Posted on 06/02/2014 9:02:32 PM PDT by kingattax
The average motorcycle you see zipping down the freeway beside you doesn’t always hit its top speed, and for good reason. There are speed limits on roads around the world to protect motorcycle riders and other drivers alike.
When you read a vehicle’s speed capacity, it usually is a theoretical figure that may never be attained under real driving conditions.
The actual clocked speed is generally a bit lower, though still impressive enough to make your hair part just from reading it.
However, certain superbikes are designed to hit breathtaking speeds on the racetrack while leaving the fragile human body exposed to potentially deadly crashes. An old saying states that “speed kills.” The following nine superbikes are some of the fastest and deadliest superbikes in the world. They are also some of the most beautiful, well designed and undeniably cool vehicles to ever grace a track.
Some of these are still in production, while others have passed on into motorcycle history and are fondly remembered by those who knew and drove them. Either way, each of these may truly be classified as a legend in the world of high-speed machines.
(Excerpt) Read more at exotictoys.com ...
The whole package is supposed to work, and all the rest of the bikes do work well. If inexperienced dorks buy them and waste themselves, well, they do that when daddy buys them a Porsche Turbo too.
Never owned faster than a Yamaha FZR1000, but all those bikes are by all reports, very safe and well balanced machines, but not for fools.
Yes, it’s a Viper engine in a pseudo-motorcycle chassis. They had to use 4 wheels because even the all-aluminum Viper block was too heavy for an ordinary bike.
I rode a borrowed Honda 750 more than forty years ago; it was fun especially the shifting part but I decided I liked air conditioning even more.
Four years ago I was on interstate in my Chrysler minivan with the A/C on max as it was 105 degrees. A kid on a crotch rocket passed me like I was standing still. Nothing unusual except he was in full wheelstand mode from the time I saw him in the mirror until he disappeared into the horizon ahead, on one wheel. That explains the uptilted muffler found on most sportbikes.
Then a couple on a Harley passed & then pulled in front of me. I always give plenty of space to motorcycles ahead of me but still had to turn on the wipers as their sweat was spattering my windshield.
Believe I’ll keep my A/C equipped “cage”.
i am sure many of us have seen the people torn in half or in pieces from terrible self-inflicted idiocy or others not seeing them. when you know what you’re seeing isn’t special effects but a real person, there’s a few things to learn from it.
You’re right, this guy is an idiot (300 mph Hayabusa — obviously it was kph).
With an earned perspective as an owner of #9, I have to say the old Kaw 750 Triple was a truly dangerous bike, with a frame that was totally incapable of handling the engine’s power.
Not to mention the Kaw 750 Turbo (I had one), that had a lag that would absolutely bite you in the a$$ if you opened the throttle with any bank angle, or you didn’t otherwise anticipate the delayed rush of power.
In fact just about any of the 70’s crotch-rockets had a tendency to enter a high-speed ‘death wobble’ because the production chassis technology didn’t keep up with the advancements in horsepower.
So with the exception of the first two on the list the rest is B.S.
“...are fondly remembered by those who knew and drove them.”
Strictly speaking, does one drive a motorcycle or ride a motorcycle?
Uh... sorry.
I was just thinking early to mid eighties Honda Interceptors should be on that list. Wait for it, But you’re right its like the author googled “top 10 fastest bikes” or something similar for source material.
I just remembered, probably the “deadliest” bike out there was the Suzuki TL1000 (naked version, not the “race” bike). The early iterations of that bike were notoriously unstable (or at least rumored to be) due to the very steep head angle. Suzuki just about killed the bike trying to “correct” the twitchy handling, and the bike model never really recovered from its reputation.
Another “deadly” bike was the 1st-generation Honda CBR900RR, which had absolutely brutal throttle response, and was so small and light, with such a steep rake angle, that it nearly rivaled the TL1000 in twitchy handling.
