1997 Honda Blackbird Review
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- Опубликовано: 26 янв 2014
- Francesca Robinson embarks on a thrilling quest with Cliff and Sue to discover their ultimate two-wheeled companion.
In an exhilarating journey through the world of motorcycles, she guides them to the iconic 1997 model Triumph TT600. The trio takes to the open road, testing the limits of this British beauty and providing an adrenaline-pumping review.
From heart-pounding performance to precision handling, practicality, unwavering reliability, and even a keen assessment of its aesthetic allure, Francesca delivers an unforgettable ride through the soul of the Triumph TT600.
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Cruising around at 55 MPH didn't do it for him??? Well.., it didn't do it for the Bird either...it's still SLEEPING at that pedestrian pace. As far as the brakes.., I have a '99 Bird. You don't get the pitching forward feel like an average sport bike when stopping. It just lowers and hauls you down from speed..no drama with locking the back wheel. And you almost forget the brakes are linked! You never really notice it. Some of the best stopping power I've experienced on a bike and I've been riding 27 years! I think this guy just had a pre-conceived perception of the bike and couldn't get past that.
Agree brakes are very good
He obviously never went full throttle, The Blackbird is a nasty piece of machinery. ;)
SR71BBFLYER About the linked brakes, you can really notice it it you brake harder with the pedal and you will notice the front forks will sink a bit.
true,friend! I am on the bikes 25y and past 15y almost entire year....it is my job....blackbird is one of best bikes i drove....i can say that i have more then 1 million km behind me.although considering my job I have a scooter for it but nevertheless I change one engine each year because I am doing about 65 000km....
and it is also honda....dylan 150cc with cbs
Waffle the brakes are rubbish what do u do if u want to trail brake into a corner. ? There pants
since I got my blackbird three months ago I've been watching every blackbird video and doing a lot of research online as well as in forums etc etc... this is the first time I've seen anyone talk bad about this bike
+HatchetSwinginDrumma What have they got against Black Birds? Good luck to you mate far too many racists in the world!
Anyone who is considering buying a blackbird should read the these comments from people who have actually spent longer than 5 minutes riding one through traffic with a passenger. Mine is a 2003 EFI model and I'm yet to find a better bike to upgrade to!
The dual braking system is brilliant. If you look into how it works you would be impressed with the technology behind it. Its like me saying i wouldn't buy a car because i couldn't live with abs brakes! What a knob, the blackbird still has a normal front and back brake. It just transfers excess braking force to the other tyre to avoid locking up under extreme braking. It still follows the 70% front and 30% rear braking rule they teach you motorbike training school. Most people would never ever notice the feature was in place. This guy probably can't live with having headlights either.
Review.... pffffffft
My 2006 Blackbird is fuel injected will do over 200kmph. It goes from 80 to 140 in an instant. Brakes are great, it very comfy and very safe. This is one of the best production bikes ever made so it disappointing when some turkey gets on one gives it a spin round the block and then states it don't ring my bell.
Maybe the bird on the back didn't allow him to let the bird sing.....
I've owned several bikes, including the R1, GSXR 600, ZX12R, and a slew of others. NO bike that I've owned has come close to the fun factor of the Blackbird. I use it as a daily driver (yes, for being a sports "tourer", it's nimble around town), but get out on those twisties and I swear you'll get a religious experience.
Going in a straight line... Oh man the bike is scary fast!
Have a 2002 gsxr 1000 and 2005 i can tell you these bikes are way more faster funner and madder
Why make a test with that couple ? Everybody has the right to their opinion but lets get serious. .. this couple knows NOTHING about bikes. Realy ruined the interview. It was the worst test/interview EVER!!!!
The 97 model would power wheelie with 2nd gear once you hit 7k rpm, especially with a passenger on it, and this guy didn't get his bells rung and gave it a 7..?!! for performance. I bet he didn't crank it beyond 4-5k, what a loser.
