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is where I review products, that I've fitted to my Fireblade,
or have used personally. And as I have to pay for thing's
with my own hard earned, I can be independent and honest,
with my opinion's. |
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Quill
T3 Road Legal Silencer.
Fitted March
2002.
The Quill T3
silencer was something of a revelation to me, after having
had various 'Race' cans on previous bikes, and what with
the ever present danger of prosecution for such an end can.
I bought the Quill and was very pleasantly surprised with
it.
Looking down the end inside it is almost straight through,
with a cone type affair in the end where it bolt's to the
the intermediate pipe a bit like the later Blades in fact,
so this must be where all the sound deadening must be going
on.
As for any
performance gains, I haven't had the time to get it checked
as yet, but the midrange has got a little better and there's
not that nasty flat spot anymore at about the 5 grand
mark, and this is with the standard jetting and standard
filter as well. J B Racing Tel 01942 608 222 where I purchased
it, said it would be about the 86db mark for loudness
but would sound more like a race can on full throttle.
Well; I can
say it doesn't get anywhere near to the loudness of a
race can being rorty rather than loud even on full throttle,
something I'm very glad of in some respect's as it doesn't
attract the attention of the boy's in blue when you go
blasting past at well into double figures as happened
only a few week's after I'd fitted it, as they hadn't
heard me coming they completely missed my misdemeanour
and didn't chase after me with the inevitable consequences..
A result there for sure, top marks Quill T3.
HONDA-FIREBLADES
RATING 9/10
Gives good midrange boost, and get's rid
of the nasty 5 thou flat spot.
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Carbon
Lorraine SBK-3 Pads.
Fitted March 2002
These Brake pads I find a little difficult
to get on with on the road, as they seem to be intended
for serious track day user's, where getting and keeping
the pads up to temperature isn't a problem. But on the road
they have given me some real heart stopping moments when
cold, as the bite and retardation of the brakes is minimal
something which I find extremely worrying for what is sold
as a road pad.
On the plus side, and there is one despite the cold performance
of these pads, once they get some heat into them they work
pretty well, giving two finger braking performance, although
they tend to be quite snatchy when warmed up and you do
need to keep the heat in them to get the best from these
pads, and this is with braided lines fitted.
I've bleed and bleed them but the stopping power just never
gets any better when cold, even as said with braided lines
fitted and some proper high temp brake fluid, something
to remember when you first go out on a ride and the brakes
are cold I feel.
Available from most motorcycle retailers, Price about £25.00
per set.
HONDA-FIREBLADES
RATING 6/10
Need more power & feel
when cold, and a bit grabby when hot.
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Apollo
Performance Footrest Jack Up Plates.
Fitted May 2002.
I bought these as a cost effective way to
get a rear set type riding position without the cost's involved,
as these plates were £25:00 as opposed to over £200
for the Harris rear set's I really wanted.
Fitting these plates was easy enough just requiring the
original foot rests to be unbolted, these plates bolted
in their place, then the original foot rests bolted to the
jack up plates. Quality of the plates themselves is very
good, being anodized in silver, unfortunately the bolts
Apollo supply to mount them to the frame are made of soft
cheese (well alloy actually) but rounded off when I tried
to undo them only a few days later, even though I used copper
slip on them, so will now require drilling out and an ezey
out to extract them, should I want or need to ??..
The other problem involved the gear shift side plate needing
to be spaced off the frame mounting, with thin metal washer's,
because in it's new higher & backwards position, the
bolt that holds the left footrest on at the back, was almost
hitting the chain guard were it bolt's on the side of the
swing arm, now there is about 4-5mm of clearance after spacing
it off with some small washers.
Apollo Performance Tel 01254
698 110
HONDA-FIREBLADES
RATING 7/10
OK for the money, but supplied bolts need
to be made of stronger metal.
I'd
advise buying some genuine Honda mounting bolt's which are
made of stronger material, and don't round off so easily,
which i've now done.
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Quicksteel.
August 2002.
You
may have seen this metal repair paste advertised in a few
accessory catalogues.
I saw it and thought, Ahh.....Just what I need to
repair that broken off fairing lug on the sump.
The advertising blurb say's it goes as hard as steel and
you can use it to repair broken lever's at the roadside,
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and you can drill or machine it in an hour, so I got some,
it was almost £10 for this little 2oz tube.
I built it up gradually around the broken lug after about
4-5 day's of letting it harden, I tried to attach the mounting
plate and "ping" the lug came away in my hand,
so I tried again another few days later and yet again the
lug snapped off..... Umm !!!!
I'm sure this stuff has
it's uses, but fixing broken off fairing lug's isn't one
of them I'm afraid, and there is no way I'd trust it in
a stressed or critical area or to repair lever's, as the
first time you tried to pull said lever it would break leaving
you without any brakes.
And for the £10 it cost I got the lug TIG welded by
a local welder.
I got mine from MPS. Tel
08707 777333.
HONDA-FIREBLADES
RATING 1/10
Not worth £10
I'm afraid, but I'm sure it has it's uses in non critically
stressed repair position's.
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Hein
Gericke Mini Indicators. (Carbon)
Fitted September 2002.
I've got to admit to, not previously
being much of a fan
of mini winkers, but while doing the rebuild on my bike
decided to get some, being fed up with the original bus
sized winkers on the blade.
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My
first attempt at fitting mini winkers I bought some from
Busters
Accessories, and
It has to be said I've not previously had any problems
with Busters stuff having got loads of bit's from them
in the past, but after two set's of their mini winker's
which would not flash for love nor money, I got these
ones from Hein Gericke Mail Order.
Tel 0800 165 165. Web site www.hein-gericke.com
These are the best quality mini winkers I've seen, properly
made with the earth connections soldered into the bulb
holder not just wound round like some other's I've seen
recently ?? You also get a proper metal reflector inside
and the bulb's are mini halogen 21 watt and not 23 watt
as some other's seem to be for some odd reason I can't
quite fathom, so they flash properly which means you don't
get any issues with them flashing too fast or have to
mess about fitting resisters in line.
They are
also E marked as well, so you won't get any grief come
MOT time. Price wise their £6.95 each, OK so a little
more than some of the other mini winkers on the market
but in my opinion well worth the extra for the quality
you get.
HONDA-FIREBLADES
RATING
10/10
Top
piece of kit, and look the biz.
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Hein
Gericke Back Shock, Hiprotec Back Protector.
I bought one
of these about 3 years ago just after I got my new Dainese
2-piece, which didn't have a back protector as standard
and something I find even stranger, a pocket to put one.
Not acceptable on a £700 Suite, I feel.
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I was hoping never to find out just how good the back shock
was, but
fate had other
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ideas.
And
after an accident in July 2002 where I was hit full in the
lower back by my Blade somersaulting into a ditch the Back
Shock saved me from serious injury. Enevitably
it was smashed into several sizeable chunks from the impact,
but that's what it's designed to do, contain and dissipate
any impact away from the wearer.
It comes with little clips that fix it in place, but I've
used long strips of sticky backed Velcro at 3 point's which
seems to work acceptably for now, as I found the clips too
tricky to fit to the perforated lining in the jacket. Prices
start at £12.95 for a small up to £16.95 for
the large.
Available through Hein Gericke Mail Order Tel
0800 165 165 or
any of their shops nation-wide.
HONDA-FIREBLADES
RATING
10/10
If
you haven't got a back protector get one, ASAP. I've replaced
mine with a new Back Shock.
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