Wow! I've covered over a million miles on bikes and despatched since 1985 using real working bikes. I treated myself to a Blackbird 5 years ago, commuted daily Spalding to Colchester for 4 of those and i can tell you this is the most complete motorcycle i have ever had the privilage to ride. Performance, handling, braking well, what can i say. If you haven't had one of these try one. Pillions love it, everyone loves them and i still get a thrill when i wake up knowing i have to ride it to work.
Absolutely everything!
Haven't found any in 250k miles
Reviewing a 1999 model.
cbr1100xxx
Owned for more than 5 years.
i own a a p reg 97 carb version import in grey, fantasdtic, nothing better a real all rounder, can scrtatch with the super sports and cruse with the tourers, mild flat spot at 4000 revs 80 mph in top gear but easily over come by dropping a cog, handelling superb, ok its not a fire blade or a R1 but i recon i can corner and perform as well as both and when we get to the long streight they and a distant vison in my rear view mirror, later when they catch up they look at me and the bike in wonder at the shear agility and power of the bird.
comforatable, fast, smooth, go no you know you want one a superior bike not for boys! carefull though you will gain points on this one!
I am now on my second Blackbird, and I really cannot think of another bike that does everything I ask of my machines. I can use it for work, I can tour, I can play, I can trickle around at 30 or use its performance which is there in abundance without so much as a glitch.
My first BB I sold with 145,000 miles on the clock and I loved the titanium colour as it was so understated, my current steed is black whichj looks great but is a bugger to keep looking clean.
My current bike is just coming up for 4 years old, and I am now looking to change (I change between 2 and 4 yearly intervals) and I am undecided whether to wait for the new Vtec model or go for a current 03 bike.
The balckbird has just replaced my cbr1000 although a good bike the blackbird is in a class of its own its lower centre of gravity makes it feel light, the increase in performance is unbeleviable and the handling is superb the only draw back was when i got the insurance bill come through i was ill for two days i suppose you cant have everything.
Wot? Only 3 hearts for performance? What bikes have you lot had prior to the Blackbird? Until a test ride on a ZX12 it's the fastest (straight line) bike I've had. Handling is good though ground clearance is poor. Both sides of the fairing of my bike touch down without too much effort. Build quality is second to none, typical Honda, and I've had no problems with reliability. Excellent two up, smooth, fast and thoroughly recommended.
i have had no problems with my blackbird upto yet, it rides like a dream, handles ok and is very comfortable on long journeys,in all an excellent machine and great value for money.
The day before I was due to pick up the world's fastest production bike, it snowed. Not just a couple of flakes, but a full-on blizzard - settling to three inches on the local roads. Fortunately the next day the weather eased a little, enough to enable me to collect the bike in the drizzle from Honda's Chiswick HQ, but the greasy, wet roads weren't particularly welcoming for such a powerful bike...
After seeing the grey and red versions at the launch, it was a surprise to find that the black paint job suits the bike really well - it's by far the best colour option (despite the difficulty in taking good photographs in the grey winter). Along with a black painted frame and the chrome stickers, the bike has a sort of mean, stealth fighter look, and while my initial thoughts at the launch were that it was bland looking, in the flesh it grows on you.
Equipment-wise, it's pretty much as you'd expect from Honda; span-adjustable levers, clear speedo (only 200mph? might get it off the clock...) and even a clock - wait a minute, is this a tourer? Then you start to wonder - what exactly is this bike? Designed to be fast, yes - and aerodynamics clearly have a strong influence over the styling - but if it's a racer, why have a pillion seat, or bungee hooks, or a centre stand?
In actual fact, the CBR1100XX (the official designation) is a sort of VFR750's big brother. The seat is very roomy, the handlebars aren't that low, and the suspension is less adjustable than a repli-racer would be (forks are unadjustable, while the rear is pretty inaccessible). It's even got a pillion friendly grab rail (nylon, so that your partner's hands don't get cold).
