Condolences to my dream 929In an utterly disappointing show of pride, stupidity and recklessness... I expressed total disregard for other road users and the safety of my pillion...and with that act, I have shattered my once held "ultimate dream bike" image that I had assigned to the Fireblade CBR 929...
Tonight was a cool and clear night and it is a welcomed change from the weather we have experienced over the past weekend, when it rained on both nights of the weekend.
Adjourning home from the carpark at Changi Airport, I chanced upon my "dream bike" with my "dream colours"... the Fireblade 929...with the fabled ERION RACING paintwork... exact replica of the paintwork found on the World Superbike Honda of 2001/02 (I think)...parked nearby... (I will refrain from using the vehicle number of the bike in mention, just that the bike is relatively new...an FU-plate)... the rider seemed unimpressed by my zx6r... and showed it by pulling hard toward the carpark exit, slamming on the brakes, and pulling hard along the stretch of road before the beautiful S-bend heading toward the ECP...I decided to bite my lip and refrain from resorting to such childish antics to prove my riding prowess (not that I have much anyway) nor to prove the worthiness of the zx6r... (and anyway, I had a pillion onboard...it would be selfish of me to put my pillion's life in danger, just for my own pride)... but lo-and-behold... fate chose to deal me with a huge temptation...
A slight traffic jam caused by a night time construction along the ECP below the runway crossing bridge for the planes at the terminal, resulting in 4 lanes merging into one single lane...led me to creep up to where my "dream bike" was, and as the single lane spread to a two lane road, I was behind him... I chose to ignore him and take the opening of the 2nd lane... but he apparently was not eager to let a puny 600cc bike overtake his mighty 929ccs... he tried to swing outwards to prevent me from taking it... but as I was already in, it would have been suicide for him to actually stop me... so as I passed him at less than 40km/h...we were both in 3rd (could see his kicking movements)... he chose to drop a gear while I passed and raised his revs to stick beside me...
NOW... I already "REN" (mandarin term "to resist" ) from playing with him, but this 2nd show of "disrespect" really PISSED ME OFF
... and in a folly of pride and recklessness, I gave in to the temptation to prove that my zx6r was not to be shown such disrespect ... (we are both class 2 sports bikes...why the difficulty in showing mutual respect when we can show respect for bikes of different capacities?)
Pulling hard in 3rd gear, I heard the roar of my kwaks' ram air, and the revving of the 929 in 2nd next to me... I put some distance between my "puny 600" and the mighty 929...ON THE STRAIGHT ROAD of the ECP ... revving till 10,000rpms before each gear change... I left him 4 car lengths before approaching the S-bend that links the ECP to the PIE(jurong)...and with utter disregard for my pillion's safety, I took the bend while looking into my side-mirror hoping to catch a glimpse of the mighty 929 behind me, but alas!!!!... he was no where to be seen... out the bend... into the straight... my speed drops to about 130km/h... (I know I know... speeding... sigh)... I see his headlight pop out from behind the headlights of a car... approaching fast... I roll-on the throttle and maintained a distance of 4-5 car lengths... taking the slip road onto the SLE, I slowed down to see his mighty 929 match speeds with me on his side of the PIE... (now in a classless show of disrespect)... I gave him the thumbs down... not knowing if he saw my attempt to rub salt into his wounds of being thrashed by a bike 330ccs less than his...
Happy from the so-called "win"... the realisation that I had behaved recklessly and had not shown the finesse of a rider who should be disciplined enough to keep his speed on the tracks made me begin to regret my actions... worse still... I began to realise that what many people had said earlier about the bike was true... that the 929 performance was lacking and left little to be desired... I kept those sentiments at bay with the belief that it was down to improper rider input which gave people such a bad impression of the 929...and that this underdog would prove itself worthy in the right hands... of a good rider and a good mechanic... I even had plans to purchase a 929 for myself...
But...*poof*... up goes my "dream bike" in smoke... sigh...
So here I am... to just air my thoughts... to admit the stupidity of my actions... and to put my "dream bike" to rest with all the disappointments in my life...
HERE LIES THE FIREBLADE 929
DISGRACED BY A ZX6R
Disclaimer:
This article is not intended to demean or belittle the Fireblade 929...nor is it to insult any Honda or 929 supporter/rider...
It is purely the rantings of a frustrated rider who feels that riders should choose to think twice before underestimating the capabilities of a bike or the skills of another rider...regardless of the engine capacity or age (or any other criteria).
The reckless actions mentioned in this article is not condoned by law.
