“what a fantastic bike. A lot of bang for your buck. Only downside is the Honda bullet proof reliability I am used to fixing old bikes breaking down on the road this bike just goes on and on the journey has turned into a ride instead of an adventure.”
“Very nice bike, handles very well and goes like a Japanese train, could do with a bigger tank which the later models have, Apart from that a very nice ride indeed”
“When I was looking for a bike last year, I was prepared to buy my first ever Suzuki, an SV1000. As I was searching the classified ads, I noticed that all the SVs I was looking at, which were getting a bit old, were all rusting to a lesser or greater degree. That was when my eye was caught by a Firestorm. When the Firestorms first hit the dealers floors I dismissed them as limp wristed, cheap Ducati clones but now I found myself looking at them as higher quality alternatives to the Suzuki. I saw one in bright yellow and fell for it. Fourteen years old, 19000 miles and in excellent condition (which they all seemed to be), I rang the numer and arranged an appointment. The test ride was a revelation. It had old fashioned things such as 'conventional' forks and carburettors. On the other hand it looked gorgeous, it would lift the front wheel with ease and it made the most glorious noise. Needless to say, it became my fifth Honda and it now resides in my garage.
A year and a bit on, it has 25,000 miles on the clock and I love it. It is not powerful and it is not fast when compared with modern bikes but the handling is superb. It takes my favourite roundabouts with aplomb, allowing me to scrub off the chicken strips to the edges of the tyre (the rear, of course, I have never been able to scrub the front tyre on any bike in such a manner). The brakes are perfectly acceptable but I have no plans to test it's stoppie pulling power just yet!
One of the things I loved about the bike was how standard it had been kept. The only modification that had been made was in the fitment of a dark, double bubble screen, a fitment of which I thoroughly approved. The silencers were original, the number plate was the proper size, the rear mudguard had not been hacked about, it was not fitted with pin prick indicators etc. I have fitted different levers which make brake and clutch control much more comfortable but that's it.
I had to do a little work to it when I got it. The alarm module needed replacing (it would go into sleep mode whilst I was riding and the bike would cut out!), the tyres were shot, the chain and sprockets were tired, the battery wouldn't hold a charge and I had to replace the left hand switchgear in order to fix problems with the main beam switch and the indicator switch. Apart from the switchgear it was all aftermarket parts. All is now good.
I am planning to keep Ricky (yes, my daughter named it Ricky) for quite some time as finances will not allow me to keep changing my bike any more. The insurance is perfectly reasonable (due, presumeably, to my advancing years). The only aspect of the bike with which I am not happy is the fuel consumption. 40mpg as opposed to 60mpg from my car. Having said that, I drive my car like an old man (for obvious reasons) and it is a diesel. However, I still think that 40 is a little low. My CB100N back in the early eighties had a carburettor and that would do 120 to the gallon however mercilessly I thrashed it.
I love my Firestorm. It was the right bike to buy at this stage in my life and I think it will be resident in my garage for many years to come.”
“If your thing is inline 4s this won't be your cup of tea,however , very light on the road 3rd gear manic great wheelies ,poor fuel consumption,sounds amazing and very comfortable I'm 6ft .”
“the firestorm is an ideal bike for me,a future classic,with good build quality,and reliability, it's a bit thirsty and its fuel capacity is poor,it's an old school machine but as an old school rider of some 50 years that doesn't do as many miles these days the bike is fine for me.”
