30 Years of the Honda Fireblade

When Honda unveiled the 30th anniversary colour scheme for the Fireblade this year, it was clear how much the heritage of the model meant to everyone. What better way to celebrate turning 30 than by throwing a Fireblade party.

Why?

Why not? What more of an excuse do you need for a party than turning 30! The chance to lay on something extra for owners and fans of the Fireblade was too good to miss. Hosting it during the Donington round of the BSB championship made complete sense. Getting exclusive use of the Melbourne Loop for the whole weekend was the icing on the cake.

The People

Hundreds of Fireblade owners filed into the Melbourne Loop where exclusive parking had been arranged. Race replicas, modified streetfighter styles, daily commuters and cherished older models all found a spot to suit them, their owners immediately finding something in common to talk about among the crowd. I grabbed a few owners for a chat and loved finding fathers and sons that shared a common bond by way of spending time on the bike. Two ladies talked me through how they had both seen Fireblades on the showroom floor when they passed their bike tests years before, only to return and buy the Blade of their dreams. The common thread in the Fireblade was what stitched friendships, relationships, regular meet ups and foreign trips together. While this kind of activity is common at any round of BSB or a decent bike meet, to see so many people in one place, all with the keys to a Fireblade in their pockets was pretty special.

The Exhibits

The Honda UK Heritage collection is always a highlight and for me it took pride of place on the outside of the Melbourne Loop. There was plenty more to see though. Trials riding trickster Steve Colley set up camp in the run off area behind the circuit and dazzled the crowd with his skills. A multiple British and world champion, as well a Scottish six day trial winner, Steve and his Montessa are able to do things that would make a mountain goat nervous. There was an interactive corner where Honda fans could try the Dual Clutch Transmission setup on a Honda NT1100 on the safety of a rolling road. With supervised intstruction, riders could feel the benefits of the system without the need to leave the circuit. Lots of people have fairly strong opinions on DCT but based on the size of the queue every time I walked past, it’s fair to say that it’s growing in popularity.

The Honda Adventure Centre stand was also busy, the team from Devon were more than happy to talk people through what they can expect to find on their single or multi day riding programmes, using both manual and DCT versions of the Africa Twin.

There was a fine selection of race bikes to look at too. Seeing the Honda Racing UK team flashing past on the current model is always good but getting the chance to get up close and personal to BSB championship winning Fireblades of the past isn’t something you get at every round.

The Parade Laps.

With a break in racing came the opportunity for everyone to get out on track. The parade laps were spectacular. Not because of the speed, riders would get the chance for some track time later on in the day. The parade laps was a chance for over 300 Fireblades spanning every year of production to form up and enjoy the weather in style.

I was lucky enough to have my pick of the heritage collection and went for the 1996 model. In the form up area I got chatting to a Dutch journalist friend of mine who was making goo goo eyes at my bike. I did the right thing and handed him the keys, taking his 2022 model Fireblade SP didn’t exactly feel like the bad end of a deal to be fair.

When the moment came, we filed out on track behind John McGuinness, I’ll be honest and say I didn’t really know where to look first. In front of me was Michael Neeves from MCN on an immaculate 1992 CBR 900 RR, next to him on a brand new bike wearing the 30th anniversary colours was Mr TT himself. If I looked in my mirrors there was a sea of Fireblades looking back at me. We waved and the crowd waved back, the sun shone and every single rider I saw on track had a smile on their face that going fast just can’t match. I’ve organised events for single makes of sportsbike myself in the past but have never experienced anything like the moving bike show we put on at Donington Park.

Track Time.

If the parade laps weren’t quite enough, Honda Fireblade owners were lucky enough to be able to speed things up a little in the evenings with some open pitlane track time. What better way to connect with your 1994 Urban Tiger model Blade than by stretching its legs around one of the best circuits in the country? I grabbed the chance to get up above turn one and watched from the comfort of one of the many hospitality suites. As much as I loved seeing the older bikes carving lines, it was John McGuinness and Glenn Irwin that stole the show for me every time they tipped in and gassed their way out of Redgate.

The Bikes.

The updated for 2022 Honda CBR1000RR-R SP was the star of the show. The 30th anniversary model paint scheme is draws you in but there’s a host of technical changes to make the more engaging than ever. The addition of four teeth to the rear sprocket brings the acceleration to life. It’s not just a gearing change that the new Fireblade benefits from, revisions to the intake ports, the airbox and in the inlet funnels help spread that power where Honda felt it needed to go. Better breathing in needs better breathing out, so there’s been a few tweaks on the exhaust side too. The upside to this is no loss of power at the top end of the rev range (214bhp at 14,500rpm), but an easier and more useable chunk of it now lives in the rider’s hand when they want mid corner acceleration. Honda also worked with HRC riders to refine throttle feel and traction control performance which in turn meant that the quick shifter settings required some small adjustments. Accessing the power available lower down the rev range, with the safety net a full suite of rider aids offers means that the Total Control principle that Tadao Baba envisioned with the 1992 model remains as relevant today as it did 30 years ago.