Honda have long suffered a capacity disadvantage to Yamaha’s YZF-R1 and Suzuki’s GSX-R1000, but for 2004 Honda is on a level playing field with a new 998cc in-line four.

The engine is fantastic. Grunt everywhere means changing gears is much less of a necessity than on the previous 954cc model. And swapping cogs is a slick operation, perhaps even a little more positive than before. Use of the clutch is largely optional.

The engine seems to make quite an amount of mechanical noise, certainly more than previous Fireblades. The exhaust note through the underseat pipes is different to anything else on the market. At idle, when the tachometer is indicating around 1,100rpm, the note emanating from the dual outlet muffler makes it sound as though it is turning at least 2,000rpm.

A dual sequential fuel injection system has two injectors per cylinder. A large new airbox design is fed from an intake tract which runs between the radiator and the lower triple clamp.

A pair of cylindrical filters clean the air, rather than the conventional flat element type normally seen on sportsbikes. This is an interesting departure from the norm.

Right off the bottom the Fireblade could be a little stronger as it doesn't start to wake up until 3,000rpm, but this is getting really picky.