2008 Blade

[Bleck K6]

Went for a quick blast on a 08 blade this morning, I rode from Whangarei out to Pataua nth & back.Probably about 70kms.

I really liked it, Easy to ride, comfy riding position, nice gearbox. suspension was good through the bumpy bits.so easy to throw around.

I dont like the look of of the front but the arse end looks good.

I couple of things i noticed, Through the tight stuff it felt like you were having to put alot of pressure on the bars, When you tipped into a corner the clip on felt like it was trying to pull towards the frame.I got sore wrists over the hill to Pataua.

On the open faster stuff it was fantastic,would have loved a longer ride.

It didnt feel that grunty,but was easy to rev right to redline.no real kick through the revs.
Taking off in first & not being harsh with the throttle had the front wheel pop up at about 7000rpm.

For a standard bike I think it was good fun & of course when you get a new bike it doesnt stay standard for long so I would imagine it would be a Beast with a aftermarket pipe, filter, powercommander & some Dyno time.

Cool fun

[MentalFacility]

Dont buy an 08. Wait for 09. Im suffering terrible issues with my 08, and its warranty regulations. It really sucks balls when u have a busted engine on a brand new bike after 6k km...

[sAsLEX]

Dont buy an 08. Wait for 09. Im suffering terrible issues with my 08, and its warranty regulations. It really sucks balls when u have a busted engine on a brand new bike after 6k km...

3 guesses which dealer sold you this Cycle, I reckon some would be Spot on at the first guess......

[Bleck K6]

Dont buy an 08. Wait for 09. Im suffering terrible issues with my 08, and its warranty regulations. It really sucks balls when u have a busted engine on a brand new bike after 6k km...

Thats no good mate.
No I wouldn't buy one,I like my gsxr to much.Its had a few goodies chucked in it.

[breakaway]

It really sucks balls when u have a busted engine on a brand new bike after 6k km...

What happened?

[klyong82]

Dont buy an 08. Wait for 09. Im suffering terrible issues with my 08, and its warranty regulations. It really sucks balls when u have a busted engine on a brand new bike after 6k km...

What happened to the bike?

[Neofin]

Hey Bleck
I have an 08 Fireblade & ride all the time from Parua Bay to Whangarei & back. I know what you mean by the feeling of the clip ons being stiff or pushing back towards the frame - I have discovered that the bike is very sensitive to the front tire pressure - the 015 needs to be at 36psi cold or greater (to 38psi) or you will get this - if at the correct pressure it is silky smooth & very light steering in the front - very easy to keep on line in all situations (esp. under acceleration out of tight corners). The drop off Manganese point is best test - you know you have wrong front pressure if you feel build up of "G's" as you bottom out (Wei to Pataua) in the front - with correct pressure suddenly feels light as a feather - even at greater than strictly legal (about a third more) speeds - Not that I have done this.
Darkie's hill is illustrative in that it can be negotiated supremely safely at the legal limit or greater providing you have sufficient tire pressure in the front - otherwise it definitely feels as though there is a fair effort to push the counter steer. I now have an 016 in front & it is similar in feel with correct pressure.

[MentalFacility]

Ok.
So the new cbrs are known to burn oil in US. It is pretty major, around 400ml each 1 000km.
I bought my bike in late august from Botany Honda Motorcycles.
I knew about the issue when I was buying one, I obviously made it clear with the dealer, so the dealer told me that if there is gonna be anything wrong with the bike then they are gonna give me a new one. Well ok, i thought, that’s a deal.
So after the first service at 1k, i keep checking my oil level, and at 2k the dip stick is dry! I rushed it to the dealer, their mechanic told me that I’m a paranoid young silly fella, and I read to much bull shit on the web, while quietly topping up my bike with oil. After another 2 k I come back with no oil again, and FINALLY with 3K on the clock, they are convinced that there is something wrong with the bike.
After another 1k i come back with no oil again. At that point I’m disappointed. They talk to Blue wing Honda, so they decide to do a test. They believed that the problem was caused by the improper brake in (which I did by the manual, as THE DEALER TOLD ME). So they put menial oil to see how that goes.
Every 1000km i keep loosing ~400-500ml per 1k km. Very pissed off at that stage. They tell me that the bikes performance will never be affected, but I take the bitch on the dyno anyway, only to find out that im 15bhp short from a GSXR 2008!
I give them the dyno results and demand a new bike as they promised. Instead they say that I need to give them a chance to fix the bike first as of consumers guarantee act (Repair, replace, refund), they tell me that they gona put in a new engine. A bit later they say it’s only gona come down to a set of new piston rings.
Anyway, at 6k I brought the bike in, now they took it apart and they found out that 2 cylinders are losing 20psi of pressure. The problem is caused either by the piston rings or by the bore.
NOW. That is a MASSIVE job for a HONDA motorcycle that has only done 6 000km and NEVER been raced or over raved.
Fuck, that’s just silly. To install the new rings the whole motor will have to be refurbished, and that is not the NEW motor I paid so much money for. Not even talking about replacing the entire bore
Its gonna take them a minimum of one month, and it is a SUMMER TIME SEASON, and now I’m stuck on their replacement CB1300S. It is a nice bike, but it is not the bike I PAID FOR, and I don’t LIKE IT!
The GEARBOXED got FUCKED UP BAD from inconsistent oil level. At this stage it feels like it came from a pickup truck. And they don’t feel like changing it, and again they don’t really trust me that there is anything wrong with it.
Only god knows WHATS IN THE EHOUST system which eaten all the oil, and has an integrated catalyses.
They also say NO OTHER bike they know of, that was sold in Auckland suffers the same issues.
Every bit of info I tell em, I must argue to death, otherwise it is rejected.
At this stage I want my refund. Ive had a bucket full of shit discussing it all with the Botany Honda Stuff, we are all getting angry and the issue is not going.
By the law they must give me a new bike, since the failure is of significant character, and gives me the right to reject any actions they try to make in the direction of fixing the bike. Im going in on Monday guns blazing.
PS Sorry for the long read….

