1999 CBR900RR potential purchase
Discussion
Hi folks,
The urge to get a new (old) bike has been growing for a while and I have spotted a 1999 CBR900RR (RR-W) locally for not a million miles off reasonable money. One owner from new, decent history and a cosmetic few battle scars from a v low speed drop but otherwise tidy. A new indicator and one fairing panel would have it looking pretty tidy I think
I had a 96 blade about 10 years ago which I liked - apart from that fact that it was a bit of a dog. It had had a hard life, had clearly been down the road at some point and was also tuned. Power delivery was pretty savage, it vibrated through the handle bars at speed (think numb hands after 20 mins), and never really felt that agile oddly (suspension?). I strongly suspect that all of this was becuase that specific bike was not a good example. I bought it on a whim.
The idle jets on the carbs blocked eventually and after discovering that it had been dynojetted I just bought a used set of std carbs. After that it was frankly rather sedate - still decently fast bit massively different from before. The replacement carbs were prob never really set up correctly so I'll never know how it should have ridden. Sold it soon after.
Sooooooo, questions. I gather the '99 blade was a step up from the 96 in some key areas but what should I be looking for in terms of checks on this bike? What goes wrong on them? At 25 yrs old I guess this could be a bit of a lottery.
Will the suspension will need a refresh? Is there anything specific I should be looking for? Gearbox is fine by all accounts. Has an MOT and was last serviced 500 miles (and 3 yrs) ago.
I won't be doing mega miles, no track days etc, just the odd blast up here on sunny (not) Scotland's county roads and the occasional commute to work up the motorway. I'd rather have something with a bit of personality as opposed to a bike that is objectively brilliant but perhaps a bit sterile.
Last bike was a 2005 Speed Triple. Looked great, sounded great, went very well but I did not really like the riding experience. Felt heavy, not a huge fan of the upright position an never got on with the 5 speed gearbox.
Any advice on what to look for greatly appreciated.
The urge to get a new (old) bike has been growing for a while and I have spotted a 1999 CBR900RR (RR-W) locally for not a million miles off reasonable money. One owner from new, decent history and a cosmetic few battle scars from a v low speed drop but otherwise tidy. A new indicator and one fairing panel would have it looking pretty tidy I think
I had a 96 blade about 10 years ago which I liked - apart from that fact that it was a bit of a dog. It had had a hard life, had clearly been down the road at some point and was also tuned. Power delivery was pretty savage, it vibrated through the handle bars at speed (think numb hands after 20 mins), and never really felt that agile oddly (suspension?). I strongly suspect that all of this was becuase that specific bike was not a good example. I bought it on a whim.
The idle jets on the carbs blocked eventually and after discovering that it had been dynojetted I just bought a used set of std carbs. After that it was frankly rather sedate - still decently fast bit massively different from before. The replacement carbs were prob never really set up correctly so I'll never know how it should have ridden. Sold it soon after.
Sooooooo, questions. I gather the '99 blade was a step up from the 96 in some key areas but what should I be looking for in terms of checks on this bike? What goes wrong on them? At 25 yrs old I guess this could be a bit of a lottery.
Will the suspension will need a refresh? Is there anything specific I should be looking for? Gearbox is fine by all accounts. Has an MOT and was last serviced 500 miles (and 3 yrs) ago.
I won't be doing mega miles, no track days etc, just the odd blast up here on sunny (not) Scotland's county roads and the occasional commute to work up the motorway. I'd rather have something with a bit of personality as opposed to a bike that is objectively brilliant but perhaps a bit sterile.
Last bike was a 2005 Speed Triple. Looked great, sounded great, went very well but I did not really like the riding experience. Felt heavy, not a huge fan of the upright position an never got on with the 5 speed gearbox.
Any advice on what to look for greatly appreciated.
