The bikes

Honda Fireblade:

Whew we tested the Blade in March, we had two concerns. It’s a quick turner – even quicker than the R1 and GSX-R – which can make it a bit of a headshaker. The Blade needs a steering damper more than the others.

The bike also suffered from less than perfect fuel delivery, with staccato injection leading to snatch when you opened a trailing throttle. It was particularly noticeable in long, trailing throttle corners. Power Commanders are designed to clean up the fuelling with a revised map, as well as increase power.

When it came to choosing an exhaust for the Blade, the Yoshimura system stood head and shoulders above others we knew of. Honda itself told us to expect around 6bhp extra by fitting another leading system. But Yoshimura was confident we’d be looking at 8bhp. The RS-3 system is a three-quarters one, incorporating the end can, and rear and middle pipework. There’s no downpipes because Honda has done such a good job with its standard ones, aftermarket firms are struggling to improve them.

In the end, in conjunction with the Power Commander, we were rewarded with an extra 8.6bhp, taking rear wheel output from 140.3bhp to 148.9bhp.

Suzuki GSX-R1000

The GSX-R wasn’t picked up for anything on our original test, although its broad spread of power low down does give tyres an exceptionally hard time. That’s not helped by it having the least responsive suspension damping control and the strongest bottom end.

Fitting Bridgestone’s new BT012SS should help drive and grip out of corners.

The 13-way adjustable Sprint steering damper should ensure what is usually a very stable machine simply doesn’t get out of hand at full race track speed.

The bike was also given a full Yoshimura TRS system which, in conjunction with the Power Commander, made a profound difference to the power output. We gained 12.6bhp, taking the GSX-R from 142.2bhp to 154.8bhp.

But the main concern we’re facing is the bike’s size. It felt small last year, but times change and it’s like an armchair next to this year’s R1. That’s great for comfort and road use but it’s unlikely to be as nimble on a track.

The gap is even greater when you compare it to the Blade, which has the physical dimensions of a 600.

Yamaha R1

The R1 actually made the least power of all our bikes before we fitted our bolt-on goodies. Its 139.9bhp was fractionally down on the Blade’s 140.3bhp and the GSX-R’s 142.2bhp. But when the dust settled in the dyno room after a full Akrapovic exhaust system was fitted, together with a Power Commander, we were looking at a staggering 17.3bhp gain.

The R1 was now making a

class-leading 157.2bhp. It came as no surprise to the engineers and Yamaha technicians we knew. The bike is heavily restricted in the exhaust area, particularly in the header pipes. Where Suzuki and Honda have designed, developed and fitted downpipes that are nearly impossible to improve on, Yamaha didn’t do quite as good a job. That’s great news for buyers who plan to fit an aftermarket system because there’s stacks more power to come. Helping the bike breathe better increases power significantly, too.

We had sticky Bridgestone BT012SS tyres and a Sprint steering damper fitted too to keep a level playing field, although the R1’s stock Dunlop D208s do a good job and, with new-found stability and poise for 2002, the bike doesn’t need much in the way of taming at the headstock.