Uh I need a runway, really let me explain

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In summary: BMW has the "feel" nailed down. In summary, the bike is a work in progress that includes Ohlins shocks, a PUIG windscreen, Satos rear sets and racing hooks, Yoshimura fender eliminator, Racing Products case covers, stator/clutch, swingarm spools, Heli bars, Pazzo Racing levers, custom paint, front/rear wheels, black on red, and custom paint, rear swingarm.
  • #386
rhody said:
I didn't mean personal video's, unless you have them, I meant stuff you have seen online, uTube, etc... that you found interesting.

Rhody...

Oh! Well, I wish I'd had any sort of video on tap the day this guy in the three-banger 750 and I headed out. My later model was rock solid, while his was squirrely as could be, with the back end flipping left and right.

Still, his was faster. Just pure HP/wt ratio. I think the three-cylinders were two-strokers, as well.
 
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  • #387
DoggerDan said:
Oh! Well, I wish I'd had any sort of video on tap the day this guy in the three-banger 750 and I headed out. My later model was rock solid, while his was squirrely as could be, with the back end flipping left and right.

Still, his was faster. Just pure HP/wt ratio. I think the three-cylinders were two-strokers, as well.
Ah, the age of innocence, the 1980's when Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki started the arms race of increased horsepower, Kawasaki H3, Honda CB900F (I had one), etc... all made from mild steel walled tubing, even the swing arm, with steering heads by today's standards of flimsy materials. They had a nickname for them, "Frankenbikes". They would accelerate pretty decent in a straight line, squirelly on the brakes and a flexy flier in the corners resulting in lots of low, high sides, fun to watch, but dangerous with less than an expert racer or rider onboard. The most evil of them all was the Kawasaki 750 H3, it was positively nasty, I had the 400cc version of the same model and it was like being spit out of a cannon, had a 3000 rpm power spread that would simply explode. Horrible handling too, good thing I couldn't afford the 750cc version or I might not be here to post about it.

Today I own a 180 rear wheeled horsepower monster that will loft the front wheel at 125 mph in 3rd gear and is stable as a rock, you can flop it on its side and gradually feed in throttle, it like riding on rails. The frame and swing arm are both vertically very stiff, but torsionally and longitudinally forgiving, they flex, but just enough to absorb road imperfections enough to absorb the bumps, but not enough to spit you off. The front forks and rear shocks are light years better too. Even the bearings in the wheels and swing arms are better, needle versus plain bearings in the 80's.

It comes down to this, if you can ride a frankenbike at or near the limit and be smooth and not have it injure or kill you, you are decent rider. I used to ride my Honda CB 900F through the mountains and canyons and forests and can think of dozens of times when the suspension almost bit me, scaring the crap out of me in the process. On the BMW, it wouldn't be a problem, I could probably take the same corners at +20mph without even breaking a sweat. Today's mounts are much more forgiving. I haven't touched on traction control or ABS brakes either. That is for another day.

Rhody...

As an aside, in 2010 25% of all sales of 1000cc sport bikes were for the BMW S1000RR, pretty amazing considering they didn't even have a bike on the market until 2009. The four year R&D development and 650,000 mile testing effort really paid off.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1176/kawaih3.jpg
 
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  • #388


a video of myself being awesome :P the first lap is pretty boring, we were only allowed to pass at certain places
 
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  • #389
Nice video Amazon, I used Windows Moviemaker, and was able to edit, add music, and graphics, it took some getting used to. I since have purchased AVS4You, on sale and it comes with 18 apps, folks on the BMW Forum say it is good. I will let you know once I start experimenting with it.

Speaking of experimenting, I sent this email to one of my cycle friends who also happens to do track days, check out his response:
Warm up session to get fully up to speed and comfortable on the track
Take one fully ripe Trinidad Scorpion pepper, consume 1/2 chewing it just before launch
Complete a twenty minute track session, somehow staying focused, and do NOT CRASH
Pull into the paddock, and collect $ 20 on my dime, any takers ?
You can have some test scorpions before you decide to take up the challenge
This is in a whole other league folks, I want to understand how your senses are enhanced or
inhibited trying to cope with the slow capsaicin burn of the pepper. You are my Lab Rats.
Nice huh ? Give it some thought. I want to know if focus and adrenaline can cope with an
additional sensory overload. I know I am crazy, but you guys are a bit too, being addicted to the track and all.

and

I think it is time I call in a padded room for you. Do you have a preference for color in your room?

and

Where is your true sense of adventure and curiosity ? Am I the only curious one here ?

