Further Motorcycle Column, VIII – Enough is Enough
My pal Rick, when discussing this subject, states that it is always better to have more than one needs. I agree, but how much more? Why do we want, and pay a premium for, the fastest machines when few of us can use all the power and abilities thereof?
Don’t get me wrong. I adore fast bikes and modern engineering, but the latest crop of go-fast machines go, often, much faster than most of us can ride, even if there were no speed limits. I’m not raising this subject to preach or advocate for any restrictions other than those that are self-imposed by virtue of reason.
Perhaps it is our penchant for allowing advertising to color our thinking — maybe it’s the idea that if one buys a bike with the highest specifications one’s judgment can never be impeached and that buyer must really know his stuff.
Of course, many riders are perfectly happy with their choices, and don’t hear the Siren’s song of more power. My thoughts are about sportbike riders and their quest for speed. Do you really need and can you use 200 horsepower and 200 mph capability, or do you just love to bench race? There must be an element of ego involved in a purchase like this and I’m not excluding myself from this judgement.
I know there are strong opinions on this subject. Concurrent with writing this column is KTM’s CEO and President Stefan Pierer declaring in an interview with Alan Cathcart that the Austrian company’s upcoming RC16 Superbike would be a track-only bike. Pierer said, “As soon as the RC16 is available for customers, we will stop with the RC8…with the increase in safety concerns, I’m afraid bikes like this don’t belong on the street, only on a closed course.”
I’m thinking that there are already a few bikes that fit this description. Kawasaki’s new Ninja H2 reviewed this issue is supercharged and blisteringly quick, and the H2R (about 300 horsepower— track- only with, as yet, no racing class to enter) must be the poster child for stupid fast or ludicrous speed. We have a 1000cc limit in certain racing classes and 1200cc in others, yet sportbikes are being enlarged to 1300cc and this number will probably grow. Older riders will remember when 78 hp made you king of the canyon, if you knew how to ride.
In the past, we found that buying top-of-the-line was the way to get the performance we craved. Now, top-of-the-line models have abilities far above the talent of the average rider. Old habits taught us to believe that it was best to buy the biggest and baddest and, whether we could use all that power or not, bask in the glory of the numbers.
Now that we see power to weight ratios approaching two pounds per horsepower, with chassis and tire combinations that will allow a skilled rider to remove patches of leather from his elbows, is this a must-have form of transportation?
If you race it, sure, but if you are anywhere but on a racetrack, perhaps it is time to reevaluate one’s mission. Glory in the knowledge that you have made a smart choice in selecting that lesser bike that gives you all that you, personally, can use and saves a lot of money at the same time.
I don’t often ask questions in my columns, but this subject begs so many answers. I suspect little will change as a result, but I admit the need to re-evaluate my choices, as there are so many phenomenal motorcycles available now whose specs don’t have chart-topping numbers. It would be a shame to miss out just because they don’t go faster than a speeding bullet.
Column from Ultimate MotorCycling magazine; for subscription services, click here.
Thought provoking…or just provoking- that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to suffer the time and effort to simply upgrade or to end it with yet another sled? The promise of yet more adrenalin, yes much more until….wait? What sound beckons? The siren? Be it the gurney or gendarme? Alas, poor Wannabe, I knew him well. His fines or his deductible; prescriptions and rehabilitations have brought him such sweet sorrow. And the lass, her head turned by promise only of roads to travel with some rich biker on a crusier, her bustier pressed gently on his leathers. Judge not poor Wannabe, his alimony jingles now in some others pocket. And his horsepower sold at auction for a pittance.
Alas poor Horsepower, I knew him Horatio. The powers that be will o-ercome; the rest is silence. You make several good points and made me smile.
If someone once said it is better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow, there is a good reason no one can remember his name. The statement is just plain wrong-headed. It sounds a bit like a clever slogan one might hear at the weekly homily in church, but on reflection, makes no sense at all. If any bike is ridden fast, then it is in fact fast, at least with that particular rider. So it is the rider that determines how the bike performs, not the opposite.
Whether motorcycles, or cars, or airplanes, or any powered vehicle should be restricted because they seem to be getting “too fast” is something people have been discussing since man first sat a horse. Some horses are probably too fast for some riders, and are a lot more dangerous as you can’t slow down a runaway horse when the bit is between his teeth. I know.
Usually, when this subject is broached (and it is far from new) the concept of progressive or tiered licensing is also mentioned. But I have not seen that recommended here. Shall we implement that in the United States? After all, most European countries have it. And it does appear to work rather well.
There is no good reason to restrict the capability of a motorcycle in terms of performance as long as it comforms to DOT standards, that is, as long is it is road-worthy and capable of being operated safely in normal traffic conditions. The amount of peak horsepower is not relevant.
A motorcycle is a system, and if it is well-integrated, it will be even safer than a poorly-conceived system. Modern superbikes have the very best brakes, handling, engine flexibility, and safety features of any type of motorcycle available. One cannot stop a foolhardy or errant rider from making a mistake regardless of the kind of motorcycle he’s on.
That applies to any vehicle; the Cirrus SR22, a four-place single-engine general aviation airplane, comes with a parachute, just in case. Oddly enough, the Cirrus has been know to be a rather “hot” aircraft with a fairly high stall speed and stall characteristics that are less than forgiving. The Diamond DA20, on the other hand, has no parachute but has superbly forgiving flying characteristics. It’s nearly impossible to stall, and if it does, it simply mushes through the air with no tendency to roll or spin. I’ve flown the Diamond, and it’s an amazing airplane; I’d take it hands-down over a hot plane with a parachute.
The same goes for motorcycles. I’ll take a well-sorted 200 HP superbike any day over a 75 HP entry-level machine. I am not suggesting someone should purchase a superbike straight out of the MSF course, because that would be stupid. But once a rider begins to develop skills, a more powerful, flexible, and better-integrated “system” should certainly be in his or her future.
The sky is the limit.