A few months ago there was a news story about a motorcycle rider ticketed for 205mph which later turned out to be a bit optimistic on the part of the police given that they were timing the rider with a stopwatch from the air. Production motorcycles are fast but not quite that fast.
I started thinking about this in the last few days because another car, a Bugatti, is now about to get the top speed crown at a bit over 248mph, taking it from the Koenigsegg CCR which just did 241 a short while ago which took it from the McLaren F1 the speed holder at 240 for several years. Remember the motorcycle speed wars? What happened?
My old ZX11 was the top speed king for quite a few years at 176mph, then the Honda Blackbird began to argue with that crown. A few years later the mighty Hayabusa came on the scene and raised the bar by another 10mph to 186. Everyone was talking because they knew Kawasaki had the ZX12R ready for the following year and everyone anticipated the first production bikes over 200mph. But, there was also talk about some European bureaucrats who were in a bit if a snit over motorcycle top speeds and whether there might be legislation coming in this area if the manufacturers didn’t put a lid on it.
The next year, the ZX12R comes out and faces off against the big Hayabusa and though both manufacturers denied any tinkering, both bikes managed to top out at, you guessed it, 186mph. Hmm…
It seems to be a given now that bikes aren’t going to go any faster. All of the big bikes run out of steam in the mid 180’s, the GSX-R1000, the ZX12R, the Hayabusa, c’mon guys, let ’em go. Are motorcyclists second class citizens?
Some might say that not many people can afford the Bugatti or McLaren or special supercars of that caliber but you don’t need one of those to break 200mph, there are quite a few high powered cars that will do it from Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes and the Ford GT. Of course cars are safer in a high speed crash but a crash at 186 or 216 isn’t going to be much different on a motorcycle so what’s the problem?
In the very least, manufacturers should explicitly state the bikes are electronically limited to a particular speed, many cars have a limit of 150 or 155 and they say so. Why can’t motorcycle companies admit it? What are they afraid of? They might want to require riders to have a certificate from a riding school of some sort before purchase, I think some of the Euro cars do that, they even have their own course that the buyers have to take. Some countries have requirements of a certain amount of experience before allowing you to buy and ride a bike above a particular displacement. With certain precautions and maybe a signed waiver to make everyone happy, we could get back to real top speeds without the bogus limits that everyone denies.
Jack Harlan says
I agree OEM’s shouldn’t be restricted with their products but there is a catch 22 in our society among engineering excellence, dork consumers, insurance companies, media, & lawyers.
The price tag also plays a role in this discussion since the lower price for a bike capable of 200+ makes them more prevalent than a supercar costing $450, 000.00 and up. The more bikes out there capable of 200 translates to the higher % of people riding beyond reason. This translates to the higher % of something wrong happening….then, the media gets involved and plays out the fact that “schmo-20-something” has the loan to pay for something that goes 200 mph. Then insurance companies & lawyers get involved….
I agree that there isn’t a lot of difference between crash results at 186 vs. 200.
[although, there is a seemingly exponential difference in the sensation between that 14 mph]…..
Another item to ponder: will the common knowledge of a stock bike capable of 200 mph tempt the goof ball rider to keep pushing it until they are far beyond reasonable street riding, regardless if they reach 180, 200 or not? give me more torque….I’ll reserve the 200 threshold for trained professionals.
aaron says
the first hayabusa clocked in at 193, and other magazines got 189-190. two or 3 years later, they were limited by a gentlemans’ agreement by the big 4 to 300kph (or 187mph). i think this was because of rumored euro legislation top slow bikes down and this was a preferable option to a rumoured 155 mph or a bhp peak (france requires a 100 hp max, and tuning is illegal!)
more to the manufacturer’s benefit, bikes can look like bikes again, and not rolling jellybeans. when critisized for the hayabusa’s front fender and bulbous seat, suzuki reminded everyone that it would not be the fastest bike if it looked like a gsxr.
besides, with first gear now ending at over 100mph on the zx-10 and r1, do you want the gearing to continue creeping up to accomodate 200+ top speeds?
hoyt says
R&D would be better spent on chassis and suspension development instead of the 200 mph.
i know these bikes are beyond many of street riders’ skill level already…meaning the chassis are already very capable.
MotoGP made the transformation from the 500cc GP two stroke beasts to the more “ridable” 4 strokes in part so their riders could push the limits easier and in a more manageable way. Moto Czysz is spending a lot of effort in making their bike easier to ride fast with the chassis, forks, engine, etc.
This ties in with the discussion earlier on where you live and why you ride (flat geography or access to hills) …..flat-out speed in a straight line or riding through corners with grace. I suspect a bike built for 200 mph would get smoked in the curves by an air-cooled Guzzi or Buell
michael shircliff says
great site..thanks, also, I am trying to buy a frame for a particular motorcycle and there is alot of confusion over varying state laws on title types and usability.. Specifically, I’ve bought two frames advertized as having salvage titles only to receive the supposed title to find it is really a salvage certificate..one New York type which says on it “..Salvage Certificate…do not accept as proof of ownership”, so my state won’t accept it…and the other from Maryland…that doesn’t say that…and I’m not sure about it yet.. Any way to create a site, or an article, or something to shed some light on titles….especially for us buying and selling them online…etc.. thanks
Allan Pirtle says
Speed limiting is rubbish. Like you have mentioned, cars are hailed for their speed. Seems only the rich are allowed to smite themselves.A special licence could work. In the end I can buy a ZX10R and then a Muzzy turbo kit claiming 500hp! The limiting is dumd as it is done electronically and there is always a way around it. If you really want to take the small step backwards for two forwards, carbs and a stand alone ignition system will sort any issues out relative to electronic limiting.We win so bring on the hp.And I dont think a Guzzi would beat a knackered horse up a hill.