Rhody... :-p :devil:
 
  • #391
rhody said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3MFLwlsEg&hd=1"



I got a "Buzz" from watching it, I am sure nothing compared to actually being there and onboard.

Rhody...


I just went back and watched this again, I got the same chills from it, amazing, simply amazing.
I have to visit the IOMTT soon. To be less than 10 feet away from that, words don't do it justice.

Rhody... :devil: :biggrin:
 
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  • #392
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  • #393
As the weather gets colder the available grip goes with it. All summer I have been able to keep traction control off with no ill effects. However, when the mercury dips below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the tires need to be warm to get good grip while vertical or when leaned over. I learned this lesson when leaving the bike shop with cold tires (warmed up motor), I accelerated with decent throttle in first then rolled it on about 7K or so and instead of lifting the front wheel, the rear tire started spinning itself silly yawing to the left side. Pretty easy to bring under control but had the bike been on its side it would have been another story altogether and may have high sided me.

I decided to do a bit of reading on tire slipping, and as luck would have it ran into a nice write up in the December 2010 issue of Sport Rider Magazine. If a sport bike is heading down a straight section of road at 150 mph, a Racepak data acquisition system showed rear tire slippage of 5 percent, meaning the rear wheel was spinning at 157.5 mph. Heading uphill toward turn 6 at Willow Springs Raceway with the bike vertical the wheel slip is greater than 10 percent at 85 mph. In some turns slip can be as much as 40 percent. Finally, under braking negative slip is typically between 15 and 20 percent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrGbiGYs6A&feature=related"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aK2LBnTT2s&feature=related"



Rhody...
 
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  • #394
It has been over a week, almost two, since the beast and I have become acquainted. Today was perfect, mid sixties Fahrenheit, and I took a ride to try out my used 2009 ZX6 at the shop where it is waiting for parts. On the way there, even at slow speeds I was getting the rush, the "Buzz", it only got better on some near empty road, rolling through second and third gears to red line, 14000 rpm, nice and smooth, then hard on the brakes back to highway speed, all in about 15 to 20 seconds. Two fingers on the front brake was all that was needed to slow the bike, even harder on the brakes than acceleration. I really love this beast of a bike more and more as time goes on. If I could bottle and sell the feeling you get I when you ride it I would surely be a millionaire many times over by now.

On to the Kawasaki ZX6 then. My impression is that it is lower, the controls a bit sloppier, throttle and brakes, the suspension appears quite good although I didn't twiddle any of the settings. The bike gives you a nice tingly butt massage at 8K rpm and above, which I kind of like, as expected the rush is not as intense or anywhere near what the beast is capable of (no power wheelies to contend with). Plus the exhaust is whisper quiet by comparison, my bike tops the db meter at 109 db. The dorky mirrors have to go, and the handlebars are not too bad, a little lower than the other bike, but they are swept at a steeper angle so the bar end mirrors will be a risk. I may need the higher flatter handlebars simply for the mirrors sake. There is more room to stretch out as well, which is nice. I wish the BMW had more room, but not by much.

All the ugly graphics except for one are the gas tank are easily removed as well, which I plan to do. A last impression is that it took almost 3000 miles to get truly comfortable on the BMW, whereas on this bike I think the learning curve will be 1500 miles or even less. Only time will tell for sure, but I think the 600 will be more fun on the track, and give at least 50% more room for error than the BMW.

It is funny too, I was talking to my salesman friend at the shop who has been selling bikes for years, and when I asked him what percentage of his customers were decent fast and above all safe riders, he said about twenty five percent. :bugeye: That's about it for now folks.

Rhody... :cool: :biggrin:
 
  • #396
Wow! Those stone walls don't look too comforting as road-race barriers.
 
  • #397
turbo said:
Wow! Those stone walls don't look too comforting as road-race barriers.
I agree, less than a foot away from them, is not my idea of fun, even at street legal speeds. How can you watch this youtube video, and not the one in the HotStuff thread I posted, I am confused.

