LL Cool Blade

[Steve H]

'Ladies Love Cool James' is hip hop artists LL Cool J's full name although I'm pretty certain it wasn't his Mother's choice! The Honda Fireblae that I test rode today could adopt a similar handle although the 'LL' would stand simply for 'License Loser'.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/steveqpr/DSC00059.jpg

I sat on the bike at my local dealers as it growled away on tickover - I pretended to be a conscientious biker taking an age to adjust the two mirrors and familiarise myself with the controls as a couple of blokes looked on. In reality however I was just waiting for them to bugger off before I left the car park as I didn't particularly want them to witness me wobble away on an unfamiliar motorcycle. Unfortunately I tired of the game way before the onlookers did - they were about to set up deck chairs and get a fire going as I pulled away in first gear the Blade smoothly drifting off underneath me not requiring a gear change into second until we were well out of the car park and trundling up the road.

The bike is abut as smooth as one of the aforementioned rap artists come to bed lines, it pulls effortlessly at any revs with a roll of the throttle and like Lilly Savage possess no snatch whatsoever - I was instantly impressed as I negotiated thorough traffic onto one of my favourite twisty roads.

After leaving Gloucester I accelerated off a large roundabout onto the A419 to Ledbury and opened the Blade up for the first time. What I was expecting isn't what I got - I thought I'd experience a flighty front end, wheel skipping over the road under heavy acceleration. No chance, it was planted and remained (just about) on the deck which gave me more confidence to push the bike throught the hour that I rode it. 1st gear takes you up to 70ish (I wasn't really paying that much attention to the speedo) in the blink of an eye and it's true to say that the greenery either side of a rural 'A' road blurs as you twist the throttle and go up through the gears.

https://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/steveqpr/DSC00061.jpg

Around tight bends and even accelerating through them the Steering Damper does its' job admirably and it's fair to say that if Alan Titchmarsh had built the bike it couldn't be any more planted.

I gave it abuot 10 or 15 motorway miles and hit speeds that i've never really felt totally comfortable with on the TT and there was easily more to come - Brakes were fantastic and basically the bike didn't complain once throughout the whole of the ride except once during heavy braking into a right hander where the back wheel skipped about a bit. Experts would call this 'backing in', at the time I called it 'What the fock is that!!!' - and then I had another go and the next right hander

As I rode the blade back I reflected on possibly the most exhilerating ride I've had since I took up biking - the step up from 600 to litre bike was something that I thought might not be the right move for me - now I know different. The Blade is possibly the best package I've come across since Linford Christy wore lycra shorts in the Barcelona Olympics.

Looks like the wife's pillion days are gonna get even more uncomfortable
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Mellow Yellow
The BCF Top TEN - 2010, 2009, 2008, The Original.

[Reevo8]

Sex on wheels! I mlike the way the bolts are silver against eh black engine casing/clutch cover! Looks beautiful!
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05 ZX10R, (**05 WKR)

[McGee]

Got those pics bigger ?

Nice read and awesome bike
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◙◙► K6 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 1000 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► 96 RF600r ◄◙◙
◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►◄◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙►
Its pronounced Jixxer!

[michael j]

LOL at the Lilly Savage line
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Ducati 996

[MarJay]

Danny will be jealous.

He took one out from Chiswick honda the other day, was out for 45 minutes, and did... well... take the national speed limit on a single carriageway and add a 1 in front.

He was only out 45 minutes!

If he gets one I might buy him one o' them T shirts that says:

"160mph? Impossible officer, I have only been out ten minutes!!"
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[dainesefreak]

Glad you enjoyed it mate, it's the superbike you can take home to meet the mother.

[colin1]

not sure you should be remembering linfords package so clearly. i doubt his was as fast though.

to me the performance jump from 600 to litre bike feels bigger than the difference between 2 stroke 125 and 600,
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[fast_tzr]

A gorgeous bike if ever I saw one, I'm seeing silver wheels on it though

[colin1]

i prefer the black
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Wave2k]

only the repsol blade for me .
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Aikman666]

[craigs23]

[Danny]

As Mark said, I test rode one; fantastic bike, it just feels so smooth and planted.
I felt so at home on it I was doing wheelies and stoppies, I haven't even tried to stoppie my zx636 yet!

Enjoy your new purchase.

[Handsome]

You Came across Linford Christys Package..... .....I'd have kept that quiet.....
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Previous Bikes...Honda NSR 125 RR...Kawasaki Zephyr 550...Suzuki SV 1000 S...Yamaha FZ8...Current Bike...Suzuki GSX-R 750...

[brooky]

Nice review mate, I was thinking about trying to get a go on the 600RR but no dealers want to let me test ride seing as Im under 21. Damn fools!
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Suzuki GSX-R 750 K6.

[Jack_Cheese]

Interesting read

I noticed honda went more towards the skinny looking jap bikes with the new fairing design rather than the slab-sided 999-esque design they previously had. Makes the bike look a lot more athletic

When do you sign the credit agreement?

Jack
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www.bikepics.com/members/jackcheese <--- NOW FOR SALE! 51 Plate Cagiva Planet 125
Quacker_boy: "Jack, you really are a dick!"

[andrea]

Great write up, can't wait to get a ride on one myself

[Steve H]

Thanks for the comments - I managed to say 'no deal' when asked the question as I've promised myself to ignore the little voice saying 'Bollocks to the rest, just get it' and am gonna take the competition out before I make a decision.

I was just rewriting the write up for my website when I came across this...

Blade - ‘There are worse things out there than vampires.’
Dr. Karen Jenson - ‘Like what?’
Blade - ‘Like me.’ - Wesley Snipes, BLADE, 1998

I dunno why but it sorta sums up the power of the bike pretty well
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Mellow Yellow
The BCF Top TEN - 2010, 2009, 2008, The Original.

[colin1]

[chalky143]

im luving it!
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Current bike :: sv650 minitwin race bike
Previous bikes::cbr600 steelie race bike, 1989 Honda vfr750f, 2013 Honda fireblade, 2013 Ducati multistrata 1200s, 2012 Triumph street triple R, 1999 yamaha r6, vfr 800, ducati 600ss, vfr 400x2, ntv 650, bandit 600, cagiva mito 125, aprilia rs 50, honda c90x2, honda hornet 600x2, cbr 600, aprilia rx50, suzuki katana
My bike pics: https://www.bikepics.com/members/chalky143/

[tiger777]

Good write up, am printing it out to show the other half, am nagging him to swap his zx10R for a blade next year so I can ride it too

[Paul@125power]

It has just made me do a sex wee

I want one
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If at first you don't succeed.....destroy all evidence that you tried.

Yamaha YQ100 (RIP)......Honda CBR125R

[MarkyPancake]

Informative and funny post.