Given the way most Freepers say such heartless non empathetic sarcastic things about anyone killed doing anything more risky than couch surfing I doubt many here have rode much beyond their Schwinn with training wheels
My first bike was an H2.(75?)... an unwieldy beast in her age...1977....kunis....two sets of pipes....3 into 3 hookers and 3 to 1 dencos....man those hookers uncapped were loud....like a grand Prix car burning alcohol..... very difficult to keep front wheel on pavement
Next around 1980 bought a brand new Suzuki 1100 GSR(S)...the drag bike version..factory tuned I did not one aftermarket add on...came with hand blown yoshi..fastest bike of its day....and remove wheelie bar and it was a cafe bike
Next in 83 I had a Kow GPZ bored triple oversized....nitrous....kunis...yoshi...high 9s bike....180 or so top speed
Handled great.......incredible bike
Bikes are dangerous...I got metal in me proof enough
Today’s bikes are super top end and some so light and nimble and super power from lower displacement....hell even a girl can ride em like a pro
I was 6’5” back in my time and weighed 175...strap on my white Shoei FC and I looked like a praying mantis draped on my bike dragging so low in those turns dragging a duct taped knee
Man I could sure ride then....I scare myself thinking about it now
King Kenny was my hero...still is
An acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree. My youngest son, 25, in Navy, unloaded his Ducati Dark 800 and got a Yamaha R1 - I pray for his safety ....and sanity.......
but his dad was riding the fastest bike made in the mid-60’s - Triumph Bonneville - and still does....a ‘72 I restored myself. And I have the fastest bike made in ‘69 as well, Triumph T150V Trident (mine’s a
73). By today’s standards, they are in the slow lane......
7 of our 9 kids ride, we have our own gang.....watch out......if we catch you, we just might share the gospel with you.......
Per mile traveled, a motorcycle is 35x more likely to result in death than a passenger vehicle.
Why?
I had one of those. Loved it.
Now I ride a 93 Superglide.
I love that one too.
And I HAVE pushed it to its limit, one fine day about 20 years ago when there was nobody but me and hubby on Rt 64 between Richmond and Norfolk.
Left Hubby’s Ultra in the dust.
It WAS a wee bit scary, I’ll have to admit!
 |
FReeper Motorcycle Hooligans |
| Visit the FMH Swag Store & support FR! | |
| Send FReepmail if you want on/off FMH list | |
| The List of Ping Lists | |
67mm bore, 70mm stroke X 3. 3 coils and 3 sets of points, all timed separately, and a cable-acturated single-plate dry clutch with a diaphragm spring that would turn your left hand into something that could crush bricks.
There’s an old adage. When someone is driving his car he thinks that everyone slower then him is an idiot and everyone faster than him is a fool.
I extend it to the typical middleclass drone sitting in his rut and his worthless life. He thinks that anyone who engages in any activity that seems more dangerous than his activities is a fool. Anyone who wants more freedom that he does is “irresponsible”. Anyone who takes less chances than he does is a “coward”. Typically he has absolutely no experience in the activity he thinks is so dangerous. The way some people around here freak out about bikes makes me glad that they never knew anyone who was killed in a car.
Fact is, most motorcycles are not dangerous at all. Some people who ride them are. The half-awake fools who barge around the streets in their cars, cell phone in one hand, coffee cup in their lap, bloodstream full of Prozac and post terms like “murdercycle” on the FreeRepublic.... Now THOSE guys are dangerous.
Maybe we should change the website from FreeRepublic to “NannyRepublic”.
They ran with a bunch of older, LESS POWERFUL bikes than what are currently available... For instance, the Ducati 1098, and fine bike when it was released way back when...
Why they ignored the newer, faster 1199 Panigale R, with 195HP @ roughly $30,0000, who knows?
Then there’s the super exclusive 1199 Superleggera, which has over 205hp (Ducati isn’t releasing the actual hp rating) and nearly 27 pounds lighter, extensively using magnesium in the monocoque “frame” and wheels, titanium engine components, aluminum swingarm, and carbon fiber pretty much on everything else, than the Panigale R. Ducati is only building 500 of these bikes
If they REALLY want crazy, there’s the Ducati Desmosedici RR. When the MotoGP powers-that-be announced that the 1000cc limit produced bikes just too powerful to safely pilot around the track, and downsized the engine size from 1000cc to 800cc, Ducati had all these spare parts, tooling, and rabid fans who would do ANYTHING to own a street legal MotoGP bike. And that was exactly what Ducati delivered, a slightly detuned MotoGP bike WITH lights, mirrors, and a factory warranty! 200hp, back in 2008! IIRC, the first 2 imported into the USA went to Jay Leno and Tom Cruise, at $72,500!
Mark
You make some really great points... One “deadly” bike that comes to mind is the old Kawasaki H2 Mach 4, a 750cc 2 stroke triple, and it actually carried the name “the widowmaker.”
There was simply WAY too much power for the frame or brakes, and the power hit so hard and suddenly that uncontrolled wheelie/flip-overs were happening.
Basically, it was a bike with a frame & brakes made for a sedate 250cc 4 stroke, but with enough power to do a quarter mile in the 12s!
Mark
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.