If you keep up on things automotive, you’re probably aware of the new CAFE standards recently passed which require auto manufacturers to have fleet fuel economy averages of 35 mpg by 2020. No sooner was the new standard on the books when many car companies began canceling or cutting back on future models already in the planning stages. The new 600+ horsepower Corvette ZR1 is said to be the last of the Vette’s monster motors, the next version is supposed to be aimed at performance using a lighter weight package. Lots of other changes are predicted by GM’s Bob Lutz and car companies are looking hard at all sorts of hybrid, electric, diesel, hydrogen and every other possible mode of power they can think of.
As big V8s and mega horsepower cars begin to look more like an endangered species, motorcycles, with their extreme performance capabilities plus relatively high fuel mileage numbers, begin to look like the performance alternative the enthusiast will still be able to fall back on for his or her high speed fix. You can sip a lot less gasoline than most cars and still get performance available only in the most expensive exotics or muscle car remakes.
I’ve recently noticed an upsurge of motorcycle articles on all of the automotive websites, it seems they are noticing what we’ve known all along, motorcycles yield big performance for every dollar spent and they’re rewarding in many other ways, too. As car buyers eventually see their garages occupied by his and her fuel sipping econo boxes, they might want to put something a little more exciting in there, too, maybe something with 2 wheels.
Chappy says
I assume we will see them go after motorcycle emissions and mileage more than they do now eventually (especially as bikes get more popular) which will probably stop some of the fun.
The upside to that though is there is a lot of aerodynamic issues with todays bikes as it relates to efficiency so it will be nice to see manufacturers forced to give us something with real aerodynamics.
motoxyogi says
They already are after motorcycle emission standards. If you look at the performance specs of superbikes over the last three years you’ll see the manufacturers are struggling to top the previous models performance due to the introduction of Euro 3 emission standards(more weight in the form of cat converters). This trend is best represented in Suzuki’s GSXR1000, now with dual silencers to lug around.
Personaly i’m not too worried about this and regardless i hope to see a change in the direction of engine development. There is only so far the factories can push up rev limits for more power as they are already bumping their heads off their 300kph limit(the jap 4 only, MV agusta have broken it) and if they wanted to break it they would have done so with the zzr 1400 and new hayabusa. Hopefully we’ll see more low and midrange torque and 60+mpg.
And if those boy racers wanted real performance they’d would be riding, but since the vast majority of them seem to be stuck daydreaming about being schumacher(even though he’s pretty good on a bike) i dont think we’ll see a mass exodus of ex-tin can drivers turning to two wheels
Space Weasel says
I don’t really see bikes ever replacing cars in the minds of the buying public. Our bikes get relatively horrible milage as is…I was embarrassed to tell people I only got 32-35 mpg out of my speed triple (albeit with a heavy throttle hand). That’s not nearly enough of a difference to get someone out of their comfort (and crumple) zone.
The future of high performance probably isn’t v8’s…it looks like alternative fuels and light weight. Tesla, anyone?
Blair says
I think the most limiting factor in converting car drivers to riders is the skill required to obtain the most out of a bike compared to driving a car. Most people (myself included) find it much easier to push the limits of their car than their bike and often it’s the thrill of pushing those limits rather than outright top speed. The most exciting car on the road today, in my humble opinion, is the Lotus Exige, and that’s only 1800cc. But in the right hands it would be nearly unbeatable in the twisties. Sure it doesn’t have the top speed or the acceleration of the big supercars but think of how much fun you can have throwing it into any corner you can find. And if it does go awfully wrong, chances are you won’t be hurt as bad as if it had happened on two wheels.
I think it’s performance with a increased sense of safety that ticks many peoples boxes.
coho says
Given the larger necessary skillset and much greater consequences of failure to master (or at least padawan) them, the boy racers will most likely stay away in droves.
Or flock to the sportbike store and die in triple-digit numbers every day for a year.
I’m okay either way except for the fact that the news would tell us that it was “dangerous motorcycles” responsible for this culling of the herd rather than the hypertestosteronal ignorance of those who got darwined. That would not help us.
