100 HP on the street...why?

[matt922]

this is a very "american" point of view. everywhere else in the world, they're (primary) transportation.

Primary when the weather is nice, sure, but its still a big boy toy/recreational/leisure item.  If you ride a bike to "save money", i've got some land i want to sell you,  especially if you use a tire that wears like a pilot power (pretty much negates any savings you will have)

Which leads to why everyone else in the world owns a small displacement bike. Small engine = low power = small/cheap tires = 2x the savings over a ~45mpg bike.

[Porsche Monkey]

Meh, I've ridden all sorts of bikes, some with stupid power, which was....useless. It was just a crutch, really.

Having spent a lot of time on some less powerful bikes, I've gotten much smoother, carry corner speed better, and have acquired some moderate level of skill.


I'm guessing Nate on a 250 with a leaky fork would be faster'n most of us.

I understand buying the nicer bike because of the nicer suspension bits, but I think the power is overrated. I'd rather drop the coin on some formal training, which would make you faster on *any* bike, as opposed to the straights.

[LoneStar]

i have had many different bikes over the years and rode the hell out of them on the street.

i always got a bigger displacement on the next bike.  but, honestly, they got less and less fun the more horsepower i got.

i even reached the point where i bought a 2005 yamaha r1.  while one of the most beautiful sportbikes produced by the japanese, i got utterly bored with it on the street and it sat for 2 and a half years.  then i finally tracked it in 2009 and found it to be brilliant in it's element -- zipping lite speed between each corner to be carved with laser precision.  amazing bike.

my 2009 monster has hipped me to how much fun a low HP, high torque, super-light bike is on the street.  i will never go back to a high-hp sportbike on the street.  ever.

[fastwin]

OK, first off, you'd better live in Texas if your board name is LoneStar!

And secondly, my 160hp+ Hayabusa is around to make up for all my manly shortcomings. [moto]

[Goat_Herder]

So I guess this whole "100+ HP on street" argument is just like having loud pipes - it's totally unnecessary but it sure is nice to have.  Any more HP, the rider wouldn't be able to fit his head in a helmet.   

[ducatiz]

Yeah, but a passing qualifying test for a class of vehicle is not the same thing as possessing the skills to use a motorcycle of given class to the limits of its technical capacity.

You qualify for the Trike only.   

[Statler]

For most people maybe over 100 RWHP is too much ( for them to beable to properly exploit the potential of that power ).

For others 170+ RWHP might just make them pee their pants. ( so it's waaayyyyy ttttooooooooooooo much for them to even comprehend getting on one of the snarling beasts ).

For those of us who aren't afraid of it and can handle it ( so far ) it's a f*cking blast !    

Dolph

In the Spring of '07 I also fell in love w/ a Ducati S4Rs , a bike the likes of I'd never ridden. I promply crashed it the second day I had it tryinfg to keep up w/ a group of 5 seasoned road racers.

My next crash came on a day when I really just didn't feel like riding but went anyway. I was riding slower than usual, generally it's "balls to the wall ", and on an unfamiliar road just kinda taking in the sights and smells and a hairpin curve caught me off guard and I stopped right at the edge of a ditch bit I went over the bars into the ditch. Didn't get hurt and neither did the bike except for some scuffs on the barend .

The worst crash most of you who have been on this Forum for awhile know about and that involved me playing road racer as usual on the back roads in the  "Hills " where I love to go like the wind. This particular road I hadn't been on in the direction I was going since last Fall and it is nothing but blind up and down curves. I came out of a small valley and cracked the throttle , noticed two people and a bike off the side off the road as I crested the hill and there it was ,a sharp almost 90 degree lefthander going away from me.

I was into the center of the curve at 50-70 mph and the next thing I remember I was in this little ditch filled w/ water and mud. The mud stopped the bike almost instantly and I went smashing into a hillside and ended up w/ 4 broken ribs, a punctured lung , a contusion to my right shoulder and alot of soft tissue damage( was fully geared up) .

That happened in early April and I just rode for the 1st time 3 days ago. Did I think I was going to crash when I was riding at times well over 100 mph in the hills ?

I rode last riding season with very little fear.

I honed my Road Racing skills in the Hocking Hills and Wayne National Forest where the traffic is light and the Police are few and far between.

Never have I ridden so hard or so fast . It felt great to be in control of the bike .

I knew what to do in almost any situation I could think of except like a Deer walking right out in front of me or a vehicle pulling out of a hidden driveway and not looking before they did.

But I was willing to take those chances .

Nov.15, '09 changed all that.

A " Hillbilly " tried to take me out with his pickup and almost killed me.

I haven't recovered yet from the injuries of that day when he signaled a left turn , turned left 3/4s and then stopped for a reason he told the Trooper " I heard him coming and I just froze."

He saw me coming because he pulled part way out in front of me coming and set there for a few seconds and then he decided to pull out and go up the road about 30 yards and signal a left hand turn.

I had slowed down but as he turned down this road to the left I accelerated and then he stopped.

My only choice at this time was to pass between his rear and some grass growing off a 3 foot slope along side the road.

