| Author | Message | ||
     Notpurples2 |
I'll admit that I'm a gearhead. I love horsepower and speed. I've done my share of insane, recklessly fast driving. But I've never gone more than 130-140mph. And that was only twice, once in my car, once on my bike. But now anybody with decent credit can go into any sportbike dealership and buy a bike that goes 170-200+mph easily. Who needs that kind of speed? Most people cannot handle that kind of speed. The bad thing is; alot of kids think of 600cc bulletbikes as "beginners' bikes" compared to the 1000+cc superbikes. But they can go nearly as fast and are just as dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Case-in-point; my friends brother just wrecked his friends bike. I'm not sure what brand but it was a 600cc. This kid is a good kid, usually, but young and stupid. He passed a cop at over 100mph and then tried to run. The cops said they clocked him at 170mph when he was trying to get away. When he lost it in a turn he was still going over 130mph. By some miracle he wasn't killed and woke up in the hospital with minor injuries. But now he has to pay for a brand new bike, a hospital bill, and about $3,000 and/or possible jail time for speeding and evading the police. | ||
| Glitch |
But now he has to pay for a brand new bike, a hospital bill, and about $3,000 and/or possible jail time for speeding and evading the police. Some have to learn the hard way. Let's hope he learned his lesson, as for the others...well...what ya gonna do? I'd hate to hear of any more restrictions on riders. | ||
| 12r |
You're right, most people can't handle it. I can't handle it now, but back in the day (yawn) I owned bikes that were easier to ride at 120 mph than they were at 50 mph. In the last few years I've ridden a new CBR600RR and a GSX-R 750 and they're the same breed - they make going fast very, very easy and I'm sure the +170 mph bikes are just as capable. I hope the manufacturers continue to make them but it's crazy that anyone can buy one - in the UK the motorcycle test is a rigorous multi-part affair designed to prevent inexperienced riders getting hold of fast bikes. | ||
| Eboos |
If someone else was to deside for you (like the government perhaps) how fast was fast enough, we would have all of our vehicles governed at 80mph. That would be fun wouldn't it. Everything amounts to education. Most new riders are very uninformed. The 600cc bikes they usually get have the look that they want, and they think that at 600cc they will have appropreate level of power for a beginner. Then when they get these bikes they learn how to go fast in a streight before they learn how to break properly and how to corner. On the issue of protective equipment... don't get me started. I can go on for days. It amazes me that people wouldn't have sex without a condom, yet will not think twice about riding without a helmet and proper clothing. Living on the border of RI (a non helmet law state) I see even greater levels of stupidity, people that have their helmets with them, but not on their heads. Ok, I got started a little. I think that there really needs to be more resources available to teach new riders proper riding techniques and about protective equipment. RI has a mandatory course before you can get your permit, but this course is not made readily available. MA, you just need to take a multiple choice test to get your permit, and there really isn't a requirement to get your license (yeah yeah, you can't ride at night, leave the state, or have a passenger, I have only had my license checked once at a check point CT. Got to love CT's check points, pretty annoying). With the exception of RI's mandatory course, MSF courses are pretty expensive. I took the expereanced rider's course because it cost half as much. What I learned is that at the time, I wasn't expereanced enough. In MA, $135.00 - $250.00 is a lot to pay for a course that you don't have any incentive to take (other then the knowledge gained, and forfilling the license requirement). Peerpressure can be a bitch. That is probably why we have all of these squidly kids doing stupid things in order to look cool. That is also why we have all of these "Hardcore" bikers whereing bottle caps on their heads. Peerpressure could lead these folks in the other direction too. Let's make being skilled, informed, and responsible the "cool" thing to do. | ||
| Glitch |
we would have all of our vehicles governed at 80mph. Do you really think it'd be that high? | ||
| Eboos |
The highest interstate speed limit in the country is 75mph. | ||
| Ctyxrnr |
Peer pressure can be a bitch. That is probably why we have all of these squidly kids doing stupid things in order to look cool. That is also why we have all of these "Hardcore" bikers wearing bottle caps on their heads. Peer pressure could lead these folks in the other direction too. Let's make being skilled, informed, and responsible the "cool" thing to do. Well Said In Topeka, KS yesterday (NO Helmet law) a lady in a car actually complimented our group for wearing our lids! how cool is that! edit (Lawrence, KS not Topeka) (Message edited by ctyxrnr on September 05, 2006) | ||
| Interceptor |