😭😭😭
Idiots. The fastest bike in the test and his performance rating was a 7?!? Ridden mundanely this bike doesn't seem fast, that's it's beauty; smooth quiet touring bike that hauls ass. If that guy had cranked it up he'd have likely shit himself.
Agree
Totally agree!
160hp aint nothing to fuck with on a bike, guarantee he was just cruising around considering 2 people on the bike he would have a hard time staying on if he gave it the beans they can reach 300kmh aahah
Yeah, a lot of CRAP talk from two testers who probably couldnt see the difference between a kangaroo and a battle tank ...Oh my ... LOL
Agree
Got 1997. Micron 4 to 1 titanium system, k&n filter and dyno, progressive springs in front, delinked brakes in braided hoses.
Rings my bells.
Clever how they managed to get it on the centre stand with both of them on it having returned from their ride.
I half get what the guys saying, I was abit underwhelmed the first time I rode a bird... it was a totally stock 06 and I really didn't like it much. Then I rode a few more of various years and after I go up the revs and actually used the brakes properly it feel into place. I now own a 99 bird and it is the best bike I've ridden (cans and a flash help) it's perfect for a daily, easy to ride and well mannered and destroys pretty much anything else when you get on the taps. Like having a butler who spent 20 years in the SAS is how I describe it to people
I have a Blackbird of the same year. It handles better than the ZX6 I had. It still looks good even to this day and the performance is breath taking. I got to grips with the CBS no problem. The CBR1100 is a well built machine and quality is evident throughout the package. I am surprised how easy it is to throw in to corners despite its size. If someone doesn't like the blackbird, it is because they have not given it a chance. When I rode my one for the first time, I was a bit sceptical, but after a week, I soon got used to it.
got to say i was same as you m8 i went from cbr600rr i thought god this is slow then after a few days i thought fck me im drive at errrrrrr 69++++ mph and don`t think im moving as no lound sound and im just injoying it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Never thought of getting a Blackbird. Until I gave it a try, I now own a 97' and I give the newer bikes a run for their money 👍 beautiful reliable machine
How can he fully experience this awesome machine with some fat old bag on the back.
LMAO!!! 😂
Well said
He obviously never went full throttle, The Blackbird is a nasty piece of machinery. ;)
You must have been out with some skinny birds if you think she's fat, that bike would pull four times that weight.
😂🤣
the blackbird thought the rider lacked bang for the buck 3/10
lol
Hands down the Best bike ever built and still going strong 24 years Later. with a massive cult following and reputation for reliability, performance and speed. Many peope regret selling their blackbirds and many wish they owned one. Even today the Bird turns heads and worries fast modern bikes. I streetfightered my bird and nows shes a competely different animal, id say much faster, much lighter and way more fun :) And yes the 96-98 are still the words fastest carb production motorcycles in the world. dont belive a world these two idiots say....
Late model CBR1000F had linked brakes before the Blackbird.
I had a 93 CBR1000f, it had the first linked braking system. Honda did come out with it, but I was before 97. I now have a 98 CBR1100xx, and frikin love it.
2 half wits but a beautiful presenter..m
Lol couldn't have said it better myself.
She's great. Cliff and Sue are twats
How can he give a 7 for performance?
lol, just lol. I'm by no means a seasoned/experienced biker, but bought a Blackbird a couple of months ago and love it.
I've went cbr1000f, Hayabusa, Ducati st2 , gsxr600, gsxr750, Fireblade and now Blackbird.
Blackbird's the favorite so far.
Very comfortable, can shift if you want it and handles well (uprated front springs).
that pair are a right fookin state.
i have owned 3 blackbirds in the past and loved them all had both carb and fuel injected . lost my licence back in 2009 due to taking a small epileptic seizure. got a 3 year medical licence now so i am in the process of looking to get another bird. there is no other bike out there for me anyway.
+johncbr1100 Which do you prefer carb or injection? I've got an injection, I've heard the carb version has more grunt.
