100 HP on the street...why?

[Slide Panda]

yeah... good analogy.

[ducpainter]

I've had my monster for 10 years and always thought of it as the perfect street bike. Relatively comfortable for 300 mile days in the twisties with plenty of power for any circumstance.

My track bike for a long while was either the monster or a stock engined 750SS...pretty anemic. The 750 taught me how to ride the track better.

Then I got a 996 for the track.

Would I want a SBK for the street? No way...

but I gotta tell ya...

the monster is the bike that feels anemic now.

[wbeck257]

the two funnest street bikes i have put down 30 - 35hp.

[Veloce-Fino]

After a 6 hour ride on my 1098 R I will tell you riding at 85 in a flash is down right F-U-N.  ( about 178 RWHP )

I know it's illegal ........but I ride where enforcement is light and the roads are great !

I am always looking a 1/4 mile ahead of me when I can and when I'm hitting the corners at at least twice the posted speed it just feels right.

Then there are the times when I just like to twist the throttle a bit and watch 125 mph come up so fast that I can hardly believe it.

Usually there are several power wheelies involved when I twist the throttle and I'm always amazed when that front end comes up off the ground ....I feel like I'm getting ready to take flight.

After 2 1/2 years of riding the " R " it just feels natural to power up and fly through the country side.

It kind of reminds me of the pictures of a guy riding a " jet sled ."

Even w, a full face Helmet and Visor down , my face still gets distorted as the bike tries to run out from under me.

Power and speed are very addictive.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dolph    

You sound exactly like an addict.  Literally, every line from this post justifies an addiction. NICE!

[DucofWestwood]

because lane-splitting means you never have to  slow down!   

[Blackout]

Why the hell not?!

[SacDuc]

Why the hell not?!

Because at no point during your street riding do the laws of physics allow you to utilize that much power.

Because, unless you have been trained and have years of experience, that amount of acceleration can be deadly.

Because if you want to get around that corner faster your money is better spent on lighter rotating mass and better suspension.

Because you need 1000cc if you've maxed out a Japanese 600 on the street and you ride it so perfectly that you just can't get through that canyon any quicker (Hint: no you haven't.)

Because you look like you are compensating.

Because you will look that much sillier when a m750 making 65 hp is riding up your ass through the twisties.

sac


/there is a tiny percentage of riders who can actually utilize that much power
//props to you if you are among them
/// for everyone else, don't worry 150+ hp wins the bench race every time

[zooom]

I don't want a 150+ hp....but my current 72-ish hp Cagiva Gran Canyon tachs at 5K+ rpms when rolling on the highway at 75-80mph(and yes, some of that is due to gearing I am sure)....the replacement machine I have my eye on which is a reported 114 hp is more than enough to make that 75-80mph much more comfortable for those times I'll find myself in that zone....sure it'll have other benefits...but that is the huge + for me in that department.

[Raux]

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE going 100+mph on the 696 (however, doing so may get you put in prison here) But riding for extended periods can get a bit unnerving. Something about the rpm's being so high get on my nerves after a while. I also use earplugs any time I'll be doing highway riding or long distance riding.

You have stock gearing? I would have thought you dropped a tooth in the front after all the work you had done.

Too be honest, now that I think about it, my 100+ dB exhaust may be at the source of this dilemma.

the extra 500 or so rpm is why i went back to the 15t along with having the DP ECU and the singarm angle changed, it was the right move. I also added the Electraen (sp?) throttle cam. All together I have a smoother ride with lower rpms at high speed cruising and a top end I haven't touch yet...

[NorDog]

"100 HP on the street...why?"

Because I don't ride in the dirt.

[Scotzman]

"100 HP on the street...why?"

Because I don't ride in the dirt.

I don't know why this wasn't brought up earlier
The couple of days I had the SF while my 695 was being serviced, it was very nice to be in 4th or 5th at lower RPMS, vice 6th gear at 6k for freeway riding. Twisties on the SF, I'd still be in the hospital, so it depends on your definition of "street".

[DucofWestwood]

The couple of days I had the SF while my 695 was being serviced

wait ... are you saying you brought a 695 in for servicing and they gave you a StreetFighter as a loaner bike?  who is your dealer?

[muffinman]

/there is a tiny percentage of riders who can actually utilize that much power
//props to you if you are among them
/// for everyone else, don't worry 150+ hp wins the bench race every time

...so?

If I was reasonable, I wouldn't have purchased a motorcycle in the first place 

[SacDuc]

...so?

If I was reasonable, I wouldn't have purchased a motorcycle in the first place 

 

Fair enough.


sac

[Bladecutter]

I cruise usually at 80-85 mph. With aftermarket exhaust and no baffles, cruising in 6th around 6k is INCREDIBLY LOUD. Add in a few hours of this noise and you will understand my point. 

Well, who told you to mess up your bike for highway riding by changing the exhaust system, and probably the gearing, too?

My gf's 696 is 100% stock, and will most likely live out its life that way.
Same deal with my 848.

We wear ear plugs on every ride, not just the highway jaunts.
I lost more of my hearing than I wish I had due to not wearing ear plugs while riding, so I have to keep what's left.
It also keeps the ringing down as much as possible using the plugs.

Anyway, the 696 does 85 mph perfectly fine.
Much better than the average motorcyclist can.
For much longer than any human can, if you had a never ending tank of gas.

Don't worry about the bike, it can do more than any of us can throw at it.

As for the original question:

Sure, my 848 is complete overkill for the street, but I love the way it looks, handles, sounds, and feels, as I zip around the city streets. Even if I'm not using 100% of the bike's abilities, I'm getting 100% of the possible enjoyment just riding it.

If you can't understand that, then there's no hope for you ever understanding.

BC.