My S4Rs went air born , turned over on it's right side , and came down on top of me in the middle of the road where we slid about 300 feet.

I was knocked out . My Shoei X-ll split 6 inches from behind my right ear at the base straight up.

I don't remember a thing from the time I started to pass by the truck. until I came to starring at the sky with people looking down at me telling me not to move the EMS was on the way.

I was transported to the nearest Hospital and from there to the Ohio State Trauma center because the X-rays ans CT-Scans looked like I had a broken back.

I did break 7 Ribs on the right side, snapped Tendons in 2 Fingers of my left hand  ( which are still not healed ) ,Tore ligaments and Tendons in my Right Ankle, , Dislocated my left Sternoclavicular joint, had severe Whip Lash, broke part of the T5 vertebrae, badly bruised left Knee, Hip, Crushed right Elbow, ,broken right big Toe, Road Rash on right Knee and Elbow. ,and left Shoulder that is messed up but doesn't show anything on MRI.

Plus developed a staff infection of my right Calf that required Surgery and 5 days in the Hospital and months to clear up.

how much more having fun and handling it can your body take, Dolph? 

[SacDuc]

I think you are coping out to a degree sac.

Having a " bigger bike " doesn't short cut one's learning ability to carve twities .

What it does is once you learn HOW to properly enter and exit a corner you can twist the trottle in the apex of the corner and feel the rush of the bike 's torque ( in this case let's use my 1098 R since it has 99 lb, ft, of torque. ).

Instant wheelie or  " explosion of power " depending on how hard I twist and what gear I'm in.

TOO MUCH ....is better than ....not enough.

Dolph     

You're probably right. And certainly, to a degree, having 150hp under me scares me. I guess its possible that my riding will improve to the point where I'm getting everything I can out of a little monster and decide to up grade. Or maybe I'll go the other direction and see if I can make an even slower bike, perhaps a 250, get around those corners fast enough to make me happy.

But I think having 150hp is a cop out for a lot of people as well. Perhaps not you, but people who are under skilled for the bike. We've all been behind guys that walk liter bikes through the corners, blow past you on the straights and then talk about how fast they are at the next stop.

Each to there own. Some of us like brunettes, some like blonds. I think a more constructive debate could be formed around the question, "Should riding a 125cc scooter around a DMV parking lot license you to ride a 150hp SBK?"

I vote in favor of the tiered system so many other countries have. I don't think it will happen though.

sac

[zooom]

how much more having fun and handling it can your body take, Dolph? 

 

I believe in tennis terms...that would be what you'de call....an ACE!

 

[swampduc]

I know full well that I don't use all 160+ hp that my 1098 makes. I barely use the 120+ hp that the 996 makes. However, I DO use the torque, and with both bikes, I much prefer the suspension quality and ergonomics vs, say, a Monster. The longer wheelbase and stiffer frame vs a Monster also make a sbk feel much more stable, and the increased confidence that gives me allows me to ride harder and faster than I otherwise would.
It's no different than upgrading the suspension from Showa to Ohlins. Do any of us here actually max out the capabilities of the Showa suspension on, say, the 1098? Probably not, so I don't need a suspension upgrade. But since I went to R/T forks and TTX shock, I ride with improved confidence, and therefore, I ride better and faster.

[MadDuck]

I know full well that I don't use all 160+ hp that my 1098 makes. I barely use the 120+ hp that the 996 makes. However, I DO use the torque, and with both bikes, I much prefer the suspension quality and ergonomics vs, say, a Monster. The longer wheelbase and stiffer frame vs a Monster also make a sbk feel much more stable, and the increased confidence that gives me allows me to ride harder and faster than I otherwise would.
It's no different than upgrading the suspension from Showa to Ohlins. Do any of us here actually max out the capabilities of the Showa suspension on, say, the 1098? Probably not, so I don't need a suspension upgrade. But since I went to R/T forks and TTX shock, I ride with improved confidence, and therefore, I ride better and faster.

And there you have it.....

My old 999 was a bear to ride but still fun. My current 848 is down a bit on power yet I get to use more of the power & torque and with the all the Ohlins upgrades it has transformed my riding. I have way more fun on the 848 because I'm not fighting it as much as the 999. But I still miss the seemingly effortless power characteristics of the 999. Just recently I've had the chance to take a Streetfighter out for a couple of spins. Yahoo! I don't have to use all the available power to have fun but it sure was fun anyway.

All of this is actually pretty funny because I can remember when the first Honda CB750s came out and we were in awe of the power difference between that and a Bonnie 650. 

[NorDog]

You qualify for the Trike only.  

[Autohag]

I vote in favor of the tiered system so many other countries have. I don't think it will happen though.

We shouldn't mess with natural selection by implementing a tiered system.

[He Man]

my friend took his 1098 out today for some commuting. He said he nearly shit his pants. its too much power to be riding on normal streets, said he doenst even know about how it would work when u get to twistys and the track...

[arai_speed]

Don't most 600cc sport bikes make over 100HP now a days?

Personally I like the torque that comes along w/a bigger bike - the feeling of acceleration coming out of turn is just amazing!