2022 was always going to be a special year for Honda and the Fireblade brand. That?s because it?s 30 years since the first ones started appearing in showrooms. Since 1992 the Fireblade has seen umpteen iterations; some world-beating, others not quite, but they?ve all enjoyed their fair share of popularity. Not least of all the latest one, the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade which was brand new in 2020; it was a bit of a handful on the road, an absolute weapon on track, and even sexier for 2022.

Some of the things that made the 2020-2021 ?Blade so good on track, did make it slightly awkward on the road. The 2-stroke-esque power delivery, the relatively stiff suspension and the squashed-up riding position. It was a bike you could tell would be good on track, even before you?d had the pleasure of testing it. And it was. In fact it still is. And the changes Honda have made to the new Fireblade sounds as though they?ll not only improve things on the track, but on the road as well.
Scary

My biggest complaint as far as the current Fireblade goes is the power delivery. It?s got loads and loads of power, but it?s all at the top-end, and it comes in a bit too aggressively for my liking. You go from having a silky, smooth (and a little bit slow) feeling engine, below 7,000rpm to one that wants to rip your arms off, above 7,000rpm. And whilst it?s very exciting, it?s also a bit scary.

On track, it?s not a problem, because you never experience that unexpected rush of power at ...