As I checked the bike out, I was pleased to find (not!) that a pair of brand new Bridgestone BT57s were fitted to the 17 inch wheels. Great - wet greasy roads, mega-powerful bike, new tyres! Settling into the seat and stretching forward to the bars, it was not without trepidation I fired the bike up, pulled in the clutch and engaged first with a crunch (oh yeah - same gearbox as the 600 and Fireblade). Off we go...
The first 20 miles with the bike were hell. The steering at low speed was so fast that, combined with the new front tyre and the greasy road, it felt like riding on marbles. Central London traffic was at its worst in the rain, and the crunchy gearbox, transmission snatch and glitchy carburation did nothing to aid confidence. Nevertheless there were no dramas - the BT57s gripped without sliding, and the bike was extremely easy to handle as soon as the road cleared at all. In fact it didn't really seem all that powerful...
But once out of the city streets and onto to open roads of Kent, I was able to scrub in the tyres and get a better feel of the bike - and it was then that I realised that I'd been in awe of the thing, instead of relaxing and just riding. Giving the bike a little more throttle, changing gear at higher revs, and easing my grip on the bars transformed the bike's feel - suddenly I was riding a CBR600 with a bored-out Fireblade engine on racing tyres - hey this is fun!
The engine's very smooth, but retains the characteristic "grumble" of all the CBR motors. Dual balancer shafts have been added to smooth the vibes and allow the rigid mounting of the engine. But what the Blackbird has over the other CBRs is an awesome power step at 7000rpm. Up until that point, the bike is pretty flat - a good 600 maybe, but the carburation is a bit glitchy with a big hole at 4 and a half grand, so at wide throttle openings at low revs the bike sometimes feels like it's going backwards.
But once the revs get to 7 grand, the bike hits Warp Factor 10 with a vengence - there's simply nothing on the road that will out-accelerate it. You feel the bike wrenching itself out of your hands with such a huge punch it's hard to believe, and the same thing happens in second, third, fourth and even fifth gear, by which time you're travelling so fast that motorways become twisty backroads and the wind pressure is threatening to throw you back up the road! Everything gets a bit blurry, and the adrenaline buzz can be pretty addictive...Sixth is an overdrive - reputedly just to get that big top speed figure - but if you rev it out in fifth you're already going waaay too fast!
You've got to be pretty quick at changing gear too - it's all too easy to find the engine on the rev limiter if you're too slow on the lever. Completely ballistic - where are the brakes?
Ah yes, the brakes. Honda's incredibly complicated dual balanced linked whatevers - pull on the front lever and the back brake goes on too, hit the rear pedal and some of the front brakes come on with the back (for a full description, contact your local dealer for the 4-page explanation). Well whatever they are meant to do, they don't really cut it for me. Not that the bike didn't stop - it always did - it just felt like maybe it wouldn't stop in time...
I'm a firm lover of "in your face" brakes - Kawasaki and Suzuki are favourites - the sort of brakes that can stand the bike on its nose with one finger. The Blackbird's aren't like that - they lack the initial bite of a good six-pot setup, and the use of the rear brake seemed to do strange things to the weight transfer - for instance attempts at stoppies just forced the front wheel to lose traction (despite the sticky tyre), perhaps because there was less weight on the front contact patch. Now I'm not saying that stoppies are important for every day riding, but a major part of the effectiveness of a bike's brakes are due to weight transfer onto the front tyre; more grip = more braking. It's just not good for your nerves when you don't think you're gonna stop.
Bendy roads ahead Despite the horrendous road conditions (note the salt trails in the pic on the left) the sticky BT57s still allowed knee-down antics (and footrest down, fairing down, pipe down - oops sorry Honda!)
As soon as I hit a few curves, the bike surprised again - it turned back into that 600, with light, precise steering, easy changes of direction, and compliant yet firm suspension.
In fact the front end felt better than a Fireblade - stable yet quick-steering, but with great feel, allowing confident, hard cornering and with good feedback from the front tyre - maybe because the bike has a 17 inch front wheel rather than the 'Blades 16 incher. Even though the forks aren't adjustable, it didn't matter. At the back the suspension gave a comfortable ride, yet never seemed to get out of shape as the speed went up - no point in changing anything there either.