Rhody... :confused:
 
  • #398
I have to resort to work-arounds, at times, like letting a video start, pausing it, then waiting for it to buffer. Even low-res stuff like 60 minutes clips can be problematic if I try to stream them. I have a crap ADSL connection, so I have to pick and choose where I want to spend my bandwidth and my time.
 
  • #399
Pause a moment to consider, would this have happened if the guy hitting the downed bike had been 3 seconds earlier or later in that corner. I think about situation like this all the time. The guy crashing into the oncoming bike "target fixated" for sure. Had he not and looked and reacted with a fast move to his right, he may have avoided the head on.

Johnny5 Head on Crash 07/23/2011



Rhody... :bugeye:
 
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  • #400
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  • #401
British Superbike Highlights



Pay attention at 1:15, and again at 1:17, ouch... and again at 2:18 a whole different feeling altogether, the "Buzz".

BSB 2011 - Season clip



This one is even better... real close racing to the tune of 0.005 of a second for the win, good to see John Hopkins healthy and winning again...

Rhody... :cool:
 
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  • #402
No words necessary other than phenomenal bike control, amazing... I am jealous...

Concours de pilotage



Rhody... :cool:
 
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  • #403
Interesting WSJ article: The Master of Machine-Age Motorcycles
It's all very kick-***, but is it, well, spiritual? What Confederate offers, Mr. Jacobs said, is an object that will last a lifetime—actually, several lifetimes, an indestructible heirloom, timeless and indefatigable and so, in its way, immortal.

The bikes are not commodities but an endowment to the built world. "By building an object that essentially lasts forever," Mr. Jacobs said, "the bike transcends materialism."

There it is, your moment of Zen.
More than a few owners of his creations agree with his thought and execution process resulting in a "one of" piece of rolling art designed to outlive the owner.

Rhody...
 
  • #404
This race came down to the last corner, and a single one second last minute decision by Valentino Rossi.
Amazing racing by two of the best, head to head, and as one announcer put it, "Rossi pulled the pin".

http://vimeo.com/32756097

Rhody... :biggrin:
 
  • #405
Kidney stones, schmidney stones, stent, Bleh... pain until next Thurs when the "STINKING STENT" comes out, for those who don't know a stent is, it is a tube that they insert in another tube in your body, in this case my right ureter (the tube between a kidney and your bladder). I needed some mental clarity, and relief from annoying but not excruciating pain. As luck would have it, the weather was awesome tonight so I took the BMW out for 20 minutes. What a relief and a nice rush. I swear these fast bikes in careful hands are the best therapy in the world for those that truly appreciate and respect what they are capable of. They are a good way to clear your head too.

Now it is back to reality. After my ride, I took a pain pill to mask the pain that I have put up with for the last twelve hours or so, it is working right now, even though it only masks it. I hold out for as long as I can. I have good days when nothing is needed. Unfortunately, today wasn't one of them.

Rhody... :!)
 
  • #406
Sorry to hear about the pain, Rhody. I am not real tolerant of opiates (unless you call puking "tolerant") and am quite leery of the OTC painkillers. Motrin just got recalled, BTW.
 
  • #407
turbo said:
Sorry to hear about the pain, Rhody. I am not real tolerant of opiates (unless you call puking "tolerant") and am quite leery of the OTC painkillers. Motrin just got recalled, BTW.
I hate them too Turbo, the thought of someone taking ten or twelve of these things at once to get high really or feel normal makes me wonder how they can tolerate the side effects. I take them when I can't get decent rest, or when the nagging pain starts to make me cranky and nasty around other people.

People at work were laughing at me today, so I just sucked it up till I got home. Then a nice ride and one pill took all the edge off. It is funny too, Tues and Wed I didn't need anything, but today wasn't one of those pain free days. I was a little worried and a call to the nurse in the urologist's office assured me this is normal, so I am more at ease now, I just have to accept there will be good days and not so good days, I was hoping each day would get a bit better than the last, but it is not to be.

Rhody...
 
  • #408
Today was a special day for me, unusual weather for January, mid 50's, the beast and I became reacquainted, and after the first 5 minutes on an access road with the front end 6 inches above the ground in 1st and 2nd gear the endorphins kicked in, what a feeling, true bliss, in real time, you can't reclaim it, in the moment you own it, no one can take it away, it is precious to me, ephemeral, you can't put it into words because words alone can't describe it. It rivals the most intense feeling I have ever had. I only wish others had the will, to discover their own sense of bliss. It has changed my perception, appreciation of my brief fleeting moment on this small speck of a planet in an unremarkable galaxy among one hundred billion or so (or so we think) in our Universe (multi-verse ?).