Edited by TorqueDirty on Tuesday 23 July 14:04
I had a RR-X which is basically the same, just a different colour. Only problem in 5 years was a fried regulator. Replaced with one from Electrex World. Might be worth putting a meter across the battery to check it's charging correctly. Other than that just the normal condition checks.
GixerK5 said:
I had a RR-X which is basically the same, just a different colour. Only problem in 5 years was a fried regulator. Replaced with one from Electrex World. Might be worth putting a meter across the battery to check it's charging correctly. Other than that just the normal condition checks.
Thanks for the tip. Don't mind doing some work on it as long as the big expensive metal bits are all in good working order!A bit biased, but the 929/954 (2000/01/02) models are better, unless you really want something with carbs. Bigger front wheel, better suspension, electronic ignition, etc. Arguably the 954 was peak Fireblade.
Otherwise, as suggested, the reg/rectifier and stator can be problematic. Unless you know when the suspension was refreshed probably budget for that, simply due to the age of the bike.
Otherwise, as suggested, the reg/rectifier and stator can be problematic. Unless you know when the suspension was refreshed probably budget for that, simply due to the age of the bike.
TorqueDirty said:
Tango13 said:
The 2005 Speed Triple had a six speed gearbox...
Good point well made. Either way I did not get on with the gearing. 1st seemed very short. Anyway it wasn't for me. Pity as it was a nice bike but I did not gel with it for some reason.Back to your original question, as others have posted, budget for a new reg/rectifier and either a suspension refresh or new rear shock and fork internals if your feeling flush and you'll have a very capable bike to enjoy
Well deposit paid and collecting over the weekend.
The bike was very clean and original, tons of history, one owner from new, 20k miles. A few things to spruce up to get it tip top but I'm really pleased.
Will look in to a suspension refresh. A new rear shock is ......well ,shockingly expensive so I'll hold off on that for now and see how it rides first.
A slightly less enormous end can might be on the list too although I'd keep the original of course. Any suggestions for something not 4 ft long that sounds a bit more fruity without being obnoxious?
The bike was very clean and original, tons of history, one owner from new, 20k miles. A few things to spruce up to get it tip top but I'm really pleased.
Will look in to a suspension refresh. A new rear shock is ......well ,shockingly expensive so I'll hold off on that for now and see how it rides first.
A slightly less enormous end can might be on the list too although I'd keep the original of course. Any suggestions for something not 4 ft long that sounds a bit more fruity without being obnoxious?
I’d advise against messing with the exhaust.
Although unfashionable the engines on these like long cans and it won’t be robbing any performance.
On the other hand if you put a sportier one on you’ll also need to think about getting it tuned to suit or could easily run too lean and cause problems as well as rob power and perhaps also mid range.
Although unfashionable the engines on these like long cans and it won’t be robbing any performance.
On the other hand if you put a sportier one on you’ll also need to think about getting it tuned to suit or could easily run too lean and cause problems as well as rob power and perhaps also mid range.
Thanks, that is useful to know. I guess I should probably keep it stock for the time being anyway and see how I like it.
I'd rather than the engine working optimally for sure.
I'll also budget for a new regulator / rectifier along with the few other bits I need to tidy up. Do I need to get the top dollar version or will they all do the job perfectly well?
I'd rather than the engine working optimally for sure.
I'll also budget for a new regulator / rectifier along with the few other bits I need to tidy up. Do I need to get the top dollar version or will they all do the job perfectly well?
tvrolet said:
A 1999 bike, thus 25 years old, is eligible for the Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMCC). Just sayin’ 
Hard to believe that the Blade is such an old bike now. I hope it can still deliver on the fun and excitement. Pretty sure it will and I'm hoping that it feels just as analogue as I remember. And at £3k I think it is a lot of bike for the money. We shall see!
TorqueDirty said:
A new rear shock is ......well ,shockingly expensive so I'll hold off on that for now and see how it rides first.
