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It was Honda's original FireBlade, in 900 form, which heralded the era of the modern superbike, back in 1992. The first 'Blade began the trend towards lightweight full-bore machinery without which we'd all still be riding around on Kawasaki ZZ-R1100s and Yamaha FZR1000 EXUPs.

But the original bad boy of the litre sportsbike class only stayed on top for half a decade. By 1998, Yamaha's R1 had stolen the Honda's thunder, and its crown, and over the following nine years, both the R1 and Suzuki's GSX-R1000, in turn, offered the real pinnacle of sportsbike performance.

But for 2008, fifteen years after the original 'Blade started the superbike revolution, Honda's put the 'Blade back on top. An all-new model, with hardly any parts shared with the previous 2006-7 model, the '08 Fireblade offers an unbeatable mix of outright power and control - both on track and on the road.

For 2008, the Fireblade engine returned to a separate cylinder block design, with electro-coated bores, titanium valves, and a new slipper clutch. The engine is an incredible 2.5kg lighter than before, and lives in a new four-piece cast frame that was also 2.5kg lighter than the one it replaced. There's an updated dual-injector fuel injection system too, and a neat underslung exhaust improves aerodynamics, centralises mass and incorporates a host of clever valves and catalysts to reduce emissions while boosting performance.

The brakes feature all-new monoblock four-piston radial calipers, and there's a second-generation electronically-adjusted steering damper that alters damping effect depending on speed and throttle position.