreciate what it is capable of, even though it
can’t be ridden to within 7/10th of its available
performance; and c) have serious amounts of
compliments throw at it when the ignition is
turned off.
The new Blade fulfills all these criteria. The
Honda is so easy to ride fast it defies belief.
As for looks . . . some hate it, most love it.
It looks different but works better than the
rest. That makes the Blade an easy winner.
RIDE
Mar 2008 Ben Wilkins
My heart is pounding and I’m breathing hard.
Just one lap aboard the Fireblade is enough
to see that this is not only a new design; it’s a
new attitude too. Power wheelies
on the way out of corners
and the occasional wag
of the bars are things I’m just not used to
from a Fireblade.
Honda appears to have listened
to those who wanted a bit more
excitement from the Blade as the
new bike explodes any semblance of
the ‘boring’ stigma. It harks back to the early
rowdy Blade, while still managing to be as
refined as they come. Rawness and refinement
may seem mutually exclusive but Honda
seems to have found a way of matching the
two. That’s our impression after trying the new
machine around Qatar’s Losail circuit.
. . . this bike feels smaller and more nimble
than the ones it replaces. It also steers
incredibly quickly, almost dropping into the
first turn.
The 2008 Fireblade now has a hint of animal.
It’s not visible, but there’s also a big
improvement in the seat. Honda has added
a second layer under the foam and the very
base of the seat has a thermoplastic elastomer
layer that distributes the rider’s weight over a
larger area. Honda claims this will reduce back
pain on longer journeys even more than a gel
seat. At first glance Honda seems to be taking
riders’ road needs into account.
This evolution sees the Blade become more
focused, smaller and sharper. But though the
overall performance has increased, it’s still
easy to ride. I’d not recommend that someone
who’s only been riding a few years should
buy a litre sports bike, but the Blade is simple
enough for even a relative novice to enjoy.
. . . and true to Fireblade form, the 2008
bike makes going extremely fast a simple
proposition. Now it’s just more fun.
TWO
Mar 2008 Niall Mackenzie
Heading out of the pit lane at the Losail circuit
in Qatar and my first impression was once
again the Blade had a pretty perfect riding
position with everything in just the right place,
at least it was for my 11 stone, 5’8” frame.
. . . the new two-stage ‘assisted’ slipper
clutch has to be the best I’ve tested so far.
The light lever feel and smooth slipper action
means you get just the right amount of engine
braking at every corner, the result being that
rear end hopping and juddering is totally
eliminated.
. . . the latest one (Blade) is much more
nimble and easier to ride. Changing direction
and stopping now involves much less physical
effort and I felt a lot less tired, considering
the hot conditions were pretty much identical
to my last trip. Overall the handling was
noticeably sharper over the whole lap and
there was even a tad more protection with the
higher screen. The harder I pushed the better
the bike began to feel.
. . . the new lighter mono-bloc callipers are
fantastic. They stayed consistent in the boiling
conditions and were most impressive at the
end of the long straight where I was braking
from 175mph to the next 50mph right-hander
with two fingers and plenty more in reserve.
Excellent.
Press Association MSN
Jan 2008 Janie Omorogbe
Cocking a leg over the new ‘Blade for the first
time, it felt instantly comfortable. It’s smaller
than the current model and lighter by 4kg
due to a long list of slimmer components,
including the frame, engine, wheels and
brakes. The petite new battery weighs
1kg less. But although the

Fireblade’s slimness can be likened to a
600 supersports bike, it’s still remarkably
comfortable, even for a six-footer like me. And
before you instantly dismiss the new snubnosed
styling, leave your final summation for
an in-the-metal viewing. The looks are indeed
a brave move away from the current more
angular trend, but the overall result’s classy
and understated.
British Superbike and TT racer Guy Martin
confirmed the quality of the bike’s new Assist
Slipper Clutch: “It is the best slipper clutch
I’ve ever used in a production bike and if I was
racing it in Superbikes, there’d be no need to
change it. None at all.” And best of all, just
like the second generation steering damper,
you don’t need a racer’s ability to recognise or
benefit from Honda’s helping hands.
