Produced for just two years, the 954 generation of the Honda Fireblade was commercially overshadowed by the competition from Suzuki and Yamaha, but I always thought it was the most “practical” literbike you could buy at the time. That inherently might have been the problem – who was looking for practical supersports? I fell in love with the Fireblades after some time on my friend’s 929RR – it was fast enough but much more comfortable than the R1 I thought I wanted at the time. Anyway, you rarely seem to see the 954 around nowadays, which makes this pristine example all the more special.
Sure it wasn’t as fast as the GSX-R1000, but you still got almost 140 horsepower at the rear wheel for a bike that weighed 370 pounds dry. Plus you weren’t going to see many others when you were out on the road. For more on this generation of the Fireblade, check out this profile from Sport Rider.
This example (VIN: JH2SC500X3M105114) is claimed to be as-new with 5,557 miles on the odometer. It’s being offered by the original owner who says he’s never tracked it, dropped it, or ridden it in the rain. The main complaint the 954 received was a bit of headshake, which should be addressed thanks to the Scott’s stabilizer. Other mods include a Penske rear shock, Race Tech forks, Spiegler stainless steel brake lines, frame sliders, Honda solo tail cover, and more. Note that it has a tail tidy as well. So the seller and I might have different definitions of what “as new” means, but this is still a nice example if you don’t require something stock. It’s not cheap but I haven’t seen a nicer example for years. Find this CBR954RR for sale here on Craigslist in Lafayette, Colorado for $6,300.