I'll keep my 929, thanks
It seems to me the actual technical advantages this bike has over the 929, at least for the average sportbike rider, are trivial at best. That's not a criticism, as some model year changes are sure to be rather meaningless. But I doubt many 929 riders who have their bikes set up just the way they like would lay out a few thousand to trade up to a 954, and start all over again. In fact, if I was in need of a new sportbike for the spring I'd look for a leftover new '01 929 which would probably cost a couple thou less than a new 954.
I agree that it's rather astounding that these bikes still do not come with a good steering damper standard. This is a critical modification that virtually everyone with experience on the bike installs (review the posts at
www.cbr929.net), for the simple reason the bike is an accident waiting to happen without it.
The pointless knife-edged styling changes detract from the bike. It's also a shame the 959 carries on with such messy graphics.
For my money, I'll keep my 2k 929 until I can trade it for a Honda GP-derived V5 with traction control and electronic shifting. In a solid color, please.