The verdict

Once each bike had been fitted with identical kit, it was time to see how the changes affected them and what difference it made to the superbike pecking order. We chose Donington Park to put them through their paces.

We passed the time during the drive to the Leicestershire race track arguing about which bike would probably win.

My fellow testers were Donington Park track day instructor Dave Hill and national racer Bruce Dunn, who treats the circuit like his second home.

Dunn and myself reckoned the R1, with its mind-boggling performance on the dyno, would take top honours. Hill reckoned the Blade would snatch victory because it’s so easy to ride, and Howard Boylan, our photographer, plumped for the GSX-R because of its bigger, comfier proportions and bulging power at the bottom of the rev range.

After a session on all the bikes, the early thoughts were interesting.

" The R1’s the daddy. It’s got streets more power than the Blade and handles better than the GSX-R, " said Bruce.

" Yeah, it’s fast and predictable and not hard to ride, " said Hill.

I admit, it was the bike I felt most comfortable on, too. I could just climb on and have enough confidence to ride reasonably hard immediately.

Another session later and we were beginning to establish a firm pecking order. " The R1 has the best engine. The GSX-R’s and Blade’s are in equal place, " said Bruce. No-one argued.

" The Blade’s brakes are miles better than the GSX-R’s and out-do the R1’s, too, " said Hill. We all nodded.

" And the Blade handles the best, " I said.

This departure from previous test results, which put the unflappable R1 at the top of the tree, is thanks to a steering damper. The Blade has sharp steering geometry to help it turn so quickly – noticeably faster than its rivals. But that steep head angle also makes it twitchy and, in stock trim, that translates to the odd " moment " and tankslapper. The Sprint damper eradicated that trait, allowing the bike to be ridden even harder, but we still rated the R1 as the best overall package at this stage.

With an extra 37bhp of tuning goodies between them, it was certain we had the three best four-cylinder sports bikes on the planet. But it was also plain they were potentially the nastiest.

The first moment didn’t take long to arrive. Exiting Hollywood, hard on the gas in fourth on the GSX-R, the back end broke away at 120mph. The wheel moved around three to four feet to the right, then five or six feet back to the left, before correcting itself and propelling the bike up the hill.

The next session brought the next moment. My line through Coppice wasn’t perfect, and I was leaning a touch further than I should have been, instead of using all the track. The back broke away, just on the build-up to hoof it under the Dunlop Bridge. Once again, I was doing 120mph in the air, this time on the R1.

A similar moment an hour later exiting the Melbourne Loop on the FireBlade convinced all of us these bikes were loony.

After five photo sessions, we split up and got on with our individual testing. We didn’t see each other for a couple of hours, except to swop over the bikes. So, it was bizarre when we got together for a final conflab and unanimously rated the Blade as number one.

What had changed?

As we settled into the test and learned the track better and better, and developed a feel for how the bikes responded to Donington’s suspension and tyre-torturing bends, the Blade’s rideability shone through.

Its bhp shortfall didn’t matter. Over 99% of buyers will never ride the bike hard enough for that final grunt to make a difference. What did matter was how sorted it felt as a package. With a quick suspension tweak, the well-mannered Blade became unbeatable.

The Power Commander has sorted its other glitch – erratic fuelling at certain throttle openings – allowing you to get on with nailing it.

The brakes are second to none, allowing whoever piloted the Blade to brake a full 20 metres later than the others going into Donington’s Esses, for example.

Those three qualities combine with the small bike feel, light weight and fast turning to offer something close to Honda’s ideal of " Total Control " .

That’s not to say the Blade slaughters the others. The R1 snaps at its heels and, if this test had been at an ultra-fast circuit like Thruxton, it would have disappeared. Even in stock trim, the handling is streets ahead of last year’s R1. So, fitting sticky tyres and a top quality damper makes the gap even bigger.

We used to rave about the R1’s brakes. They’re still great. It’s just that the Blade’s are even better.

To snatch the title back, the R1 needs to turn a fraction quicker. That’s a hard task without upsetting the handling, but we reckon Yamaha can do it.

The GSX-R was, however, firmly in third. As Dunn put it: " It was hot snot last year. Now, it simply feels dated. "

The rear struggles for grip more than its rivals because the suspension isn’t quite as good. And the brakes are the worst of the bunch. Despite being on stock pads and discs, there seemed to be a mismatch because the discs turned blue and began to smoke, and brake fade set in badly about eight laps in. We weren’t impressed.

Ride all three in stock trim and, if you’re like us, you’ll go for the R1 above the others. But sort the Blade’s foibles and it quickly climbs to the top of the division.

Most of our readers fit aftermarket accessories – usually a can and sticky tyres.

If you own a Blade, bung on a Power Commander and steering damper, too. It makes it significantly better.