1997
H O N DA
The upgrade was well worth the effort, the 954
brakes are a significant improvement on the stock
900RR units and it’s a change I wish I’d done much
earlier. I’ll get a custom bracket made up for the
fluid reservoir soon because, with the current
positioning, the brake fluid in the reservoir is
closer to the ‘Low’ mark than I’d like it to be.
M O R E P OW E R
As far as engine work goes, the old bus is
standard. A Yoshi’ RS3 replaced the stock, very
quiet, end can (I still have it, and all the other bits
I’ve removed over the years for that fateful day
some years hence if I sell the bike), a K&N air filter
replaced the stock unit and the carbs were lightly
tuned for improved midrange.
The first mech I took it to did an OK job with the
midrange tune but the bottom end was horrible
and the plugs kept fouling. Changing the plugs on
this model is an absolute pain and after the third
plug swap, I admitted defeat and took the bike
to another local mech, Harley Borkowski at RB
F I R E B L A D E
Racing, who I knew had a mountain of experience
with Honda’s of this vintage as he races a VTR1000
and I got him to work his magic. The result is
spectacular. The engine runs incredibly smoothly,
has much better midrange than before, just
manages to top 120hp at the rear wheel on the
dyno and hasn’t lost anything at the bottom end.
Every time I ride it, it puts a smile on my face.
The only other changes are minor cosmetics. The
original mirrors and indicators are a bit ugly and
whilst I still have them in the box of original bits, I
replaced them with parts that don’t date the bike
quite as badly.
Honda build quality back in the 90s was
fantastic and I’ve had very few technical issues
with the Blade. I found the front brake light
switch to be a weak point and after replacing
that for the 5th time, I gave up and fitted a
hydraulic brake light switch when I upgraded
to the 954 brake system. Apart from that and
replacing the left handlebar switch cluster, I
don’t think I’ve had any issues at all.
KIWI RIDER 41