I absolutely HATED the linked brakes. They were designed for beginning riders, but the bike was not a beginner bike. When riding at a spirited pace, you would be slowing down, using primarily the front brake as any skilled rider who is used to roadracing, trackdays, or even just riding a spirited pace would, when all of a sudden the rear tire is skidding and you're backing it in. Now backing it in can be fun when the rider is controlling the skid, but not when the bike does it unpredictably on it's own. The only way to get the rear tire rolling again is to ease up on the front brake lever. That's not always what you want to do when approaching a turn at speed.
Honda's idea was that unskilled riders tend to stomp ONLY on the rear brake pedal. So this was their idea to get to front brakes involved in slowing the bike down. A system that attempted to help unskilled riders, but hampered the performance for everyone who had moved past the stomp-and-pray braking style.
Some owners disconnected and bypassed the system. But even then you only had 3 piston calipers (2 if not using the rear brake pedal) on the front. The bike simply needed a much better braking system.
The camchain tensioners were a problem. To my knowledge Honda never acknowledged the issue, like other manufacturers have and did. Some people used X-11 (naked Blackbird) camchain tensioners, but they weren't really any different or better than the Blackbird CCT's.
Voltage regulators were another unrecognized-by-Honda issue.
One problem that I found hard to believe on their then top-of-the-line Sportbike, was my bike actually came with an out-of-round rear sprocket. I don't know how that could have made it through production and assembly, but to the Dealers credit, they acknowledged it, and it was replaced under warranty.
The unadjustable fork was simply inexcusable in my opinion.
It was just a disappointment all around.
My old ZX-11D which I sold when I bought the CBR1100XX, was a better bike in my opinion. Even though the Blackbird juuuust edged it out on the top end.
My later ZX-12R was much better, and the Hayabusa that I bought and owned alongside the ZX-12R for year, proved the best of the bunch, in my opinion. 23 years after I sold the ZX-12R, I still have the 1st gen 'Busa. Although it's quite a ways from stock, it still puts a smile on my face.