John
dont know about more grunt but i am a carb man . was brought up with carbs and u can do more with carbs than injection bikes . both birds are great bikes carb or fi. just for me the carb bikes gets my vote
They can't be serious, Guy doesn't know if he can live with CBS but he doesn't look like professional rider who knows how to slide a bike or brake in corners very well. Woman said seat a bit to much comfortable. What a pile of shite. If you buying a bike you want comfortable seat nobody wants to seat on wooden floorboard. Had Blackbird for 5 years and if was the only bike which brought thrill factor on my face 165 hp is not there just to seat and do nothing. What a pile of shite this review is...
Ah exuse me sweetheart it was NOT the first bike to use linked brakes I believe that was the cbr 1000 f darling. I’ve got one and it works a treat.
Did not ring the bells cause you were numb from the other rides ding-dongs!!! I rode with my better half and she not only feels safer and better on in (compared to a majesty/maxi scooter), but she has more fun on it, both short and long rides. I got to the asphalt with my pegs in a short time due to the confidence this bike brings, stays on it's line like a train but accelerates like a sport bike, love everything about it and I am not a fat old fart like these morons looking for a whip to awake their senses... Long live honda 1100xx and their owners! Aye?
Agree! One thousand likes!
I think I love you!
A load of blithering rot from the testers.
Wasn't the first with the linked braking system... that came out on the CBR1000f in 1993. My bike here is a 1994 and has linked braking...
Best riding couple EVER! "we want to feel it" classic!
you want to know what its like to ride a blackbird ask an owner.
"Very insular"
Says it all really - idiots
Love my 2000 Blackbird, I have owned over 25 bikes since '89 including Ducati 916, RGV 250...the whole spectrum. Yet this bike is the best built, classiest bike of them all. Just on tick over it exudes quality.
Did you ever considered the vfr 800?
didnt give you the GRIN factor??? did YOU go past 6k???? 6500 on up you will feel it. unless the BIKE has a compression issue or a injector problem THAT thing pulls hard
what a bunch of clowns
agreed
Dual breaking is fantastic..there insane twits.
My dream bike. I got a VFR800 now but I want to get an XX in one or two years time.
so, did you get one? :)
I think BMW is very expensive for maintenance and have a history of electronic failures,. after doing some research I finally bought a Honda Blackbird PGM-F1 fuel injection unit, did a suspension upgrade front and rear and the bike is a high flying mean machine with a precise handling and firm grip and fitted Akrapovic carbon slip-on cans, love it to bits, I saved a lot of money by choosing the big XX all this for less than 4k euros, used market is full of them, and is a bike that experienced riders have owned so you will find them in pretty good condition.
Not many here in U.S.
Sorry to hear that John, have you consider other options from Honda, in case you don't find one, such as the CBR1000F 97-99 model, don't if this unis was sold in the US. VFR models are also a really good option to consider, is the oldest model still in production today by Honda and a very good seller, and last suggested another big sport-tourer bike that I may add is the Kawasaki ZZR1200 (2000-2005) or Ninja as you guys call it in the US, if you are not in a hurry wait until a Blackbird is available you won't be disappointed trust me. Best of luck, regards.
Thanx very much for your courteous reply. No I did find a Cbr1100xx, a '97, three years ago...after a nationwide search! That's how I know they're scarce over here...most folks in this region have never heard of it! I ride to work everyday, absolutely luv it! Not as many folks ride daily over here as there, and most of the bikes that I do see are harleys. Cheers mate, luv you guys!
Oh btw I'm in St Louis Missouri
How could you give a score on reliability after a 20 minute test ride? Some people are off their heads... Who wants less comfort on a bike of this type? I bought my blackbird after parting with my zzr1100d and everything was better about it in my opinion 👍
Just what I was thinking ref reliability score
If that's you Franchesca on the back, don't do the "grab bar to hold on" thing....truth be told ,...the passenger really needs to wrap your arms around the "driver" of the bike....way too often the one at the controls will whack open the throttle & wind up pivoting the passenger off the seat...
That's why, when I've got my honey on my ' bird, I wear my jacket that says, " if you can read this, the bitch fell off!"
.... because when I look to go out for a ride, I don't use the throttle and I want the feeling of every pebble I go over to shoot through my spine.