Due credit must be given to the Bridgestone Battlax tyres - the grip they offered was terrific, despite the dreadful road conditions. During a photo session on a rare dry day, the roads were covered in salt yet it was relatively easy to get a knee down, followed by the long hero blobs on the footrests, the fairing and the exhaust downpipes under the engine (slightly worrying that...).
At very high speeds, a curious thing happens - the steering actually becomes more stable and less twitchy the faster you go. Naturally this is exactly what's needed - and it means that even at enormous speeds the bike tracks straight and true - no wobbles, weaves or worries - superb! Fast sweepers can be taken with just the same confidence as roundabout scratching; it's truly impressive.
The Deputy Ed heads off down a country lane for some scratching..
Real Life So it's fast, and it can scratch, but what about touring and going down the shops?
Short trips in traffic are no problem - my initial bad experiences were my own fault - and the light steering and flickability mean the bike is fine in the city (if a little out of place). The mirrors work fine, though larger riders found they weren't wide enough, and the clock is definitely useful if you're chasing a deadline. A fast bike needs good lights - and the Blackbird has the best yet. The over and under dual beam was designed to keep the frontal area low (so they say) and has resulted in the brightest beam with the best spread of any bike we've ridden.
It's a pretty good pose bike too - every time we parked up someone would walk up to take a look, or remark on the bike's looks (all complimentary, believe it or not!).
The Verdict Plenty of riders (probably the more mature ones...) will say that the Blackbird is too much - too much power, too much speed, too much fuel consumption. And to some extent, we agree. Despite all the macho posturing amongst bikers, few can truly say that they would use the Blackbird's performance to the full on a regular basis (and still hold a license). Yet Honda have succeeded in producing a bike which is thoroughly enjoyable and manageable by any reasonably experienced rider - it's a damn fine bike, full stop.
Not only will it scratch with the best, but it'll tour, and go just about as fast as you'll ever want to go. The engine is smooth and powerful, yet docile at low revs. The chassis and suspension make the bike feel as flickable as a 600 at low speeds, yet it's stable and rigid at very high speeds.
But it's not perfect. The gearbox is Honda's usual crunchy concoction (rumour has it they've fixed it in the latest 600) and transmission snatch is a pain. The carburation below 5000rpm could be better, and most importantly the brakes don't really feel up to the job (though they never actually let us down).
And surprisingly for Honda, the finish is not what it could be. By the end of a two-week test (admittedly in crap conditions) all the bolts mounting the front calipers to the forks were white and furry through road salt - and the bike was garaged when it wasn't ridden. Far too many of those nasty green bolts for us (compared with the Fireblade, for instance) - perhaps evidence of Honda cost-cutting to keep the price below the Kawasaki ZZR-1100 that it's so obviously targetted at?
But to be honest, we're nit-picking; yet again Honda have managed to turn what could be one of the most bonkers bikes into a real, usable tool that's a very desirable motorcycle.
But it's pretty frustrating - it's difficult to control the urge to hit that 7000 rpm explosion every time you ride, and you just know your license won't survive...
Engine: Liquid-cooled 4-stroke 16 valve DOHC inline 4 Bore x Stroke: 79 x 58mm Displacement: 1,137cc Compression ratio: 11:1 Carbs: 42mm slanted flat-slide CV x 4 Max. Power: 164PS/10,000rpm Max. Torque: 12.7kg-m/7,250rpm Ignition: Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance Starter: Electric Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: 'O'-ring sealed chain Dimensions (LxWxH): 2,160x720x1,170mm Wheelbase: 1,490mm Seat Height: 810mm Ground Clearance: 130mm Fuel Capacity: 22 litres Wheels: Hollow-section triple-spoke cast
Tyres:
Front - 120/70 ZR17 Radial Rear - 180/55 ZR17 Radial Suspension: Front - 43mm Cartridge-type fork, 120mm travel Rear - Pro-link with gas-charged damper, rebound adjustable 120mm travel Brakes: Front - Front - 310mm dual disks with "dual combined" three-piston calipers Rear - 256mm single disk with three-piston caliper Dry Weight: 223kg Colours: Titanium Metallic, Mute Black Metallic, Candy Muthos Magenta
The day before I was due to pick up the world's fastest production bike, it snowed. Not just a couple of flakes, but a full-on blizzard - settling to three inches on the local roads. Fortunately the next day the weather eased a little, enough to enable me to collect the bike in the drizzle from Honda's Chiswick HQ, but the greasy, wet roads weren't particularly welcoming for such a powerful bike...