Just in case any of you are wondering, it is the end of the day and Patron may have clouded or focused my thinking. I am sorry, for a number of reasons I care not to share with any but my most trusted friends, this is the most I can share with you. BTW, the Patron came after the beast ride, I was clear and totally grounded during the ride. Wide eyed and in the moment.

Rhody...
 
  • #409
Both bikes side by side, then the front, then the 2009 Kawasaki ZX6, 600 cc bike. Not as many modifications for the Kawasaki, new rear fender, integrated turn signals, Woodcraft rearsets, Woodcraft clutch cover, Woodcraft oil side cover, power commander, quick shifter, steel braided front/rear brake lines, Pazzo levers, CRG bar-end mirrors, and Brocks mirror block off plates. Yet to do, have the seat recovered (the lime green really isn't my style, and tank grips for more feel when leaned over, new higher windscreen, front brake reservoir cover. May play with the power commander fuel maps for more mid-range, will see how it goes.

Once I get it registered/insured, the next step is to get the suspension set properly, and then an apples for apples test over the same twisty bit of pavement, using about 80% of what both bikes have so my poor brain can adjust to the differences. In general, every gear is about 15 - 20 mph slower and about 1/2 to 1 second slower to rear peak torque and horsepower. It doesn't seem like much for folks who don't ride bikes. Believe me when I tell you, you don't have to worry about 110 mph power wheelies on the ZX6. It is more forgiving to ride hard, and this little beast has no anti lock brakes or traction control. The seating is lower and more stretched out than the BMW, so that will take mental and physical adjustment. The BMW has a 43 mm Ohlins fork and the Kawasaki a 44 or 45 mm big piston fork, which seems fine from the one outing I had with it. It has a slipper clutch too which is nice and instead of 14,500 rpm limit it tops a 16,000, a real screamer. The exhaust is much more muted, not as raw or loud as the BMW, it doesn't make the hair stand up on the back of my neck, but is plenty fun to ride. If you need a mental comparison, I liken it to Arnold Schwarzenegger (BMW) and the late Bruce Lee (Kawasaki). Both strong but in different ways. The only long term issue I have is about the robustness of the Kawasaki, I have seen more than a few track video's with transmission and clutch issues. I will do my home work and try to plug those loose ends (if possible) before they become a problem.

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/3391/bothbikes.jpg

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/7886/bothbikesfront.jpg

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6590/kawi.jpg


Rhody... :devil: :biggrin:
 
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  • #410
This is so cool I had to post it, hijacked the video from my BMW forum, decide for yourself.
I won't spoil the surprise. The title doesn't give it away either, unless you speak German.

Reifenwechsel während der Fahrt

qZKkNU8Z-y4[/youtube] Rhody... :cool:
 
  • #411
WOW! AWESOME!

Almost bought a BMW bike a number of years ago. Started with a Honda 50, went on to dirt bikes, then street bikes, then got run off the road multiple times by auto drivers who thought it was funny. No safe place to ride so bikes are parked in the garage.

Family member recently had a Suzuki sport bike - I'm thinking like 1350. Real screamer. Was stolen in front of his house. He had a Kenny Roberts 250 two stroke and I did ride that once. SCARY.

Check out the road that goes out onto the Gaspe penninsula in Quebec. You have a view of the St. Lawrence, it's a two lane windy road that has waves on it during some storms. You can see whales and seals down below, caribou above you in the mountains. When I was up there, there was a guy on a BMW bike, all suited up, ready to fly.

I did ride the Blue Ridge Parkway and the NC mountains on a bike. Gorgeous but exhausting. Hope you find the perfect runway.
 
  • #412
I was just looking at list of power to weight ratios of cars and decided to calculate the ratio for my bike:

5.1lb/hp

This is the same ratio as a Lamborghini Murciélago

A Zonda F is only 4.5!

I always new that my bike was decently powerful, but geez!
 
