[Bigdaddy75]

Pro Motorcycles Honda on the Sunshine Coast (Queensland AU) have given me the most outstanding service each and every time I have dealt with them. Recently I have been looking at the 2008 Fireblade and the boys at Pro Honda allowed me to take the 07 and 08 models out for a side by side comparison so that I could appreciate the differences by changing from the 07 and 08 on the same ride. Following are my impressions after the ride.

Looks - I for one like the looks of the 08 Fireblade and the one we used for the test was yellow, I have never owned a yellow anything but I would have a yellow 08 happily. The black and yellow worked for me.

Power - Stepping off the 07 to the 08 left me thinking the new model was a lot smoother in the way the power was delivered, it was not as inclined to lift the front under power in the first couple of gears as the 07 was. The power seemed to be much smoother and when combined with the clutch everything just felt much more together on the new model.

Handling - Keeping in mind this was the street and not the track my first impressions changing from bike one to the other was the size difference between the two, the 80 fireblade does feel like a smaller capacity machine (until you twist the throttle) it just feels nimble and lighter and for my height and weight (181cm 78kgs) it felt spot on. For daily street use I could have either one but the lighter feel of the 08 would make life just a little easier.

Conclusion - Ok, at the end of the day both bikes were awesome to ride and the 07 had a lot more work under it's belt than the demo 08. I have to conclude that Honda has made some good ground with the new model and I would be much more inclined to go with a new 08 over a used 07 (no matter how good the deal was). Of course this is based on a fairly short test ride and no track time but it was long enough to give me the impression the new CBR will let you lap faster than the old one.

Thanks - Thanks to Troy Duckett and Pro Honda for the use of the bikes, if your an Aussie in QLD don't hesitate to give Troy a call - 07 5437 9300 I'm sure he will look after you, at the time of writting they have a nice Yellow 08 demo bike if your looking for a test ride!

[Maholli]

Nice write up... I have to agree with most of it.. I like the black and yellow as well..

[Surffrog]

Love your work, Bigdaddy. Thanks for the review.

I can't help myself, though. Damned if I don't love the 07's looks

[Notorious]

BigDaddy75! I'm looking for a dealer that will sell and ship the European OEM plastics and engine covers for the 2008 Fireblade into the US. Can you help me PLEASE?? I would appreaciate it! My e-mail is vic600rr@yahoo.com