After seeing the grey and red versions at the launch, it was a surprise to find that the black paint job suits the bike really well - it's by far the best colour option (despite the difficulty in taking good photographs in the grey winter). Along with a black painted frame and the chrome stickers, the bike has a sort of mean, stealth fighter look, and while my initial thoughts at the launch were that it was bland looking, in the flesh it grows on you.
Equipment-wise, it's pretty much as you'd expect from Honda; span-adjustable levers, clear speedo (only 200mph? might get it off the clock...) and even a clock - wait a minute, is this a tourer? Then you start to wonder - what exactly is this bike? Designed to be fast, yes - and aerodynamics clearly have a strong influence over the styling - but if it's a racer, why have a pillion seat, or bungee hooks, or a centre stand?
In actual fact, the CBR1100XX (the official designation) is a sort of VFR750's big brother. The seat is very roomy, the handlebars aren't that low, and the suspension is less adjustable than a repli-racer would be (forks are unadjustable, while the rear is pretty inaccessible). It's even got a pillion friendly grab rail (nylon, so that your partner's hands don't get cold).
As I checked the bike out, I was pleased to find (not!) that a pair of brand new Bridgestone BT57s were fitted to the 17 inch wheels. Great - wet greasy roads, mega-powerful bike, new tyres! Settling into the seat and stretching forward to the bars, it was not without trepidation I fired the bike up, pulled in the clutch and engaged first with a crunch (oh yeah - same gearbox as the 600 and Fireblade). Off we go...
The first 20 miles with the bike were hell. The steering at low speed was so fast that, combined with the new front tyre and the greasy road, it felt like riding on marbles. Central London traffic was at its worst in the rain, and the crunchy gearbox, transmission snatch and glitchy carburation did nothing to aid confidence. Nevertheless there were no dramas - the BT57s gripped without sliding, and the bike was extremely easy to handle as soon as the road cleared at all. In fact it didn't really seem all that powerful...
But once out of the city streets and onto to open roads of Kent, I was able to scrub in the tyres and get a better feel of the bike - and it was then that I realised that I'd been in awe of the thing, instead of relaxing and just riding. Giving the bike a little more throttle, changing gear at higher revs, and easing my grip on the bars transformed the bike's feel - suddenly I was riding a CBR600 with a bored-out Fireblade engine on racing tyres - hey this is fun!
The engine's very smooth, but retains the characteristic "grumble" of all the CBR motors. Dual balancer shafts have been added to smooth the vibes and allow the rigid mounting of the engine. But what the Blackbird has over the other CBRs is an awesome power step at 7000rpm. Up until that point, the bike is pretty flat - a good 600 maybe, but the carburation is a bit glitchy with a big hole at 4 and a half grand, so at wide throttle openings at low revs the bike sometimes feels like it's going backwards.
But once the revs get to 7 grand, the bike hits Warp Factor 10 with a vengence - there's simply nothing on the road that will out-accelerate it. You feel the bike wrenching itself out of your hands with such a huge punch it's hard to believe, and the same thing happens in second, third, fourth and even fifth gear, by which time you're travelling so fast that motorways become twisty backroads and the wind pressure is threatening to throw you back up the road! Everything gets a bit blurry, and the adrenaline buzz can be pretty addictive...Sixth is an overdrive - reputedly just to get that big top speed figure - but if you rev it out in fifth you're already going waaay too fast!
