No bike until spring, 929 fireblade next?

[biker58]

Well after my bike was written off a while back I have made the decision to wait until spring to get another one.

I have a lot going on at the moment, due to leaving the army this week and I'm starting a new career and possibly moving home so will have plenty to occupy my time for now.

As I have used my motorbike pretty much daily for the last year (since I passed my test) I have got it out my system so unlike when I bought my GSX600f, which was the first bike I went to look at, I wont be in a rush to hand my money over.

There was a fireblade 929 for sale at a dealer recently for just over 2k which was immaculate and also had low mileage but I decided not to get it as it would sit in the garage until next year with just the occasional ride. What are people opinions on this bike?

I have been using a Bandit 650 courtesy bike the last month or so, didn't feel particularly stable when cornering, it was as though the front end want to do its own thing. The one thing I did like is that it was much lighter than my bike but I have now decided against getting a bandit anytime soon.

Thanks for reading.
____________________
1995 Suzuki GSX600F rider

[P.]

Sorry to hear of the off mate

Depends what you want the bike for really. If its motorway miles, good bike, perhaps a little juicy, maybe a Thundercat/CBR600F.

If its around towns and stuff, something a little off road styled is great fun

[biker58]

[pooley_99]

you know the drill... If you want to get laid, buy a fireblade!
____________________
CBR 900RR Fireblade

[The Tot]

Here's my 2 pence worth.

I've got a '00 RRY model and I've owned her since 2009. Bought for £2150 with 13k miles on the clock. She's now at 42k and lived outdoors in the time I've had her.

Where to start... Problems

1) Fuel injection is very glitchy in town so a Power Commander and a pipe will sort it out. Revs would just hunt in 1st and 2nd in town <3k. Above that it clears up.

2) Electrical cancer! I've had the bike in the shop numerous times with issues to do with the wiring loom - I had a dodgy earth which left me stranded... Don't get me started on the charging system!

3) Regulator Rectifiers - They WILL Blow! I've had to replace mine 3 times. After the 2nd occurrence, I decided to upgrade the Reg/Rec to a MOSFET type that came off an 09 R1 (as opposed to the shunt type). Bypass the wiring loom and wire it directly in line with your alternator and battery. See point above!

4) Alternator - get the holy trinity sorted of battery, alternator and reg rec. If one of them starts to go, replace all three and wire them directly to avoid future problems - I've spent a good £700 on resolving charging issues. Considering I did 12k miles a year in all sorts of weather, I can't say that it was expected to be honest - I thought it was a honda and not a ducati!

Good points

1) Storage space. Lift the rear seat, or better still, fit a single seat cover to replace the seat and you'll have space for a tool kit, chain and lock, alarm and PCIII AND a can of WD40!

2) Handling - Freshen up your suspension with new oil and springs and it'll handle like it's on rails. Compliant, responsive and will happily do B roads as it would do track days. Brakes are phenomenal due to the 330mm diameter rotors!

3) Comfort - It's bigger and roomier than the CBR600F-S from the same generation. I've done 400 mile days and toured on it with no cramps or discomfort

It'll be a sports tourer by comparison and it ONLY has 130bhp, but that's all you need on the road. If you want a good handling bike that's practical, then it's a great choice! Always forgiving and too easy to ride quick.

Only the electrical problems let it down.

Granted, I've spent a good £1500 on sprucing the bike up but it was well worth it. Spent it on

1) Galfer wavy discs (to replace warped stockers) - £450
2) HM Racing Suspension rebuild (K-Tech springs and refreshed rear ohlins and set up for A-B Roads) - £750
3) PCIII and Remus end can £200
4) Other aesthetic mods - HID's, integrated indis with mirrors and flushmount LEDs

But yeah, good bikes

Here's mine

https://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/393802_10150584090700712_1037786029_n.jpg
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[pooley_99]

you bought that very cheap...! and that was in 2009??

Lovely bike
____________________
CBR 900RR Fireblade

[biker58]

Thanks very much for that post The Tot, very helpful and interesting. Good stuff to know. Tempted even more now


Great looking bike by the way.
____________________
1995 Suzuki GSX600F rider

[The Tot]

Yeah, 2009.. Cat C write off.. but considering that I repaired a crashed bike before, it was no biggie. Turns out that the engine castings needed a weld repair back in 05 when the previous owner stacked it.

They're good bikes and rather undervalued because the 954 was much more refined and as such, is a cult bike. To be honest, considering that there's almost a grand's difference between the 929 and 954, a well sorted 929 is more than a match for a 954. Granted depending where you look it states that the 929 has between 130 (realistic) to 150 bhp (crank figure) and the 954 is claimed to have 150... well, you make your decision based on that.

I do like the look of the angular 02-03 thous - think K3 gixxer thou, 954 and 02 R1. THAT era had style.

If you want to buy honda, do consider that the CCT's rattle and they have the known issues with the reg rec.

Also considering my bike lived outside, people wouldn't guess that it's done THAT many miles and that it's a 12 year old bike from afar!

Engine is virtually bulletproof.

Oh, in terms of service - just take it to a honda garage! Put it this way, you can't remove the tank without draining it since the pressurised fuel like doesn't have a break or a tap for a quick disconnect! Don't even get me started on trying to get to the spark plugs! Annoyingly, despite being big on the outside, it's a total dog once the airbox is removed!
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[Tomzo47]

one thing to think about, if you buy a bike now, there are alot more about at a much cheaper price, for the sake of garaging one up for a few months, it might save you a couple of hundred.

And Fireblades are fucking awesome.
____________________
Ybr 125 > Bandit 650SA > GSXR 600 > Triumph Sprint St1050 > CB1300 > Z1000SX + FJ1200 (written off) > VFR750 >FJ1200

[biker58]

[Musketeer]

Nice bike that 929!

The prices may seem good at the moment but you won't ride a lot in winter and your bike will be sitting pretty much unused for 5 months. Unless you are one of those hardcore masochistic riders who love riding in freezing cold temperatures of course.
But isn't it better to save some more money and buy something better in Spring?
____________________
Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke

[P.]

[Musketeer]

I used to ride in winter... hell I even had to commute by bike all year round for a few years. I hated it. It was mainly dull slow riding with my tits freezing off. I maybe had bad bikes for the job - fully faired with expensive plastics that didn't encourage me to do anything in winter that I would call fun
____________________
Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke

[P.]

I used a fair few bikes through last winter... it was great fun.

Bored of slow riding, ride faster...

[Musketeer]

[The Tot]

Stick some roadsmarts and get yourself some goretex! The fireblade makes a great winter long distance tourer. Shove Kriega tailpacks on the back and jobs a good-un!

My advice is to BUY in winter... because around christmas or just after it, people WILL be strapped for cash and would be looking to sell so that they can pay off their credit card bills... due to spoilt brats and grave digging mistresses running up a huge debt! So bargains will be plentiful.

My bike will be a non-seller because it's done far too many miles, and owes me much more than it's actually worth!

I bought my bike in late January... during the snow! So, my first ride was through leicestershire's horrificly icy b roads.. and it handled well.
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[biker58]

[The Tot]

Well, if anything does go wrong with the 929, lemme know and I can point you in the right direction.

Pretty much everything that COULD go wrong with a blade, DID go wrong with mine.

But considering she's getting on for a teenager that's been used more than the bangbus, looking back, it's hardly surprising.

But if you want opinions of 954's, ask Big Ham or Serendipity.

get yourself on www.fireblades.org, there's a few oracles over there that will help with any fireblade related issue.
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!