The only part I agree with here is the linked brakes. As he came from a bike with separate braking system, they take a while to get used to - usually more than a 15-30 minute test ride. (Mine are still linked and no plans to de-link)
The "grin factor" comes from using more than tickover.
As the teacher used to say. Rubbish. Do it again!
"Rubbish do it again", Yes I remember those far back day's!.
WHAT? Its bland and doesn't give the grin factor and a rating for performance 7 out of 10???? its fucking mental quick. maybe it was some heavily restricted import or he was paid to lie lol.
heavily restricted by his and hers FAT ARSE....... guy was a moron, you can even hear the girls surprised voice at it being given a 7 for performance
It's a man without a soul if it failed to thrill him. Nothing puts a smile on my face like leaving home on the bird.
Awarding marks out of ten at the end is just ridiculous. They ride it once. ffs
Maybe he was riding just with the clutch and don't know what the throttle is for. Anyway I'm looking for a Blackbird
to buy. I love this bike, and although I consider myself a decent experienced rider, I really don't mind the CBS. I actually like that this feature is on a bike of this caliber. I'm not a professional rider and if I can have the thrill of the performance, and a little edge of technology that can save my life if I fuck up, I'll gladly embrace it.
Haha performance a 7 lol I doubt he opened it up because he would have got off shaking in his boots.
best bike ever made
In my opinion the blackbird is number one
How can you judge reliability on a short ride? Yep, got me from here to here, I'll give it an 8. The Blackbird is ferking awesome, I can outside most weekend warriors on it.
why o why do they keep saying stupid things like," it may not be an R1 " etc etc, why do these stupid reviews keep comparing or refering these type of bikes to sports bikes ?
Its not an effing sports bike !!!! so stop comparing to them !
It seems that pretty much every one of these half arsed reviews compare pretty much every bike to a balls out sports bike !
Sports bikes are NOT the holy grail of motorcycles unless you love sports bikes , but sports tourers are the holy grail of long distance sport touring and sports bikes are good at a sporty blast duhhhhhh
Please stop comparing them....idiots..... and whats more, stop putting a sports bike lover on a touring bike to give his review because all he will do is compare it to a fkn R1 !!!! STOP IT...
He didn't get a thrill on a once-the-fastest bike in the world? What's wrong with these people?
Right!
Performance a 7? He didnt even have the courage to go full throtle...
it's tuned for high end.. that guy never felt it's true performance xD
It seemed to me that he already had a preconceived opinion of Honda's dual braking system. I'd bet the bike braked just fine. I think she could have chosen a much better test rider. He was about as interesting as a termite mound!
Really crazy they don’t prefre the XX to ZX9R....
Zxr9 is a good machine but XX it’s better that ´s it
This still makes me laugh. Too comfortable!!! lolololol
Strange to see his passenger holding the back handle. Looks awkward and unsafe if you make a quick maneuver. I always have my passenger hold on to me.
Cbr1000f hurricane 1st bike linked brakes
WTFFFFFFFFFFF 320km/h and the 4 one in the top 10 best bikes for 2017
Just honda haters hating a honda.
This geezer must have been so busy pretending not to notice an actual fit bird that he totally didn't have a clue what he was talking about. One of the fastest production road bikes at the time and he gave performance a 7 😂🤦♂️
Cliff and Sue 😆
Insular? ''ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience'', it describes that numpty rather than the Bike, The Bird is fast, smooth, comfy, reliable, and I've met two bikers that said they wish they had kept their blackbirds, when they see mine, the look in their eyes was sad as they got on their Kawasaki, and Yamaha's, respectively
I bet Francesca wanted to show those two the bike they`ll love, but Cliff wanted to show his ego and for no reason decided that the bike is too boring. But this is even true; the XX can be boring if you want it to.
Title should be “Two Morons Ride the Best Motorcycle in the World”
i love their accents so much....zed ex nine ahh
Only available in a few totally boring colour schemes. Park one of these next to my 1990 r/w/b CBR100f , and you'll see what I mean.