You've got to be pretty quick at changing gear too - it's all too easy to find the engine on the rev limiter if you're too slow on the lever. Completely ballistic - where are the brakes?
Ah yes, the brakes. Honda's incredibly complicated dual balanced linked whatevers - pull on the front lever and the back brake goes on too, hit the rear pedal and some of the front brakes come on with the back (for a full description, contact your local dealer for the 4-page explanation). Well whatever they are meant to do, they don't really cut it for me. Not that the bike didn't stop - it always did - it just felt like maybe it wouldn't stop in time...
I'm a firm lover of "in your face" brakes - Kawasaki and Suzuki are favourites - the sort of brakes that can stand the bike on its nose with one finger. The Blackbird's aren't like that - they lack the initial bite of a good six-pot setup, and the use of the rear brake seemed to do strange things to the weight transfer - for instance attempts at stoppies just forced the front wheel to lose traction (despite the sticky tyre), perhaps because there was less weight on the front contact patch. Now I'm not saying that stoppies are important for every day riding, but a major part of the effectiveness of a bike's brakes are due to weight transfer onto the front tyre; more grip = more braking. It's just not good for your nerves when you don't think you're gonna stop.
Bendy roads ahead Despite the horrendous road conditions (note the salt trails in the pic on the left) the sticky BT57s still allowed knee-down antics (and footrest down, fairing down, pipe down - oops sorry Honda!)
As soon as I hit a few curves, the bike surprised again - it turned back into that 600, with light, precise steering, easy changes of direction, and compliant yet firm suspension.
In fact the front end felt better than a Fireblade - stable yet quick-steering, but with great feel, allowing confident, hard cornering and with good feedback from the front tyre - maybe because the bike has a 17 inch front wheel rather than the 'Blades 16 incher. Even though the forks aren't adjustable, it didn't matter. At the back the suspension gave a comfortable ride, yet never seemed to get out of shape as the speed went up - no point in changing anything there either.
Due credit must be given to the Bridgestone Battlax tyres - the grip they offered was terrific, despite the dreadful road conditions. During a photo session on a rare dry day, the roads were covered in salt yet it was relatively easy to get a knee down, followed by the long hero blobs on the footrests, the fairing and the exhaust downpipes under the engine (slightly worrying that...).
At very high speeds, a curious thing happens - the steering actually becomes more stable and less twitchy the faster you go. Naturally this is exactly what's needed - and it means that even at enormous speeds the bike tracks straight and true - no wobbles, weaves or worries - superb! Fast sweepers can be taken with just the same confidence as roundabout scratching; it's truly impressive.
The Deputy Ed heads off down a country lane for some scratching..
Real Life So it's fast, and it can scratch, but what about touring and going down the shops?
Short trips in traffic are no problem - my initial bad experiences were my own fault - and the light steering and flickability mean the bike is fine in the city (if a little out of place). The mirrors work fine, though larger riders found they weren't wide enough, and the clock is definitely useful if you're chasing a deadline. A fast bike needs good lights - and the Blackbird has the best yet. The over and under dual beam was designed to keep the frontal area low (so they say) and has resulted in the brightest beam with the best spread of any bike we've ridden.
It's a pretty good pose bike too - every time we parked up someone would walk up to take a look, or remark on the bike's looks (all complimentary, believe it or not!).
The Verdict Plenty of riders (probably the more mature ones...) will say that the Blackbird is too much - too much power, too much speed, too much fuel consumption. And to some extent, we agree. Despite all the macho posturing amongst bikers, few can truly say that they would use the Blackbird's performance to the full on a regular basis (and still hold a license). Yet Honda have succeeded in producing a bike which is thoroughly enjoyable and manageable by any reasonably experienced rider - it's a damn fine bike, full stop.
Not only will it scratch with the best, but it'll tour, and go just about as fast as you'll ever want to go. The engine is smooth and powerful, yet docile at low revs. The chassis and suspension make the bike feel as flickable as a 600 at low speeds, yet it's stable and rigid at very high speeds.