Sean says
The Speed Triple argument is a good one, until you realise that that’s a relatively large capacity motorcycle. If it’s the 1050cc version, then I can see how you would get that sort of mileage. However, it’s the motorcycling equivalent of the muscle car. It’s hardly an efficient piece of kit. I can see the market increasingly turning to lower capacity engines and lighter weights to keep their performance edge. We can already see this happening with the Speed Triple’s little brother, the Street Triple, which has an (unofficial) waiting list in New Zealand of 6 months. Meanwhile, the Speed Triple at my work has been sitting there for months, while Streets fly out the door…
akbar says
its really hard to talk on the phone and drink coffee while riding most bikes.
todd says
Reducing power doesn’t mean reducing performance. If they can lower the weight of the vette they can have a better performing vehicle with less power. Just because the Lotus has an 1800cc Toyota motor (amazing at 190hp) doesn’t keep it from achieving 0-60mph in 5 seconds or so, bettering the vette, and does it with much less fuss.
I doubt Chevy will do anything as drastic as discontinuing the Corvette or neutering it for that matter. They will just sell two Aveo models for every Corvette model. That makes up a nice MPG average.
As far as power is concerned, if you tell people 100 hp is a lot, they will want 110. The only reason people want 200 hp motorcycles is because there aren’t many available with nearly that much. Never mind the fact that 99% of riders will not be any faster on a 200 hp bike than they will be on a 100 hp bike (probably slower). Back when sport bikes had 40 hp (way back) people were asking for 50 and thought a 57 hp CB750 was more than anyone could ever need or manage. People just want more no matter what it is or where it happens to be at the time.
Bring on the better MPG’s and reduce the power for all I care. I or my friends are still no faster on their 100+ hp 600’s than I am on my 50 hp BMW or 35 hp Honda.
-todd
Brian Case says
I second Akbar’s comment! But, then again, it is possible with Blue Tooth and a Camelback!
And Todd said it, I believe it is about an AVERAGE MPG. The manufacturers should be able to sell enough of their high MPG vehicles to offset their lower MPG performance vehicles. I feel that, like sunny coastal properties, there will always be a demand for performance automobiles. Especially in the US.
I think the coolest feature about hybrids, though, is the fact that they don’t idle. Imagine just how many CO2 emissions would be eliminated if every vehicle in the US didn’t idle!!
Joe Tote says
I see a bigger three wheeler market coming. It is going to be endless, MPG, performance, ETC.
akbar says
Really, what I have been sad to see, is hybrid SUVs. Good in one sense, but really, do people really need that big of a car for everyday transport? I can see the use once in a while, hell, I have a bike and a two seater convertible, I cant take anybody anywhere, or get anything home. But on the rare need, I can rent a van, etc.
I would like to see more small commuter cars, three-wheelers, bikes, etc. If we can get good(approaching good?) gas mileage in a giant SUV, imagine what we could get if we let go of the idea of driving living rooms.
But, I am often told that I am so much of an oddball, that my opinion does not really matter.
guitargeek says
Follow the money: General Motors makes a LOT more money from sales of gas chugging trucks, SUVs, vans and “crossovers” than from the ‘Vette.
As for neutering the Corvette to meet standards, well, they’ve done it before: The 1975 model only made 165 hp!
pghcyclist says
Aren’t motorcycles already the leading edge of performance. If you measure performance in terms of 0 to 100mph numbers and so on. I don’t think we will ever see them adopted by the general public but I will bet throttle hand that we start seeing the auto manufactures borrowing more and more motorcycle technologies. Smaller cars with busa engines composites and aluminum bodies. Things like the smartuki and the tata. As a small side note I would just like to point out that if less people drove suv’s more of us bikers would probably live a little longer
Space Weasel says
Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for getting people on two wheels. But the sad truth of the matter is that most of them (and, probably, a good portion of us) will always be faster around a track on four wheels. That’s why the performance argument is hard to make. We can spout all day about how much more fun/challenging/involving it is, but you aren’t really going any faster on your bike.
