Honda Fireblade SP

The first FireBlade blew my mullet into the next county, but since that stupendous high I have gradually fallen out of love with Japanese superbikes as they became ever more samey and lacking in X factor compared to the miracle of 1992. Early reports are that the new SP Blade moves things on again. My job is to find out.
tim.thompson@motorcyclenews.com

Year: ALL

MCN Fleet: Yamaha R6 one month away!

04 April 2017 by Adam Child

I’m still one month away from R6 ownership as Yamaha’s all-new YZF-R6 was only launched to the world two weeks ago.However, I was lucky enough to spend a day testing the new R6 in Almeria, Spain so...

MCN Fleet: 'Blown away' by Street Triple 765

03 April 2017 by Joe Dick

A couple of weeks ago I got my hands on the new Triumph Street Triple 765 RS and was instantly blown away. From the second I put my leg over the bike it felt like home. Everything is just placed...

MCN Fleet: How special is the 2017 Fireblade SP?

31 March 2017 by Tim Thompson

Twenty five years ago, give or take a week, I was handed the key to the first Honda Fireblade into the country. For those pre-internet times, the hype around the bike had been borderline hysterical...

MCN Fleet: 2017 Triumph Bobber is on its way

31 March 2017 by Liam Marsden

I’m counting down the days until I take delivery of the new Triumph Bobber as my longterm test bike for 2017 and despite more red crosses appearing on my calendar, it’s not getting any easier. The...

MCN Fleet: KTM 1290 Adventure S – Arrival imminent!

30 March 2017 by Michael Guy

To say I’m excited about the impending arrival of my longterm KTM 1290 Adventure S is an understatement. Having got up close and personal with the model at the MCN London show in February, I was...

MCN Fleet: GSX250R ready to roll

30 March 2017 by Simon Brown

This year’s all about fun and frugal commuting in almost equal measure. The GSX is the smallest bike I’ve spent time with since passing my test more than 20 years ago but having enjoyed Yamaha’s MT-03...

MCN Fleet: We’ve bought a 954 Blade (and we’re smitten)

30 March 2017 by Ped Baker

MCN have taken the plunge and bought a 2002 Honda CBR900RR Fireblade for this year’s long termer fleet. After an online poll and much deliberation over the last few weeks we looked at a handful of...

MCN Fleet: Ducati SuperSport S set to impress

30 March 2017 by Andy Calton

Sometimes you read a job ad and it feels like it’s been written for you. Everything they offer, you want and everything they want you to have done, you’ve done. That’s how I felt when I first read...

MCN Fleet: BMW R nineT Racer coming soon

30 March 2017 by Matt Wildee

We’re still waiting for our R nineT Racer to arrive, but I’m lucky enough to have ridden the Racer on a couple of occasions and it’s going to be interesting getting to know BMW’s beautiful...

MCN Fleet: V-Strom 650XT incoming!

29 March 2017 by Oli Rushby

Having spent the last few years riding A2 licence friendly bikes, I was keen to step up to something a bit more substantial for 2017. As soon as I saw the fleet MCN had secured for the months ahead,...

MCN Fleet: Suzuki GSX-R1000R coming soon

28 March 2017 by Michael Neeves

It won’t be long before I take delivery of Suzuki’s long-awaited GSX-R1000R. I was also thinking about choosing the new Blade and Ducati SuperSport as my MCN long-term test bike for 2017, but I reckon...

MCN Fleet: We’re on the hunt for a 2002 Fireblade

24 March 2017 by Ped Baker

We’ve decided on a 2002-03 Fireblade as our second hand long term test bike this year. The 954cc model came top of our poll earlier this month (with 31% of the vote) closely followed by the 998cc...

MCN Fleet: The Eva has landed

23 March 2017 by Emma Franklin

MCN has joined the electric revolution by spending the summer months with the stunning Energica Eva naked bike. The £27,999 Eva arrived from the Italian factory, via UK importers Moto Corsa, this...

MCN Fleet: Hankering for a Harley

23 March 2017 by Jordan Gibbons

I’ve always had a soft spot for a Harley, so I was really excited to find out that I’d be testing a Street Glide. The 2017 Street Glide is fitted with a Milwaukee-Eight, H-D’s first new big-twin...

MCN Fleet: How versatile is Ducati's Multistrada 950?

22 March 2017 by Simon Relph

I’m really looking forward to my time with the Ducati Multistrada 950. Some people baulk at the idea of the model with the smaller engine, saying it won’t live up to its big brother’s level of...

MCN Fleet: Waiting for the adventure to begin!

22 March 2017 by Alison Silcox

I first saw the Honda X-ADV in the flesh at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show in February, it was swamped by interested punters and I was at the front of the queue itching to have a closer...

MCN Fleet: BMW R1200GS Rallye joins the fleet

22 March 2017 by Richard Newland

Some bikes just get under your skin, and for me the R1200GS is one of them. I’ve done a lot of miles on GSs over the years – including a Land’s End to John O’Groats double and a lap of the coast of...