There was this unhinged kid I grew up with. He got a 99 katana and was riding with no license or insurance. he just said he would run if the cops were behind him. -well, he was on the Long Island Expressway weaving around rush hour traffic and got noticed. The cop chased him until he was so scared that he stopped. The cop walked up to him and he takes off with the cop holding onto him, He dragged the cop and smashes into another police cruiser and lands on the hood. last I heard they were trying to get him for assaulting an officer. My point: Some learn the very hard way and make the rest of us look bad. | ||
| Cyclonemick |
I find it hard to believe he was running 170mph on a 600cc sportbike! I say that cop was lying through his teeth! | ||
| Aldaytona |
The problem is simple, most people don't want to get a beginner bike, it isn't cool. Look at the posts here: First bike XB12.............. First bike CityX............. Blast should be first bike. Learn how to ride first, then learn how to go fast. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I don't think the first bike has to be a Blast, just something cheap and not too fast, probably used, that won't break your heart when you dump it a few times. Blast is a good choice, among many others. Mine was a 1976 CB750F1, a big heavy bike with a fair amount of power but not really fast. Lugging that thing around really made it easy to handle the next bike which weighed about 30% less. | ||
| Notpurples2 |
His brother saw the police tape. I'm not sure if the speed was shown on it. But he had the thing topped out. The bike is completely destroyed and scattered over a large area. When he went off the road it hit something that sent him flying off like a rag-doll, the impact must have knocked him out, and he landed on soft ground in some weeds. Luckily he had on a helmet which now has a really bad crack in it. I'm not saying that the bikes should be speed limited. But really if you think about it sensibly there is no reason to have bikes that are "easier to ride at 120 mph than they were at 50 mph." out on the street. The main thing that I have gotten from this situation is that I'm over being jealous of superbikes. My buell is quick and it tops out around 130mph or so and that is more than I'll ever need. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I know one thing... if I had a bike that was advertised as being able to do 180mph... I'd have to try it, at least once. | ||
| Bomber |
I believe there are already enough folks that are happily making decisions for me -- I'd rather not add to the list of decisions I can no longer make, thanks personal resposnibility and testosterone are NOT mutually exclusive, though some days it does feel that way, doesn't it? ;-} | ||
| Rich |
I've never owned anything that I didn't top out, at least once. | ||
| Daves |
I've never topped out my Expedition. Kandie got close once when she borrowed it from me though.  I always tell everyone, If you have a brain and choose to use it, your first bike could have 8000 hp and you'll still be fine. If you have a brain and choose not to use it, then you will get killed on a moped. It is up to you. A kid trying to outrun the cops is not a good thing no matter how fast their bike will or will not go.(never mind that I have, in a previous life, outrun cops before) | ||
| Jlnance |
If you have a brain and choose to use it, your first bike could have 8000 hp and you'll still be fine. Assuming that you also have throttle control skills.  | ||
| Greenlantern |
"If you have a brain and choose to use it, your first bike could have 8000 hp and you'll still be fine. " Example  (Message edited by greenlantern on September 05, 2006) | ||
| Notpurples2 |
Again I don't think bikes should be restricted from production. The only thing I would think could be done is maybe make a classification for high horsepower/high speed bikes and require a higher level of experience and/or training to get a license for that class of bikes. Of course I know that this is not realistic cause it's hard enough in some states just to get normal training and certification for a regular motorcycle. Back home theres only one place that offers motorcycle riding training and its 2hrs away in Mobile. I would really be surprised if more than 1 in 20 riders had a motorcycle license. Fortunately I've moved to Mobile, so I'll be taking said training as soon as they offer it again... next summer I believe. See what I mean... Ofcourse I know my friend was in the wrong. When I see him I'm gonna want to kick his butt. | ||
| Eboos |
CCRI in Warwick, RI, to my knowledge, was the only place offering the mandatory course to get your permit in RI last summer. I attemped to get my permit in June only to find out they were booked until October. What a way to make yourselves available. I knew I was moving to MA so I rode without a permit for about 4 months. After moving, I did the right thing and got my permit, and then later my license. | ||
| Interceptor |
I did the motorcycle safety course this summer. I did it in order to get insurance down and get my full license. It was a worthwhile class. They teach some stuff you just dont realize. -I agree that there should be higher level mandatory courses...but have enough of them to fill demand. It is hard to get into a class if you dont sign up in early spring. You would still get crazy kids that pass the course and go out and ride without a care, but they would have some better knowledge. | ||
