"Le Grand Hoonabout" 2005, what with the fact I had a new 2004 Blade, I had been checking the weather forecast for about 2 weeks solid before the off to France at the end of May, and the sun didn't disappoint.... Not a drop of rain on the run down to the Ardeche, well actually Bollene which is junction 19 off the Auto Route, de Soleil.

We stayed at the same Etap motel which is situated on the left of the Peage, right behind the pay booth at Bollene for the first night, then moved on the the south proper where we stayed at the Azur Hotel, which is the same hotel that the 'Original' Fast Bikes/RPM magazine crew have used in the past, and which I can very highly recommend, the Azur can be found at Avenue du Mal-Juin - RN 98 - 06210 Mandelieu-la-Napoule, South of France.

The Azur is a family run Hotel, and by far the friendliest 3* in the South, the proprietor's are very welcoming and extremely helpful, especially when you need assistance finding a local bike shop, and even, offered to translate when we got to the bike shop quite simply brilliant.

  

The weather was as ever, non stop sunshine where every morning dawned to 28 degree's, and peaked at an staggering 32 degree's one day, even at eleven PM the temperate was still in the high 20's.....

The roads where we ventured which included the N98, Cannes to Toulon road, the
N7 which was the same as ever pretty car less, and very grippy, we also rode
a few other's the Col De Tende, Le Garde Freinet also around the Lac Du Barrage De Sainte-Croix, ( a huge lake) perimeter roads which are quite simply stunning, they have been extensively resurfaced since the last time we were there and they are now less bumpy and undulating, which is a welcome relief, on my wrist's....

The route back north at the end of an extremely awesome week, saw us heading up the N85 Route Napoleon, across to Geneva where we got hopelessly lost as the road signs are just simply non existent in Geneva, and then towards Nyon another of the FB/RPM recommended ride's, alone the N78 back into France, where we saw some rain for the first time all week, but this was limited to one evening, and the following
2-3 hours the next day, back alone the N78 to Lyon, and up the Auto route towards Calais, where the heavens opened, for about 20-30 minutes, then dried up again.

Quite simply an awesome hoonabout for a week in excellent weather (mostly) my new baby behaved "ALMOST" faultlessly, I say almost because the EFI warning light came on at anything above 6,000 rpm on the motorway, and refused to go away for the whole week, I actually took the bike to a Honda main dealer just outside Toulon, but they were unable to carry out any diagnostic's, because the ECU fitted to French Blades is different to UK Blades, because of the 100bhp limit imposed on French bikes..... But still the guy there was extremely helpful, he also owned a 2005 Blade.

Something I've subsequently had rectified by my dealer, which was down to the fact I'd had the std exhaust off, and the stepper motor and HIX (exhaust valve) needed to be reset, oh well we live and learn, think I'll be leaving the exhaust well along in future then.

Now I have to ask why do Honda give you a European wide warranty on new bikes, if you cannot make use of it when you need to, while away in foreign countries.

Some pictures below to while away the time, till next year then..... and some slightly higher clip-ons to stop my wrists aching, jeez I must be getting old.......

Quite simply a totally awesome week, in excellent weather, awesome roads, excellent food, not forgetting the beer, awesome scenery, what more can I say really.

Until next time then, au revoir pour maintenant la France.......

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June 2005

Since my return from France, I've added a Motografix front number board to the fairing to try and stop stones making craters in the paint work, some thing which my old RRV had in abundance.

Full review can be found on the Product Reviews page 4.

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April 2006

Not much has happened over the last six months really !!! Christmas has been and gone, ( hope you all had a goodun!! ) winter has been a biking nightmare, 'Bladey' has spent the last six months couped up in the garage and looking forward to the summer hoonabout, as have I ......

But unfortunately "Le Grand Hoonabout" 2006 has had to be canceled due to the fact I've had to sell 'Bladey' my 2004 CBR1000RR, and the baton of ownership to my pride and joy had to be passed on to another to enjoy, so very, very reluctant and sad farewell's to my 'Blade' we did have a blast tho'....... but;

On the plus side (if there is one) I'm not completely bikeless, as I still have my trackday bike kicking about, but A: it's not either a Fireblade or B: a Honda, so I'm
not going to dwell, but it should hopefully provide me with a bit of fun, over summer 2006, coming to a circuit shortly hopefully wallet permitting.

So at least for the moment this is going to be the last update on my biking Fireblade follies and adventure's at least on this here page, or until I can get another road bike (Fireblade hopefully) so until then.

 

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1st February 2008

Well then !!!! It's been a while since I've written anything on this here page and in fact almost 2 years looking at the last entry...... my, my how the time has flown.

And at last there's something to celebrate, some good news in the HONDA-FIREBLADES potting shed !!!

Having now sold my trackday bike (June 07), I've been completely bike less and getting very twitchy, every time I hear a bike hooning up the local bypass, so it had to be done, and.....

Yes I have a new toy sitting in my garage as of this morning, a very tidy low mileage 2002 CBR900RR-2, bought at a local dealers for a not too inconsiderable sum of hard earned, well actually; I sold my car to fund this bike, and bought a cheaper car for when the weather is less accommodating.....