Ha!! Loving the reviews about the two morons who ride it around town a few miles and say it ain't ringing their bell. If he would've opened her up his wife would've been left sitting on air like the cartoons with the puff of smoke and him miles down the road. I've owned both a '98 carbureted (which I liked better and pulled harder) and a '99 fuel injected. Till this day I have not found anything to replace it. As far as looks and performance tge Blackird is one sexy, comfortable and super fast bike that's sutible for daily commuting. Hell, when I was finally able to buy one in 2006, the '98 model (yeah I was 19 when the Bird came out and was broke wasting money away with bad credit) I quit my job and became a motorcycle courier in Seattle. All I wanted do do was ride the bike all day long. I would go from Seattle to Puyallup, Kirkland, Mount Vernon, and even went a couple of times to Bellingham all with ease and comfort. I did that from May 2007 to October 2007 when we had probably one of the best summers in recent history with no rain the whole 5 months. Then October came and it rained every day the whole month and finally had to stop. If it wasn't for all that damn rain I would kept doing it. Even as I'm writting my two cents I have a huge grin on my face remembering how much fun it was. Not to mention the 300 mile 3 mountain pass blast in the twisties. Man that was time well spent. Puts a smile on my face whenever I think about it. Then came a GlioBlastomaMultiforme Grade 4 of 4 braing tumor that caused me to sell my Bird rather than let rot. Then after that came wifey and now a 8 year old girl and a 5 year old boy and that's when I got rid of the second '99 Bird. I haven't ridden in years but if I was to buy another bike it would be my 3rd Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. The original '97 if I can find a decent example of one.
Cheers, happy and safe riding with ATGATT.
Where did they dig up this pair ? It could be " Advantages " to have a lotta miles kind of bike ?, wow !, who knew ?. It`s like saying that it`d be advantages for a channel swimmer to actually know how to swim ! I`d hate to hear what wouldn`t be " Advantages " to this pair of clowns. Next time get people who actually know bikes.
I didn't like my black bird, because I felt it was a bit wollowy in and around town. It only came into its own when you gave it some beans and it only felt like it cam alive at licence braking speeds. Having said that, it was comfortable, practical and excellent for touring two up. Also smooth as silk. Its a much better machine than what this bloke is making it out to be
How the fuck can you give a reliability rating to a bike you've ridden once??
Obviously he didn't poke the Honda with a sharp stick and hang on for dear life or he'd have a different opinion about how much it scared the beegeezus out of him and left his passenger lying on their back in the middle of the road.
Camera work makes me dizzy
I do not know why anybody would buy this bike. It is a super fast cruise with no windshield per se. Certainly not as comfortable as a true cruiser which Honda does so well. Seems like this is for old guys who want to return to their childhood.
mayby he want to ride a crap bmw gs or k1600
Why not get committed MXer's to test Harleys or cruisers. track day riders to test Gold Wings, etc etc - of course they won't like a bike that doesn't meet their expectations or riding style/experience. And then multiply by a factor of ten if they can't or won't adapt. IOW pointless test.
this guys got no idea about bikes, look at him, should catch the bus and comment on its handling!!! BB rider for 10 years, no other bike comes close..(in its class)
Great Idiot.Best Bike ever.
If you don't like this bike. get a car.
Blackbird ridden by a Dodo.Does not like the brakes? Handles well. Wake up man & give your wife a thrill? Lol.
one word. clowns.
I think this guy is confusing 'smooth' with what he calls 'bland' performance? 🙄
arse talkin pish
Lauda!
"A bit bland". Lol.
ZZZZZzzzzzz, this put me to sleep.
Yeah, give a fork to the monkey and it would still prefer eating by hand... It seems like no bike iš ever good enough according to those dumb reviews...
A lot of Honda/Blackbird butt hurt enthusiasts on the comments here. :P
Great bike but very bland
Performance, “bland”! Look up the meaning of that word matey and if you still think it’s bland stick to your R1.
I’d you wanted long distance bike you would buy bmw gs