[caption id="attachment_72842" align="alignnone" width="568"] Stunning in black, the best looking blade of all?[/caption]

This was the 2nd Fireblade that I been have lucky enough to ride and without a doubt is the best looking of all, the gleaming black of this 2007 model really showing off its’ lines to superb effect.
This particular example is owned by my old mate and fellow forum member Toggsy. He bought it to replace his previous mount the rather missile like Kawasaki ZX9R.
To focus on his new mount the  Fireblade exudes an air of well engineered, deep-seated quality: The fit and finish is virtually flawless and once you are astride the bike all the controls have a crisp, precise and well balanced action. All very typically Honda these days.
Once on the move the Honda is obviously extremely swift, but there is a calm assurance about how it goes about the task of covering ground at such blistering speed. This is how I would imagine it would feel to brandish a rapier, whilst bikes like the ZX10R are more of a wildly swinging, but just as deadly, broadsword. The Blade lends a sense precision to everything you do whilst riding it. In fact the Honda slices across the countryside with such a extreme degree of competency that some sense of speed is lost. However a quick check of the numbers on the clock soon acts to dispel that notion!
The Blade has a balance between all the control inputs; brakes, throttle, clutch that typifies the attention to detail that Honda pride themselves upon. Yet, somehow for me it takes something away from the riding experience. This is something I have noted on a number of Honda bikes that I have ridden over the years. They are hugely impressive, but a little too clinical in execution for their own good. On any logical assessment the blade is a fantastic bike, the very embodiment of the modern sports bike. However for me it needs to add a little bad-boy attitude to the mix, a raw edge…it might seem an odd thing to say, but Honda make the blade a little worse and it will be so much better!!