[Bleck K6]

Hey Bleck
I have an 08 Fireblade & ride all the time from Parua Bay to Whangarei & back. I know what you mean by the feeling of the clip ons being stiff or pushing back towards the frame - I have discovered that the bike is very sensitive to the front tire pressure - the 015 needs to be at 36psi cold or greater (to 38psi) or you will get this - if at the correct pressure it is silky smooth & very light steering in the front - very easy to keep on line in all situations (esp. under acceleration out of tight corners). The drop off Manganese point is best test - you know you have wrong front pressure if you feel build up of "G's" as you bottom out (Wei to Pataua) in the front - with correct pressure suddenly feels light as a feather - even at greater than strictly legal (about a third more) speeds - Not that I have done this.
Darkie's hill is illustrative in that it can be negotiated supremely safely at the legal limit or greater providing you have sufficient tire pressure in the front - otherwise it definitely feels as though there is a fair effort to push the counter steer. I now have an 016 in front & it is similar in feel with correct pressure.

Hi yeah youve got the blk/slvr Cbr?
Have seen you on Whngarei heads rd a bit & up Taraunui rd.
Damn should have asked if they checked tyre pressure,They lubed the chain but dont know if they checked pressures.

[Bleck K6]

Ok.
So the new cbrs are known to burn oil in US. It is pretty major, around 400ml each 1 000km.
I bought my bike in late august from Botany Honda Motorcycles.
I knew about the issue when I was buying one, I obviously made it clear with the dealer, so the dealer told me that if there is gonna be anything wrong with the bike then they are gonna give me a new one. Well ok, i thought, that’s a deal.
So after the first service at 1k, i keep checking my oil level, and at 2k the dip stick is dry! I rushed it to the dealer, their mechanic told me that I’m a paranoid young silly fella, and I read to much bull shit on the web, while quietly topping up my bike with oil. After another 2 k I come back with no oil again, and FINALLY with 3K on the clock, they are convinced that there is something wrong with the bike.
After another 1k i come back with no oil again. At that point I’m disappointed. They talk to Blue wing Honda, so they decide to do a test. They believed that the problem was caused by the improper brake in (which I did by the manual, as THE DEALER TOLD ME). So they put menial oil to see how that goes.
Every 1000km i keep loosing ~400-500ml per 1k km. Very pissed off at that stage. They tell me that the bikes performance will never be affected, but I take the bitch on the dyno anyway, only to find out that im 15bhp short from a GSXR 2008!
I give them the dyno results and demand a new bike as they promised. Instead they say that I need to give them a chance to fix the bike first as of consumers guarantee act (Repair, replace, refund), they tell me that they gona put in a new engine. A bit later they say it’s only gona come down to a set of new piston rings.
Anyway, at 6k I brought the bike in, now they took it apart and they found out that 2 cylinders are losing 20psi of pressure. The problem is caused either by the piston rings or by the bore.
NOW. That is a MASSIVE job for a HONDA motorcycle that has only done 6 000km and NEVER been raced or over raved.
Fuck, that’s just silly. To install the new rings the whole motor will have to be refurbished, and that is not the NEW motor I paid so much money for. Not even talking about replacing the entire bore
Its gonna take them a minimum of one month, and it is a SUMMER TIME SEASON, and now I’m stuck on their replacement CB1300S. It is a nice bike, but it is not the bike I PAID FOR, and I don’t LIKE IT!
The GEARBOXED got FUCKED UP BAD from inconsistent oil level. At this stage it feels like it came from a pickup truck. And they don’t feel like changing it, and again they don’t really trust me that there is anything wrong with it.
Only god knows WHATS IN THE EHOUST system which eaten all the oil, and has an integrated catalyses.
They also say NO OTHER bike they know of, that was sold in Auckland suffers the same issues.
Every bit of info I tell em, I must argue to death, otherwise it is rejected.
At this stage I want my refund. Ive had a bucket full of shit discussing it all with the Botany Honda Stuff, we are all getting angry and the issue is not going.
By the law they must give me a new bike, since the failure is of significant character, and gives me the right to reject any actions they try to make in the direction of fixing the bike. Im going in on Monday guns blazing.
PS Sorry for the long read….

