’98 CBR900RR-W

IF the Thunderace worried Honda bosses in 1996, the advent of Yamaha’s R1 in 1998 must have kept them awake at night for months.

The YZF-R1 was the worst kept secret in modern biking history, with MCN revealing a grey-painted pre-production bike undergoing testing in sunny climes.

This was several months before launch and, dismayed, Yamaha chiefs were forced to admit they’d developed something truly radical – robbing them of their element of surprise.

As it turned out, Honda already knew about the new Yamaha – and had done so for months.

The early warning had allowed Honda to tweak the next version of the Blade to an even greater degree than designers had first planned. For the first time since the Blade’s inception in 1992, it faced a serious sales threat.

Weight dropped to just 179kg (394lb) and the engine was reworked to give it friendlier manners – though there was no boost in horsepower.

Throttle response improved courtesy of new-sized carb slides and the gearing was altered to increase top speed by around 4mph.

Cooling also improved, the frame was lightened (providing 4kg (8.8lb) of the bike’s overall 5kg (11lb) weight reduction), and the handling was stabilised further by reducing the fork yokes’ offset by 5mm.

The forks were modified, a new swingarm increased strength and the front brake discs grew from 296mm to 310mm. New four-piston calipers were also fitted.

The looks changed, courtesy of a new headlight and a re-designed upper fairing and seat unit.

Honda improved the bike by at least 10 per cent over the outgoing model, but it wasn’t enough. The world was gripped by R1 fever.

As 1994 Urban Tiger owner Kev Beard, who swopped that bike for one of the UK’s first R1s, puts it: ” You saw the R1 and instantly forgot the Blade. It represented a fresh new look and though it was only 2kg (4.4lb) lighter than the Blade, it looked half its weight.

” I got one of the very first ones in the country and thought I was in heaven – again! But I soon realised it wasn’t as stable, didn’t turn so readily and, when I had a low-speed tumble, didn’t survive very well either.

” I had a written-off R1 and wished I’d never parted with my Blade. I got another CBR soon after. ”

To pick up a bike like his, you’re looking at as little as £3250 privately, or £3700 upwards from a dealer.