RideFast Magazine March 2020

down, which means lower
inertia and the ability to work
faster. Of course, we find a
lot of elements covered with
a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon)
coating that reduces friction.
It requires a lot of air for the
engine to work at such high
revs generating huge power.
An impressive air intake at
the front of the machine is
responsible for delivering it. In
order to provide uninterrupted
inflow, the traditional ignition
was abandoned in favour
of a proximity key. Also
the steering damper was
removed from the upper
shelf area (traditional place
for Fireblade). The electronic
cupid wondered off to the
front of the bottom shelf.
The airbox intake manifold is
almost straight, which forced
the use of a special shape of
valves that force the mix to
spin. Certainly there are many
more interesting nuances in
the engine, but the dinner with
Mori-San is over, and we are
more interested in how the
new stove works in full flight.
“The fastest 600 I’ve
ever ridden”
This statement by a British
journalist says it all. Pay
attention to the chart from
the dynamometer (pictured
far right), which clearly shows
that in the low and medium
rev range the previous
Fireblade is even slightly
stronger than the 2020 model.
However, if the motorcycle
is to be racing, no one is
interested in average revs but
more the low down, just like in
600cc class.
Finally, I turn on the display
mode, in which the indications
appear only from 5000 rpm
and I start playing high engine
spin. After exceeding 7,000
rpm, a strong thrust appears,
and after 11,000 rpm I got
what we’ve all been waiting
for all these years! The new
Fireblade goes crazy!
After the first session, I
got off the bike and among
my fellow editors I could see
approving nods. Impressions
are phenomenal! It’s a really
furious Japanese machine! I
shoot it, the exhaust system is
screaming heavily, and I shift
through the next gears with
an incredibly fast quickshifter!
To play with gears I have to go
“Honda engineers used the RC213V-S MotoGP inspired road-going
machine as the performance benchmark for the development of
the new Fireblade, which also draws on the RC213V-S for most of
its new technology.”
really fast. I pull first gear to 170
km/h, second to 220 km/ h, and
I catch fourth on 299 km/ h!
It’s a pity that the motorcycle is
limited to the aforementioned
299 km/h. Certainly, someone
will unlock it and check the
maximum speed.
The power comes linearly,
and the electronic throttle
is very precise, but with
so much HP on board you
need to be a pro to handle
it without electronics. Most
users, including myself, will
enjoy traction control. The
new Fireblade, in addition to
using the six-plane Bosch IMU
sensor, takes into account
the speed of rear wheel slip.
This means that the bike
can now drive in controlled
slides and sense when the
loss of traction is in safety
or not. Ultimately, I had the
choice of either turning off
the traction control and
opening the throttle with a
big handful at each exit, or set
low levels of interference (1 or
2) and try to find the optimal
traction alone. I had to be
careful then, because at full
lean I felt the rear wanting to
break traction. I control the
throttle and the HSTC system
guided me helping hone in
my exuberance. On the Losail
Above shows the dyno chart
between old and new versions.
Old being green and new being
red. The way the new bike
delivers the power is smoother
and ultimately loads more.
RIDEFAST MAGAZINE MARCH 2020 69