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Honda Fireblade 954 |
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From roughly August '04 onwards I began thinking about a bike change from my trusty old Kwaka and after a few months of concerted lusting and a solid week of bike trials I finally settled on the latest machine in the Borelli stable, an '03 Honda CBR/900RR Fireblade.
The 954 is often described as a 929 Version 2.0, but there a number of mods in the 954 release. The 954 was released in 2002 as an evolution of the 929 and both are descendants of Honda designer Tadao Baba's original 1993 CBR/900RR design.
The 954 has improved midrange and torque due to a 1mm upsized bore over the 929, slight increase in compression ratio, lighter pistons, increased throttle bodies (up 2mm to 42mm), altered cam timing, improved injector design and the ECU mapping has supposedly improved throttle response.
Almost 3kg of weight has been shaved off the already light 929 in the rims, exhaust system, swingarm and rear shock, starter motor and engine casings. Geometry wise the 929 and 954 are pretty much identical, the 954 putting the rider 10mm further forward folowing a tank redesign, there are also a few minor changes to front fairing aerodynamics.
Brakes have had a tweak with steel pistons with Teflon-coated seals, and fluid pressure is increased. There's a stiffer, thicker steering-head casting and cosmetically there's new bodywork, headlight and rear LED light.
Its easy to dismiss the safe-Honda-purchase syndrome and guffaw at the linear power delivery, alleged comprimises made between performance and reliability or comfort and all that, but the undeniable fact of the matter is that this machine is an awesome sports bike.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: | 954.00 ccm (58.21 cubic inches) |
| Engine type: | In-line four |
| Stroke: | 4 |
| Bore x stroke: | 75 x 54 mm (2.95 x 2.1 inches) |
| Cooling system: | Liquid |
| Gearbox: | 6-speed |
| Transmission type final drive: | Chain |
| Dry weight: | 168.0 kg (370.4 pounds) |
| Seat height: | 815 mm (32.1 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting. |
| Overall length: | 2,025 mm (79.7 inches) |
| Overall width: | 680 mm (26.8 inches) |
| Front tyre dimensions: | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tyre dimensions: | 190/50-17 |
| Front brakes: | Double disc |
| Rear brakes: | Single disc |
| Fuel capacity: | 18.00 litres (4.76 gallons) |
| Performance | |
| Power/weight ratio: | 0.8988 HP/kg |
| Power: | 134HP @ 11250RPM |
| Torque: | 105.00 Nm (10.7 kgf-m or 77.4 ft.lbs) @ 9500 RPM |
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