  • #413
KrisOhn said:
I was just looking at list of power to weight ratios of cars and decided to calculate the ratio for my bike:

5.1lb/hp

This is the same ratio as a Lamborghini Murciélago

A Zonda F is only 4.5!

I always new that my bike was decently powerful, but geez!
What year, model, extras ? Exhaust, etc...

Rhody...
 
  • #414
1984 Honda V65 Magna, all stock except the exhaust, it had to be changed out maybe 15 years ago when it was laid over but I'm not sure what kind that is. The Murcielago is the LP670-4 SuperVeloce.

My bike wouldn't be quite that good because it isn't brand new and I'm getting the horsepower from the wikipedia article, but I'm still impressed.
 
  • #415
I have an '85 and '86 Honda Magna 700's (shaft driven) . The engine on the '85 had some problems so we repaired it. These are supposed to be identical bikes again other than some modification of the exhaust on the '85 - I think the owner just stuck a piece of re-bar down it - but since we did the repair that bike is so torquey it's plain scary. Twice I almost put myself into the passenger seat by accident. We did nothing to modify the bike. Weird. But I love the handling.

I was told by a Honda mechanic that this bike has a problem with inadequate lubrication unless you let it idle for about 5 minutes before you rev it up. Don't know if that's true or not but the one with the engine damage did not have a lot of mileage and wasn't abused so who knows.
 
  • #416
netgypsy said:
I was told by a Honda mechanic that this bike has a problem with inadequate lubrication unless you let it idle for about 5 minutes before you rev it up. Don't know if that's true or not but the one with the engine damage did not have a lot of mileage and wasn't abused so who knows.
A neighbor's kid ruined his by revving it right after starting it up, over and over again. Until you have adequate oil pressure, it's just stupid to stress them. Same with Harleys, though. The best mechanics say that if you can put your hand on the jugs without burning them, don't take off. In the case of my old Wide-Glide, I'd warm it up and run it gently for at least 20 minutes before getting onto the throttle. Those aluminum Evo engines needed to swell from the heat to avoid blowing head gaskets and base gaskets.
 
  • #417
Yeah, V65's (at least) do have some issues with lubrication, but as long as you let the engine warm up past the blue section on the temperature gauge before you head anywhere and don't put the hammer down until you've got a couple miles on, it should be okay. In some of the colder mornings it can take as long as 10 minutes warm up by idle, which can actually be worse for the engine since the oil pump may not supply an adequate amount of oil to all areas (cams, etc.) when merely idling. To circumvent this I let it idle for about 5 minutes then ride easy, revving around 2k RPM, until its warmed up.
 
  • #418
netgypsy said:
that bike is so torquey it's plain scary. Twice I almost put myself into the passenger seat by accident.

Haha, its a similar story with the V65. On one occasion I was ripping around with a friend, came out of second at about 9k RPM and nearly opened it up fully in third, I could feel the front tire starting to lift so I decided to back off. I bought this bike off my brother and I've heard from him and a couple other people that you can spin the rear tire in third and fourth gear, I believe it.
 
  • #419
When I bought my first Harley, I was test-driving one (Fat-Bob Superglide), and the owner of the dealership came along with me, and cut me off as we were exiting the lot of a a lumber-yard where we had turned around to head back to the shop. I don't know what that bone-head was thinking! I laid that bike hard on the left side and gave it all the throttle that it had to get it righted. Luckily for him and his insurance company, I was used to riding Japanese bikes and had the revs up, or he would have had a "slider" on his hands. He looked over at me when I was righting that bike, and his eyes were as big as fried eggs. When we got back to the shop, he was shaking worse than I was.
 
  • #420
KrisOhn said:
Haha, its a similar story with the V65. On one occasion I was ripping around with a friend, came out of second at about 9k RPM and nearly opened it up fully in third, I could feel the front tire starting to lift so I decided to back off. I bought this bike off my brother and I've heard from him and a couple other people that you can spin the rear tire in third and fourth gear, I believe it.

And I had no idea it was such a screamer. I bought it because it was smooth, quiet, handled great, had enough oomph to get out of the way of idiot drivers and got better gas mileage than my truck. I know the newer Harley's are nice bikes but a friend's magna just puked and it was too pricey to fix so he got a smaller Harley. He's been at the chiropractor five times and is looking for another Honda. Can't afford a smooth Harley.
 

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