So without further ado, let me introduce my new (well new to me) CBR900RR-2, there'll be some better pics to follow soon, but here's a taster of what's too come....

Yeeee Haaaaa, is all I can say about bl***y time.....

Some goodies to follow in the not to distant future, hopefully, I've got my eye on a very saucy carbon end can, and some other bit's and bob's.

And as I type this, bit's have already been removed after only 2 hours of ownership and I will be fitting some goodies in the next day or two, and I've discovered the last owner had butchered the alarm light and indicator wires, so if you just happen to be reading this and recognize the bike, and it was you, well done fella, a blinding bit of bodgery...... Err NOT, Jeeez the things people do, it never ceases to appall me.

Ok 3 days of ownership, and the changes have started in earnest, a Harris tail tidy will be taking up position on the rear very soon and I've fitted some Motrax mini arrow winkers, mainly cos after I'd taken the original ones off it was obvious they were going to be unusable due to the wires having been butchered, by someone from the bikes past, but also cos' the mini ones look a whole lot better.

The rears will be fitted when the tail tidy arrives, also I've moved the position of the alarm control unit to make more room under the rear seat, cos' it was plonked right in the way of putting anything under the seat, repositioned a 'new' alarm LED into the seat cowl and fitted my Autocom unit along with some Motrax indy leads to replace the** butchered originals wires and the Motrax Mini Arrow winkers back and front.

That was a couple of day's spent in the garage, oh yeah and given the bike a damn good T-cut and polish, using some proper quality polish namely Meguiars NXT wax to be precise, which is just excellent, having used it on my car last year with great results.

Here's a pic from the front with the mini winkers fitted also I've fitted some super bright LED 501 side lights and changed the main beam H7 bulbs for Philips X-treme 80% brighter items which I had knocking about the garage not being used.

Summers on the way, Errr well sort of, and I have another Blade, Ahhh !!!! all is right with the world once again.

Let's hope it's a good one then.....

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Here's a couple of pictures of the Harris tail tidy, smaller plate and a closer shot of the mini winkers fitted back and front, and yes it does look like the reflector isn't central, damn it !!!! Must be the angle.

31st March 2008

Not much has really changed in the last few weeks !!! I've fitted a Baglux tank cover and I've just been out riding my 'new' bike and enjoying having a 'properly fast bike' again having sold my aging Kwaka 750 trackday hack a few months back.

So then; what can I say about this bike that's not already been said a thousand times in various biking publication's, other than it's simply awesome, much easier on my iffy wrist's than my CBR1000RR was on longer trips, and I'd say just as fast on real world roads, while being much easier to position on the road for some seriously daft riding and all on standard suspension setting's and outdated Dunlop Sportmax's.

The D207 Sportmax's which the bike came with, certainly wouldn't have been my first choice it has to be said, but they've actually acquitted themselves pretty well on the coldish, dampish, sort of iffy roads we get in the early spring and actually seem to suite the bike reasonably well, which I find pretty odd, because having put them on a YZF750 in 1998 when the D207 first came out and then as standard fit on a new R6, I really didn't rate them very highly, especially after all the hype surrounding their release.

So to find they actually seem to suite the Blade reasonably well, I find pretty strange, although how they'd fair in warmer temperature's in the summer when caning it down some back roads I wouldn't like to comment, but on the two previously mentioned bikes you could light the rear up coming out corners or roundabout's, so they're likely to get sidelined for something slightly more sticky when they wear out.

I expect if your reading this and you have a 954 Blade, you'll know just how easy it is to ride very bl**dy quickly in fact I've found it much easier to go quick on than the 1000RR I had a couple of years ago, I know it's horses for course etc, but I actually prefer the 954 over the 1000RR, as I feel the 954 has a little bit of that mental streak, definitely that split personality that the earlier model Blade had in spades and that so many riders found ever so intoxicating, but sadly which I felt the 1000RR to be very slightly missing just a little, sure enough it was a damn quick bike, but rider involvement was very slightly lacking in my view by comparison.

Don't get me wrong here because I don't want to slight the CBR1000RR having owned one previously, and I'm very glad I had that chance when the bike first came out, even if just for a moment, but although the CBR1000RR was and is a supremely capable and fast bike, I feel I may have to apologize to any 1000RR riders reading this, but having now owned both.....

But for me; at least !!! the 954 is the better real world road bike, I find the 954 is more fun more involving to ride, easier to get on it's ear into a corner, and easier (probably too easy in truth) to go quick on where as forsure the CBR1000RR was a mentally fast bike in a straight line but I found you needed to be riding it at 10/10ths to get the best from it and it didn't always steer as quickly as you wanted it too when riding like that and on the revenue camera infested UK roads that isn't always sensible or really the best way to keep your license intact.

So for me at least the 954 is the better all round bike which you can bimble on, ride it like your on a qualifying lap in WSB or go touring, because of the slightly more upright riding position; which will keep my carpel tunnel much happier on those long trips to the South of France......

 

 

 

 

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