firestorm is not a sports bike

[h3r3t1c]

i believe and may offend in this statement that the firestorm is NOT a sports bike i don't know if anyone else agrees but i believe its more of a muscle bike like the speedtriple or gsx1400.

Discuss?

[benny hedges]

depends what you term a sports bike imo...
your blades, gixxer1000, xz10r etc are usually known as supersports, and they definately earned the title.
anything you can put straight on the track out of the crate fits in that category.
the sp1/2 can still compete with the top supersports bikes...

so what is the firestorm?
it's definately a sporty bike when ridden aggressively, but then it can be ridden sedately as a commuter, yet i wouldn't say it's a tourer, due to the fact it's not the most comfy bike out there, isn't the best on fuel, wheelbase too short to carry luggage without pivoting lol, but ive been all over the place on mine with tent & ting, as have others
i think it's one of them machines that is a bit of everything, without being everything, if you know what i mean - bit of an all rounder...

i would say if you are doubting the storm's sporting capability, wind it up a bit, push it harder!

[BigVeeGrin]

don't care what badge it has stuck on it - to me it's an absolute blinder and a gem and is a jolly good sport.

[h3r3t1c]

they are stunning but i just think they'd be closer to a speed triple than anything else i mean not even a bandit 1200 is as easy to hoik the front wheel up, and the sp's are nut bar track weapons. I just think honda missed the marketing ploy with it and would have sold more if they hadn't labelled it,

[VeeTeeArrrrrrr]

If I may put my side to it....its like a Audi S4 which is a cracking car compared to a Zonda which is the car equivalent to an R1. Both great but different classes of "Sport".

[AMCQ46]

veeteeArrrr, I think you are close with the car description, but my take is the Storm is more like a TVR.

Its all engine and noise, handleing can get a bit waward at the limits, its old tech, its outclassed by all the new stuff, its not that practical, but you smile everytime you ride it.

its not even what we used to call a UJM [universal Jap Motorcycle] as its not that comfortable, not that good with luggage, its and old school sportsbike

so, yes it is a sports bike, its not as fast as todays 600's but with the set up of suspension & brakes sorted [what Honda should have done if they wernt watching the cost].........on real roads they will have trouble keeping up with me, because I have the monster mid range

[h3r3t1c]

yeah the car description summed it up pretty well, and tbh its made me giggle like a school girl every time i ride her, anyway i fail to see why we need 185mph bikes in the real world i'd be happy to settle for 184.9mph

[VeeTeeArrrrrrr]

Funny I was going to use the TVR as the equal to the Storm, but I have serious issues with Heretic when its a well known fact that all the exitement with riding a fast bike is at the point between 184.9mph and 185mph thats the tenth where it all happens for me ..............

[Wicky]

The Storm is like the Toyota MR2 Mk1 - Nippily fast in red, sporty pretensions & mildly eccentric (like storm owners) ...

[benny hedges]

The Storm is like the Toyota MR2 Mk1 ...

no it's not.
a mr2 has 4 wheels & a 4 cylinder engine.
a firestorm is more like a citroen 2cv which also has 2 cylinders, or a reliant robin which has 3 wheels

[h3r3t1c]

i don't doubt its sporting edge, the storm has amazing acceleration and mid range (what a vtwin should have) i'd compare it more to a corvette z06 it has the acceleration and mid range with high speed handling issues due to basic suspension. I Love my storm its the best bike i've owned its the perfect road bike and with tweeks could be the best bike ever

[h3r3t1c]

yeah i think thats the next step to get the front end resprung and revalved, its next on the mod list purely because it will unleash my potential let alone the bikes. I think the tyres need doing aswell because there old d207's so a pair of avon storm ultra 2 will be ordered

[AMCQ46]

You need to try one that has had the suspension sorted. Probably a lot better mod than fannying about with the engine.

+1 on that.........bikes are all about corners...........as people who have ridden with me will know, I slow down when I get on the straight!

[tony.mon]

Dunno about that.
Whenever I've fallen off it's always been at a corner, hence my attraction for messing about on the drag strip!
Plus it's subjective; I can tell when I've gone .5 of a second quicker, but on the road the only thing I have to let me know I've gone quicker or slower round a bend is the speedo, and TBH if it's a good corner and I'm on it I don't have time to look....

Anyway, it's all about the rider, and their personal risk limits.
Example: at the summer meet-up, I had the slowest engine there; didn't have any trouble keeping up and making time in a reasonable manner
But up until recently; I was commuting and using the bike for work as well, and the experience of being on the Strom twenty or thirty thousand miles a year will always give you more feeling about limits, what you can get away with, what you can ride round and what gets in the way.
Example: Filtering skills honed on the M25 in rush hour every day in all weathers all year will usually mean that people who are used to these conditions will be more confident in traffic than those who just go out for a Sunday dry ride every so often.


Perhaps when they first came out they were sporty, but have since been superseded somewhat.
After all, Colin Edwards found them sporty enough at the time, as I recall?

But time moves on

When I was younger I recall the CB750 four coming out, serious crotch rocket at the time, but now nowhere near modern performance, speed, acceleration, brakes, handling, reliability, any of it.

And the VTR1000F is near-on a fifteen year old design now.

[Beamish]

It has a sporty stance and riding position but is relatively comfortable compared to the SP. My Gixxer will be classed as a sports tourer soon after riding the latest litre Supersports it is slow , has shite brakes, soft suspension I wouldnt put the FS in the same league as a GSX or the Speed Triple. They are most definatley muscle bikes (well your neck will certainly be bigger after a year of ownership)