That aside, I think the biggest issue in getting people to convert is the whole “where do I put my gear” thing. Nobody wants to show up at the office in leathers and nobody wants to wrinkle their suit under an aerostitch. But you can roll to any meeting in a Porsche and impress all your little buddies – or your date.
Sean – while I lust after a new 1050cc model, I had the old 885 version. People loved the look and the performance, just expected bikes (all bikes) to be getting gaudy 50+ mpg numbers.
Tom says
There’s no question I could get around a track quicker in car.
. . . it’s just that I can’t imagine why anyone would want to take a car to the track.
If you’re going to wrap yourself in metal like that, why not just play a video game?
I feel sorry for anyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to ride a performance bike around a tight track.
Chris Bracey says
This debate about performance cars dying has been going on since I can remember. With turbocharging, direct injection, and other advances its going to be possible to make more hp with less displacement. I would also agree that foolishly switching to a bike and pushes it the same way will result in a lot deaths. Possibly we could use some cleansing of the gene pool however…
motoxyogi says
On the subject of those hybrid cars/SUV’s. I hate to break it to you but by and large(at our current technological state at least) but those things are the proverbial carrot to the horse(or however that saying goes). The manufacturers tell you it’s good for the enviroment but those cars have a full IC engine that can get the vehicle moving(as with most cars on the market) and then they throw in a electric motor and a huge battery. Now even if they could make it all nice and light it doesn’t get round the fact that every time the ECU switches off the engine, it and the catalytic converter both cool down so when the engine kicks back in, more fuel is injected into the engine to warm it up(mpg goes down) and the cat converter isn’t up to temp so emmissions go up.
Admitably it isn’t as bad as that but hybrids are not the solution. A good diesel will generally beat them on all counts.
Benyen says
i think its funny that GM has made such a big deal about this new hybrid TAHOE, when in the tiny little print at the bottom of the screen you can see it has 21 MPG highway estimated. good job SUVs. you went from incredibly retardedly impractical to just completely impractical.
Rick says
I believe that there is a argument to be made that while motorcycles can perform as well as a car, they aren’t as practical for most everyday functions. That being said, they are probably mre enjoyable to drive, especially some of the top models.
GenWaylaid says
The parallel between what is happening now with CAFE and gas prices and what happened thirty years ago raises an interesting question. If the number of used bikes around is any indication, motorcycling enjoyed a period of relative popularity during the last gas crunch (c. 1978 to 1985).
Might the same factors that increased the popularity of motorcycling then do so again now? It doesn’t take a large fraction of car drivers switching over to dramatically increase the number of motorcycles on the road.
Thirty years ago I wasn’t even on two legs yet, much less two wheels. Those of you who were riding then, did the gas crisis lead more people to motorcycles? Could it happen again? Are there other factors which would make it less likely today?
todd says
GenWaylaid , I tend to romanticize the past a little but here’s a thought:
During the previous gas crisis the motorcycle companies actually sold economical, non intimidating motorcycles. A typical Ford LTD driver could go to Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, or Harley Davidson and buy a 250cc or 400cc bike that achieved stellar fuel economy and was a respected motorcycle. The bike was light, simple, inexpensive, and easy to learn and manage. Even the super bikes like the Z1 or R90S weren’t as fast or quick as a modern SV650 “beginner bike”.
Now there’s maybe a Ninja 250 or Rebel that fits the bill but the sales person will oversell a larger bike to a customer or not even have any of those models available, prefering the large and heavy fast movers. The person will be ridiculed by his friends and shunned by other riders for buying such a sissy bike.
Motorcycles are no longer seen as basic viable transportation. They are considered dangerous toys and rightly so. Instead people look towards expensive auto technology. Gone are the days when one payed less for an economy car, now economy is a add-on feature manufacturers charge more for.
-todd
OzarkBard says
As long as laws don’t change defining a motorcycle, the new upcoming/proof-of-concept hybrid/electric trikes with enclosed cockpit environments (Venture q100 anyone?) don’t have much to juice up to get Tesla roadster-like performance at a much lower cost. It’s still gonna take mass-produced vehicles to be out for a couple of years before a significant portion of the hot-rod community to take hold, but it’s definitely becoming a legitimate option.