Honda has succeeded in continuing to
supply us with a Fireblade for the masses. It’s
still user friendly, but it’s more memorable than
before, it feels more alive.
Superbike
Mar 2008 Alan Dowds
. . . for an initial session at a new circuit, the
Blade is actually pretty friendly and easy to get
on with. There’s a good spread of power from
6,000rpm up towards 12,000rpm with a linear,
progressive delivery and smooth fuel injection.
The brakes are incredibly strong too, and they
dig me out of one or two little holes with ease.
There’s nothing really standing out about
the CBR’s performance though – just lots of
good stuff going on. The brakes are impressing
me more and more each lap, with seemingly
limitless power and even more feel now the
tyres sand suspension are sorted. It’s easy
to hold a tight line through the longer hairpin
bends – essential on this flowing circuit if
you’re to keep in position for the next corner
– while the bike feels composed through
fast direction changes. The slipper clutch is
great too, giving seamless control over hard
downshifts with no juddering, grabbing or
anything disconcerting at all. And the new
engine is still just fine on the track, pulling
in a strong, yet friendly manner through the
midrange and top end.
For the job Honda set it in Qatar, the
Fireblade excelled. Getting round a serious,
WSB-class race track in quick order, while
making it seem very easy is no easy task, and
the new bike managed it a treat.
Performance Bikes
Mar 2008 Guy Martin
The 2008 Fireblade is special. It could be the
most honed, evolved capable litre bike every
produced. Last month we said that Kawasaki’s
ZX-10R could be the fastest litre bike ever
built. And it might well be faster then the
CBR1000RR – we won’t know for sure until
both bikes hit the 2008 PBTT.
But whether the Blade is faster or not, it
cossets and encourages you. It is easier to
extract more performance – just like an 07
Yamaha R1.
The bike is a huge step forward from
the comparatively bland, dour Fireblade of
2006-2007. It’s smaller, lighter, more nimble and
faster. For trackday riders everything is better,
for road riders it is a step forward, for race
teams it could be faster, but it’ll be more work.
But you don’t think about that sort of thing
when you’re riding it hard and the Fireblade
lets you get on with the job of riding the hell
out of it. It excites you in a way the old model
never could .
The Blade has got its balls back.
MCN
Dec 2007 Trevor Franklin
That warm, tingly excited feeling is intensified
within the first four corners. Warmed by the
previous rider, the Blade’s Bridgestone BT015
tyres are already dealing with some hectic
lean angle and throttle abuse. This shot of
confidence is not just down to the tyres. This
bike begs to be thrown into every corner.
No muscle as such is required, just a simple
matter of look where to go, push on the bar
and show hot desert air leathered bum as
I hang off. One scraped knee slider and a
few seconds later I’m already more than
impressed.
I’m also keen to praise the second
generation Honda Electronic Steering Damper
. . . for fast riders and track day fiends the
way the motor feels very, very much more alive
when prodded is going to win some fans.
The exhaust is a work of art. To compact
header pipes, catalytic converter, baffle box
exhaust valve and flap valve (spring loaded
flap that opens on exhaust pressure alone
to reduce noise in testing mainly) in a short
angular design is just short of a miracle.
The finish detailing would put Buell’s 1125R
exhaust near my black waste collection
wheelie bin. But then that’s Honda for you.
Visordown.com
Tim Skilton
So what’s the verdict? Those that rode the
new Kawasaki ZX-10R at the bike’s press
launch at Losail the previous week reckoned
the Blade was more composed, less frantic
and generally easier to ride. They also said the
Honda wasn’t as exciting, as it was probably
a little too composed. I disagree. I found the
Honda useable, blisteringly fast yet immensely
forgiving. How forgiving? I’d not ridden a bike
for 10 months before the launch (seriously, I’m
not joking) but felt totally at ease on the new
Honda. It gave me no frights and forgave the
multitude of mistakes I threw in its face. Sure,
it’s possible to make the Blade misbehave but
you’ve got to grab it by the scruff of the neck
and provoke it. And that’s something you can’t
say about most 1000cc race reps.
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure
March 2008 Chris Moss
. . . in real terms that means it can perform
just as strongly as a fully fledged BSB bike
just a few years ago, and take you down to
the shops with ease as well. A broad range of
usability like that is nothing short of remarkable
There aren’t too many areas where the new
bike is significantly superior to the old one but
overall it’s appreciably better and even easier
to use at the limit.