| Daves |
There are probably less than 1000 riders on the whole planet that can ride a new GSXR1000/R1/CBR1000RR/etc to it's limits. Very,very few can ride a 600 to it's limits. Very, very few can ride a Buell to it's limits,even a Blast. So I guess we'd all be without bikes or riding mopeds and I'm not sure most of us could ride one of them to it's limits. Face it, none of us are as good as the bikes. Soooo, who gets to say which bike you or I am "qualified" to ride? The government? Bwwwahahahahahahahahahahah! | ||
| Kdan |
The gene pool needs cleaning too! Don't make it too hard for these idiots to thin the herd without taking a bunch of people with them. | ||
| Greenlantern |
SHHHHHHH!, He might hear you.  | ||
| Rocketman |
Dave, I always have a problem with that 'riding to the limit' thing simply because it's not true. I'm assuming your statement is based on judging the limits of any bike by how a professional racer can ride it on a race track at its limit of tyre adhesion. I believe there are many many people who can ride a, for example, GSXR1000K5 to its limits on the open roads. No doubt the professional racer might inch out a little bit more but it's important to recognise that the limits of a motorcycle can only be, if ever at all, discovered on a race track, but outside of a race track the limit becomes much less a finite line. The open road offers a much less tangible reference to the limits of a two wheeled machine, thus the limits are often reached, and breached too, on the open road no matter what the machine in question. This creates a show of ignorance that is common place amongst petrol heads. If I said to you I can ride my 916 to the limit you and most everyone else would think two things. No he can't, and what a bragging bastard I am. Well there are occasions where and when I've know I've had that 916 pegged over in a corner at some ridiculous three digit speed and nothing save Troy Bayliss could have passed me, if he were lucky. I'm not the other either. There are simply times when given the right circumstances you can and will hit the limit of what the machine can do. A professional racer just knows how to do it better and for a living on a race track. To put it another way. No one questions Mr Buell's riding ability do they. In fact when ever someone speaks of riding with him they all say how brilliant he is, and how tough it can be to keep up when he goes for it. He hasn't raced for years, and only a handful of people on the BadWeB have ridden with him, yet hundreds of us willingly accept without question he is some kind of motorcycle riding god. On who's authority exactly? That's the trouble with petrol heads see. Credibility of one sort or another gets you everywhere. Simply being an unknown gets you the title of 'irresponsible' 'bragger' or similar if you claim to be able to ride your scoot near or at the limit. I think there's a difference US \ UK of perception too regarding the limit. I have several friends who do or have raced at club level and beyond. On the street these same friends are probably what most would brand as nutcases sometimes. That would not be the best way to describe their skills and ability even if some would brand this type of street riding as reckless. Everyone knows if they're good or not. You can be a good reader. A good swimmer. A good runner, or a good climber. In fact, a good anything. So why not a good rider? I know I am. Most importantly though, I know my limits and I get to know my bikes limits. I believe it's important to do so though that might be subject to age and experience in the end. Rocket | ||
| Eboos |
I suck, but I'm getting better. | ||
| Rocketman |
At sucking?  Rocket | ||
| Aesquire |
Rocket & I agree here. I could ride my GT380 at the limit, sometimes, for a real short time, on a few, well known roads. Ok, top end doesn't count, I did that a lot. Ride my M2L at the limit? I have not tried. ( I am having fun reaching for them, at times ) I'm betting my Buell, or a 916, is better than I am. | ||
| Easy_rider |
I find it hard to believe he was running 170mph on a 600cc sportbike! Back then the Katana name wasn't restricted to the 600cc. | ||
| M1combat |
The way I look at it is that people like Rossi/Hayden/Mladin/Bayliss DEFINE the limits of motorcycle performance. If Rossi can set a lap time faster than I can then I'm not riding the bike to it's limit. I doubt that there are 1000 people on the planet that can pass Rossi given the same equipment. I'd bet less than 100. That said... I know I've brought my XB to it's "current" limit. By that I mean with it's most likely TOTALLY jacked setup (although it feels good to me) I have learned a few turns well enough that I can come out of them at what I know is "the" limit. Here's the thing though... I know that my technique is not as refined as someone like Hayden's or Rossi's or any number of other top tier racers. Not even close. Every single dime in my pocket (I think there's three) says that they could teach me how to get around those same turns at a faster pace... So... Was I ever on the limit? Nope. I was on my limit. Yes... Rossi is on his limit too... The bike is faster than he is. It can't be any other way. Rocket... I think Troy Bayliss is a bit lighter than you are  . Maybe he couldn't have gotten around if you added 60lbs to his bike  ? |