Look at YSS shocks. They do plenty of stuff for older Japanese models and are more reasonably priced than the big names while still being decent quality.Pah, 1999 isn't an old 'blade, it's a newish one. My last one was a 1995 RR-S, the very last of the 893cc engined bikes, in Urban Tiger with the Foxeye lights.
And even so people were telling me the foxeye lights were new fangled rubbish, and the twin round lights of the 92 'blade was the way to go.
And even so people were telling me the foxeye lights were new fangled rubbish, and the twin round lights of the 92 'blade was the way to go.
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Thursday 1st August 19:45
Rat_Fink_67 said:
2ndclasscitizen said:
Look at YSS shocks. They do plenty of stuff for older Japanese models and are more reasonably priced than the big names while still being decent quality.
I fitted a YSS shock to my SRAD a few years ago and it transformed it. Definitely no complaints.I did the shock on my old speed triple a few years back. For the blade is is it just a matter of getting the bike up on a stand, taking the old one off and bolting in the new one, or are we talking about compressing big springs here / major bike disassembly?
That said I sold my bike stand after I sold the Triumph so that is a pain.
Update. Bike now bought and ridden for an hour or so.
It is really tidy, handles very well and the engine is strong. V pleased so far.
On thing that I will need to sort though. When going over bumpy surfaces there is a loud rattle from the front fairing / clock area. Almost sounds as if the clocks are interfering with the fairing - but there appears to be sufficient clearance.
I live down a dirt track so it is very noticeable at slow speeds.
What I have noticed is that the front fairing support bars have some play in them where they are mounted to the chassis. On this model they curve down over and between the handlebars and bolt in to the same holes as the tank is bolted on to the chassis.
There is probably about 5mm play backwards and forwards as the bolts move in the holes in the rubber mount. Since the front fairing and the mirrors also bolt on to these bars the whole lot moves a bit.
I assumed this was simply that the two bolts holding it down were loose - but they are not. In fact the rubber mount through which the two bolts go has two oversized hollow pins and the bolts go through and tighten down on to these. I presume this is to stop the rubber being over compressed, but it also means that they allow a fair bit of play.
I'm guessing this is normal given that the hollow pins are clearly meant to be there - but surely Honda would not have designed it so that this results in loud plasticky rattles?
Any ideas anyone?
Could it be something else? Definitely seems to be at the front end and def sounds like a plastic rattle to me but I could be wrong.
Otherwise the bike is a peach.
It is really tidy, handles very well and the engine is strong. V pleased so far.
On thing that I will need to sort though. When going over bumpy surfaces there is a loud rattle from the front fairing / clock area. Almost sounds as if the clocks are interfering with the fairing - but there appears to be sufficient clearance.
I live down a dirt track so it is very noticeable at slow speeds.
What I have noticed is that the front fairing support bars have some play in them where they are mounted to the chassis. On this model they curve down over and between the handlebars and bolt in to the same holes as the tank is bolted on to the chassis.
There is probably about 5mm play backwards and forwards as the bolts move in the holes in the rubber mount. Since the front fairing and the mirrors also bolt on to these bars the whole lot moves a bit.
I assumed this was simply that the two bolts holding it down were loose - but they are not. In fact the rubber mount through which the two bolts go has two oversized hollow pins and the bolts go through and tighten down on to these. I presume this is to stop the rubber being over compressed, but it also means that they allow a fair bit of play.
I'm guessing this is normal given that the hollow pins are clearly meant to be there - but surely Honda would not have designed it so that this results in loud plasticky rattles?
Any ideas anyone?
Could it be something else? Definitely seems to be at the front end and def sounds like a plastic rattle to me but I could be wrong.
Otherwise the bike is a peach.
2ndclasscitizen said:
Are the rubber bushes in decent shape? If they've perished and rock hard they wouldn't be damping any movement which could cause the rattle
They all seem OK actually, but it is a fair shout. Going to make up some new rubber gaskets for the mirrors since they are clearly moving in their mounts through the front fairing and see if that helps.
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