What a nightmare.
They should definately give you a replacement or refund & send it back to honda to look at.
Hope they sort it soon.

[Wasp27]

Naked arse........it certainly pays to check here before you commit to buying a new ride. Not only for the type of bike.....but more important the after sales service......or not. What ever you do....DO NOT BACK DOWN!!!!! IMO I would be talking to my lawyer tomorrow .....best of luck in resolving this , cheers W

[discotex]

3 guesses which dealer sold you this Cycle, I reckon some would be Spot on at the first guess......

I haven't had any issues with Cyclespot.... I had faulty steering head bearings which have just been replaced under warranty without issue.

They even said they think there might still be a slight pulse under very hard brakes and to check it over the next few days and let them know. Could be the tyres not up to temp/pressure so I plan to go for a fang today and check it out.

Given I commute (and ride pace style on the open road) I mightn't have noticed if they didn't say anything because it's a million times better now. So +1 for Cyclespot there.

[breakaway]

Take them to small claims court, mentalfacility. It is the ONLY way to get money of of people or shops that blue ball you. They can ignore you all they want, but once you get the law involved you can guarantee they'll be onto it. If the issue really is as black and white as you described it, you should get your money back / replacement / repair without any issues.

[Neofin]

Yes thats me Bleck. Also thought that there might be an over enthusiastic steering damper at work. Definitely when I feel sore hand I check the tire pressure-inevitably down in that situation. If thats your GSXR in the thumbnail with your post above - awesome looking machine - I've heard K6's are fabulous but never been on one (tried the fireblade first & didn't feel the need to look further).
Feel really sorry for Mental Facility - don't know whats at work here - I would be inclined to try appealing to Honda senior management - they have been there once before with the "chocolate" cams on the VR1000 , 750 & 500 series - resulted in the VFR - the most reliable bike made (apart from voltage regulator) - but garanteed solid engine. Usually Honda don't like to lose face re machinery that has a flaw - often the blustering via a dealership is denial in the face of evidence that points out that the firm has overlooked a vital part of the machine's use - I do think it may be related to the run-in process. I followed the dealer's advice in not letting the bike have constant revs at all- putting the engine under lots of load both ways - never allowing 'pinking' (acceleration & deceleration). I seem to have experienced a short period of higher oil consumption followed by stabilisation of oil use. I think in the circumstances you find yourself in Mental Facility, I would look at trying to communicate with Blue wing & failing that feeding back to Japan - not going to the small claims court but sticking with your argument regarding the Consumer Guarantees Act (The bike is not fit for purpose at this point - I think through no fault of your own - you followed the manual. Essentially they have designed a marvelous motorbike that through unknown quirks has not in certain instances measured up to their usual high level of reliability. The Japanese are quite proud around this area & would not want to be seen to have achieved less than they set out to. So a respectful request may go a long way further than righteous demand - no matter how justified it may appear.
Personally I am disappointed to hear that the dealership you purchased the bike off is not advocating for your position especially as you were aware of the oil consumption issue prior to purchase. You are now faced with the dealership being afraid to feedback to the company headquarters for fear they may ignite a series of unwarranted claims - where in fact I believe the machine is strong enough provided the running in has been met & this is a bit more specific that the manual has set out. (Stories from overseas of wrong oil type being supplied in the engine by different dealerships do not help to rectify the quality control issue that honda is faced with. I believe it would be cheaper & more efficient for them to supply new machines for people in your position than to continue to try & ride out what is obviously a situation facing quite a few owners.
Good luck & stay calm Mental Facility - fundamentally all Japanese manufacturers are interested in the customer being pleased with their purchase - an approach a little foreign to Western thinking. The right approach - to Japan if necessary (Not accusatory (they do try very hard to produce excellent motorbikes)) hopefully will result in a satisfactory outcom.
Cheers

[SixPackBack]

Bummer Mental facility-I feel your pain!........my last bike was a custard K4 thou, ran like a clock until 33K then started stopping randomly for a few seconds at a time. Cut a long story short it went back to colemans 6 times and had the wiring loom, ignition, side stand switch, cam/crank sensor, black box, handlebar switches.......all replaced. The fucker was no better!??
So I sold it and bought a bleck K6. 54K now and does not use a drop of oil, runs like a clock. Commutes everyday [I do not own a cage], ride in the weekend and track it............awesome bike I love it!
Be fair to say you pay your money and take your chances, having said that I think the days of Honda being infallible and uber reliable are over. Stories of heavy oil usage concerning 600 and 1000 Honda's have been doing the rounds for several years now. Similarly stories of Ducati's breaking down seem to diminish each year.
Anyway bro' hope you get it sorted, from experience threats from a lawyer help and if it turns to custard expect a long drawn out drama. KEEP THE LOANER till you achieve satisfaction-good luck