2004 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade

The 2004 Fireblade was designed by a whole new team, and you could really tell. The previous model had, even then, started to look a little dated, but when this, the all-new ’04 model hit the showrooms it, like the R1, was considered pretty cutting-edge. Not to mention cool. So when my mate Ash told me about the ’04 Fireblade that he had just bought, I have to admit I was a little bit jealous. It was the first under-seat exhausted ’blade, but that wasn’t where the modernisation stopped. Honda had worked hard on mass-centralisation, and given it a gutsy 170bhp motor in an attempt to keep up with the Gixer and R1 brigade.

First things first. Ash’s Fireblade looked great in black to us. It was reminiscent of a Honda Blackbird, but one that had taken some LSD, or something. Its aggressive styling gave it a real sporty look, despite