It’s a highly impressive piece of kit and
though it’s not faultless its certainly one of the
easiest bikes to ride hard that I’ve ever tried.
The precise feeling of its chassis is the
primary reason for the peerless poise and

confidence the Honda can generate There’s
not much it can’t do really well. And it doesn’t
matter whether you’re rating the steering,
stability, braking, ability to change direction, or
general feel of the bike overall; for most of us
it’ll be a maximum score.
Saturday Telegraph
Kevin Ash
Secondly, it has to look impressive and go
well, and here the ‘08 Blade does just fine. In
early pictures the snub-nosed front looked
vaguely like some sea-dwelling mammal, but
in the aluminium flesh it’s simply lean and
purposeful. It’s also remarkably small, worrying
for this rider at 6ft 3in, but once on board you
discover the bar-peg-seat relationship is much
the same as the previous Fireblade, which is
just as well as riders are growing rather than
shrinking. More of a surprise is the raw feel
of the motor when you fire it up. The supercompact
four-cylinder engine vibrates through
the machine and almost does a double-take
pick-up in response to the throttle, like a race
engine and very unlike a Honda. This is real
progress for a company so often criticised for
the bland perfection of its bikes, as it gives the
Blade real character.
The chassis is a delight, the speed-variable
electronic steering damper taming corner-exit
waywardness without affecting agility, while
feedback and manageability are as good
as any road rider could want. On standard
suspension settings the bike makes a good fist
of high-speed track riding and, with suitable
adjustments, it’s a sharp circuit weapon that’s
enormously satisfying as well as very forgiving.
This could well be 2008’s best superbike for
the road…
Bike
Mar 2008 Martin Fitz-Gibbons
Its potential far exceeds the needs of anybody
who puts a tax disc on it, but more importantly
there’s nothing intimidating about it either.
If litre sports bikes were TVs, the Fireblade
wouldn’t have the biggest screen or the
loudest speakers, and it wouldn’t necessarily
look the best in the living room. But you could
be certain that it’d have the crispest picture,
and it’d be the fastest and easiest to set up.
It’s refined, sophisticated, and something
everyone can appreciate.
CBR1000RR Fireblade : £9299
Honda Insurance Group : 17
Engine
Displacement 999.8cm 3
Bore x Stroke
Liquid-cooled 4-stroke 16-valve DOHC inline-4
76 x 55.1mm
Compression Ratio 12.3: 1
Max. Power Output
Max. Torque
Carburation
Fuel Tank Capacity
Ignition System
Starter
Transmission Type
Frame
130.7kW/12,000min-1 (95/1/EC)
113.8Nm/8,500min-1 (95/1/EC)
PGM-DSFI electronic fuel injection
17.7 litres (including 4-litre LCD-indicated reserve)
Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance
Electric
6-speed
Diamond; aluminium composite twin-spar
Dimensions (LxWxH) 2,075 x 685 x 1,130mm
Wheelbase
1,405mm
Caster Angle 23° 18’
Trail
Seat Height
Ground Clearance
Kerb Weight
96.3mm
820mm
130mm
199kg (F: 105kg; R: 94kg)
Suspension Front 43mm inverted HMAS cartridge-type telescopic fork with stepless
preload, compression and rebound adjustment, 120mm axle travel
Rear
Unit Pro-Link with gas-charged HMAS damper featuring 13-step preload and stepless
compression and rebound damping adjustment, 135mm axle travel
Wheels Front Hollow-section triple-spoke cast aluminium
Rear
Hollow-section triple-spoke cast aluminium
Tyre Size Front 120/70-ZR17M/C (58W)
Rear
190/50-ZR17M/C (73W)
Brakes Front 320 x 4.5mm dual hydraulic disc with 4-piston callipers and sintered metal pads
Rear
220 x 5mm hydraulic disc with single-piston calliper and sintered metal pads
Graphite Black (with Candy Glory Red)
Winning Red (with Graphite Black)
Graphite Black
Pearl Sunbeam White (with Graphite Black)