Calling Collect(ors): 1993 CBR900RR/Fireblade

Here is one of the few bikes that all the current RSBFS staff writers seem to really like; a first year Honda CBR900RR/”Fireblade”.

Back in  1993, the 750cc class was king of the sales chart and Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki all battled it out on the streets and in dealerships to have the best 750cc bike.  Meanwhile Honda seemed content to play more in the sport touring segment with its excellent VFR750.  But what almost no one outside Honda knew was that Honda was developing a bike that would scramble all the segments and eventually cause most manufacturers to exit the 750cc segment.  That bike was the the Honda CBR900RR/”Fireblade”.

Formally launched in late in 1992 and appearing in dealerships in 1993, the new 900cc Honda was simply astonishing; sized like a 750cc,  powered like a 1000cc, and only a few pounds heavier than a 600cc.  (Note:  the CBR900RR was 75 pounds lighter than the Yamaha FZR1000, 114 pounds lighter than the Suzuki GSX-R1100 and an astonishing 144 pounds lighter than the Kawasaki ZX-11).

The story behind the genesis of the CBR900RR/Fireblade is a good read for anyone unfamiliar with it, check it out here.

1993 CBR 900RR/Fireblade with only 7854 miles for sale on ebay

Riders were astonished and reivews were gushing.

“the Honda CBR900RR FireBlade wiped the floor with its competitor motorcycles not by being more powerful but by being lighter and more agile. Rivals were all well over 200kg, the first Honda CBR900RR FireBlade was just 185kg which made it perform superbly.” – Visordown.com

This particular 900RR is currently owned by a collector who indicates he has owned it for a few years and put almost no miles on it.  Overall it looks to be in almost totally stock/OEM condition.  The seller indicates some aftermarket parts were previously installed but that they have since acquired some OEM items and put the bike back into OEM condition.

Here is what the seller has to say

• 1993 CBR900RR, with only 7798 miles
• Previous owner had put on an aftermarket muffler and dark windshield, so I bought OEM ones to put it back to factory original. The aftermarket muffler and windscreen are included if sold to a local buyer or the buyer is willing to pay to have them shipped.
• Only 1 small scuff in the clear coat on the right side just below the seat.
• I bought this bike as a collector in November 2011 with 7798 miles so I’ve only ridden it 56 miles!
• Prior owner would bring it to the dealer where I bought it every year for a checkup and oil change, so it was very well maintained. 

Is this ultra low mileage CBR900RR worth the current price of $4,050 USD?  Well the brake fluid looks a bit dark and there is no mention of rubber so if your intent is to ride this bike regularly there will probably be some freshening required.  However even with these additional costs, the pristine condition, ultra low mileage and prices we have seen previously on RSBFS seem to point to the current $4,050 USD price being right in range.

NOTE: To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this go up a bit more, to about $4,500 USD.   

To me, the first year Fireblades occupy the same mental space for collectors as the the Ducati 916;  both caused seismic shifts in the motorcycle market.  Yes there were huge numbers produced so they will neve be “unobtanium” but they do represent very important moments in the evolution of modern sportbikes.  For the CBR900RR/Fireblade, the 1st year editions do seem to be the most desired version and will likely be the ones that increase in value.  I would love to add one of these to my collection, although my preference is for the blue and white edition.

-Marty/Dallaslavowner