But it's not perfect. The gearbox is Honda's usual crunchy concoction (rumour has it they've fixed it in the latest 600) and transmission snatch is a pain. The carburation below 5000rpm could be better, and most importantly the brakes don't really feel up to the job (though they never actually let us down).
And surprisingly for Honda, the finish is not what it could be. By the end of a two-week test (admittedly in crap conditions) all the bolts mounting the front calipers to the forks were white and furry through road salt - and the bike was garaged when it wasn't ridden. Far too many of those nasty green bolts for us (compared with the Fireblade, for instance) - perhaps evidence of Honda cost-cutting to keep the price below the Kawasaki ZZR-1100 that it's so obviously targetted at?
But to be honest, we're nit-picking; yet again Honda have managed to turn what could be one of the most bonkers bikes into a real, usable tool that's a very desirable motorcycle.
But it's pretty frustrating - it's difficult to control the urge to hit that 7000 rpm explosion every time you ride, and you just know your license won't survive...
Engine: Liquid-cooled 4-stroke 16 valve DOHC inline 4 Bore x Stroke: 79 x 58mm Displacement: 1,137cc Compression ratio: 11:1 Carbs: 42mm slanted flat-slide CV x 4 Max. Power: 164PS/10,000rpm Max. Torque: 12.7kg-m/7,250rpm Ignition: Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance Starter: Electric Transmission: 6-speed Final Drive: 'O'-ring sealed chain Dimensions (LxWxH): 2,160x720x1,170mm Wheelbase: 1,490mm Seat Height: 810mm Ground Clearance: 130mm Fuel Capacity: 22 litres Wheels: Hollow-section triple-spoke cast
Tyres:
Front - 120/70 ZR17 Radial Rear - 180/55 ZR17 Radial Suspension: Front - 43mm Cartridge-type fork, 120mm travel Rear - Pro-link with gas-charged damper, rebound adjustable 120mm travel Brakes: Front - Front - 310mm dual disks with "dual combined" three-piston calipers Rear - 256mm single disk with three-piston caliper Dry Weight: 223kg Colours: Titanium Metallic, Mute Black Metallic, Candy Muthos Magenta
I use a Blackbird for my touring business. I am about to buy Blackbird number seven. Yes - they really are that good. The newer fuel injected models take a bit of getting used to after carbs - the throttle feels much more like an on/off switch - especially trying to use engine braking downhill. Pads tend to glaze over and lose their effectiveness so replacement regardless of wear is a good idea after 10,000 miles. Changing brake fluid made a big difference too at 40,000 miles. Chain and sprockets need to go at 20,000 miles (if you lube them regularly - otherwise earlier...) and the chain really does wear quickly in that last 1000 miles. I cover 30/40,000 miles a year touring Europe mostly two-up and I cannot think of a better bike for the job. Hey it still makes me smile after a blast up the autoroute to Calais (usually chasing Ferraris...)
she justs glides throu the air you cant love it any better than any other bike
Owned for 1 year.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2002.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
Get the forks revalved, drop some weight by adding a 4 to 1 carbon exaust, drop some more weight by adding aluminum race wheels, drop in a Power Commander, have it dyno'ed and you have 145hp at the rear wheel and a bike that will run corners with the 600's. (Don't forget to unbolt the center stand)
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2002.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
Bought it secondhand, these are great bikes. Want a new one :-) DeXX
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2002.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
Phenomenal performance. More than most, even experienced, riders know what to do with. Handles fine for a weighty machine. Non-adjustable forks were theought to be a bad move but have proved fine. It is easier to mess up handling rather than improve it with adjustments. Beatiful looking machinw in black glass colours. Really pleased to finally own onw. A better all rounder thant eh ZX12R and Hayabusa, and will last a winter too.
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed October 2001.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
As good as it gets for an old fella like me & a partner with a tender bum!
Owned for 4 years.
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