2012 Honda Fireblade - how good?

Although not all-new, Honda’s 2012 CBR1000RR Fireblade has had a significant makeover, with suspension, throttle response and styling all updated – but how much difference does it all make?

To find out we pitted the new bike head-to-head with the outgoing 2011 version on both road and dyno. And even though our test took place in cold and damp December we were shocked by the results.

In short, the new Blade not only looks better and is better equipped, more significantly its performance is also much improved both in terms of engine response and ride quality.

To find out exactly how much, check out our full side-by-side test in the January 4 issue of MCN.