It won't be long before all these electronics will be riding the bike for us and all we need to do is point and push a button and the bike will do the rest. The fastest route between two points can be calculated by the onboard computers and the rider will have to merely hang on.
Soon, all the fastest racers will be 34-lb blind midgets with hand strength enough to hang on and keep pushing the "go" button. Nothing else will be needed.
AMA superbike better get on that minimum weight limit rule soon. Or perhaps they could use monkeys instead of midgets, the lollipop guild really can hold out for the big bucks these days...
The other weekend the Suzi's ate up the competition. There was so much track between them and the pack that it was like the leaders were on a different lap.
Of course Road America is a HP/top speed track but Gesh!
Maybe if AMA bikes could be built to World Superbike spec?
The argument used to be that the Pirelli spec tire rule kept the racing close on the world scene, but since pretty much all of the factory teams in the US are on Dunlops...
IIRC, the 01 GSX-R1000 steered like a truck. I know my 00 GSX-R750 did.
You had to jack the back end to the moon to get it to steer, causing the bike to lose way too much trail, making it impossible to hold a tight line through the corner.
While it sounds useful on paper, I tend to think that riders who can't be discreet with their throttle usage in real world situations really shouldn't be on two-wheeled rocketships like the GSX-R1000. But that's just me.
+1
I have to wonder how many buyers or potential buyers of the 1000-cc bikes really do know what they're getting into when they buy them as street bikes.
With one of the wimpiest right wrists out of anyone I know, I think I'd personally enjoy it more as a streetbike. I'd just surf the torque in the lower rpms and enjoy myself all day long.
It's when I tried to pick up the pace on a closed course that things started to get a little sloppy...
Nice write-up... !!khaylockJune 13 2007, 20:38:52 UTC
I can see the magic switch being useful to a road rider.
Imagine, it's a snotty horrible day, raining like a monsoon, and you've got to ride the K7 1000 back home over a bumpy backroad in full power mode, with rivers of water running across the tarmac. You tip into a slick, bumpy off-camber up-hill corner, tip-toeing around with the smoothest, gentlest throttle opening you can manage, desperate not to overdo it. The rear wheel skips a tiny bit over a bump, and in an instant the back wheel spins just a smidgeon. But in another instant, the revs climb, and suddenly there's an extra 10bhp keeping it spinning, and the revs keep climbing, and before the hapless rider has a chance to blink, or shut the throttle, it's 50bhp, the whole plot has snapped sideways, and the countdown has begun to a sub-orbital launch for the hapless pilot.
In those circumstances, knocking it down to '600 mode' might give a lot more peace of mind, and avoid any embarrassing highsides......
Re: Nice write-up... !!mrcrashJune 14 2007, 00:45:02 UTC
If the terrain is rough enough to upset the rider's balance on the bike, I could see the switch serving its purpose. I don't want to say I've never experienced it myself, because I know that's just asking for it :)
Comments 17
Soon, all the fastest racers will be 34-lb blind midgets with hand strength enough to hang on and keep pushing the "go" button. Nothing else will be needed.
AMA superbike better get on that minimum weight limit rule soon. Or perhaps they could use monkeys instead of midgets, the lollipop guild really can hold out for the big bucks these days...
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Of course Road America is a HP/top speed track but Gesh!
Maybe JATO rockets would help...
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The argument used to be that the Pirelli spec tire rule kept the racing close on the world scene, but since pretty much all of the factory teams in the US are on Dunlops...
Reply
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You had to jack the back end to the moon to get it to steer, causing the bike to lose way too much trail, making it impossible to hold a tight line through the corner.
Reply
+1
I have to wonder how many buyers or potential buyers of the 1000-cc bikes really do know what they're getting into when they buy them as street bikes.
Reply
It's when I tried to pick up the pace on a closed course that things started to get a little sloppy...
Reply
Reply
Imagine, it's a snotty horrible day, raining like a monsoon, and you've got to ride the K7 1000 back home over a bumpy backroad in full power mode, with rivers of water running across the tarmac. You tip into a slick, bumpy off-camber up-hill corner, tip-toeing around with the smoothest, gentlest throttle opening you can manage, desperate not to overdo it. The rear wheel skips a tiny bit over a bump, and in an instant the back wheel spins just a smidgeon. But in another instant, the revs climb, and suddenly there's an extra 10bhp keeping it spinning, and the revs keep climbing, and before the hapless rider has a chance to blink, or shut the throttle, it's 50bhp, the whole plot has snapped sideways, and the countdown has begun to a sub-orbital launch for the hapless pilot.
In those circumstances, knocking it down to '600 mode' might give a lot more peace of mind, and avoid any embarrassing highsides......
Reply
Reply
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