Car to Motorcycle

[Gnome]

The problem is that the bike wants to wheelie if you give it too much power.

That is the impression I got also.

There was something about drag racing on tv a few days ago, iirc the drag cars were doing 5.6 seconds for the 1/4 mile and the Hayabusa (fastest production bike) did it in 9.95.

Top Fuel are around ~4.5seconds, so in that respect I think a bike is outclassed seeing as those cars are specifically designed just to drag and have four wheels, which is why I'm interested in the 0-100 & quarter mile for production bikes VS. production cars.(super bikes that are used for racing I see are modified versions of the same type available on street.)

 

[xrapidx]

I am planning on purchasing a MTB so I can cycle to work and back, but I don't trust you bloody drivers... you guys ride like asses in the morning, the afternoon is better, but I still wanna live to see my kids

I'll advertise my Trek 4900 in the Cape Ads for you.

 

[redarrow]

Examples of such bikes? (sry don't know much about
bikes)

Eh? Well where to start? There are so many .. What about a nice R1? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_R1

I was under the impression bikes have problems with traction, which is why it's limited on 0-100km/h pull away speeds. (what is the fastest bike on pull away anyway?)

You're probably right.. Single drive wheel with much smaller surface area.. yea not too much grip there, but then again a bike is a lot lighter than a car = less inertia..
I'm not actually too sure what the fastest pull away bike is..
I do know that they can do the quarter mile in under 7 seconds though perhaps not as fast as rocket powered cars.. See here: http://www.controleng.com/article/CA6428691.html - though just as with drag cars I doubt these sort of things are much good for anything else than going in a straight line..

Also aren't super bikes in the same category as Formula 1 cars? (IE. Super Bike racing?)

You must be confusing with MotoGP.. Superbikes are production vehicles (just like supercars) ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superbike_racing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MotoGP

Actually they are, many racing cars are made from carbon fiber, feature not only advanced braking systems but advanced traction control and airbags,etc. Take a look at the Bugatti Veyron, to go into top speed mode requires many safety checks to be done,etc. before it is allowed, there are many other examples...

Well, I wasn't doubting that they do have safety features, I'm only doubting that this is a focal point.. I mean people don't buy a Murcielago because they are looking for safety features do they?
As far as braking systems I doubt that cars are ahead of bikes (I'm not insinuating that bikes are ahead of cars either). ABS and such things are not unheard of on motorcycles , though they are perhaps not so common - remember that a motorcycle having only a fraction the weight of a car does not require as much "technology" in order to stop as fast..

Things like airbags are of course very difficult to implement on motorcycles and in most cases would probably not prove much.. but nonetheless they do in fact actually exist! I think the Honda Goldwing has them (granted it does not nearly qualify as a superbike ).. see: http://world.honda.com/MotorcycleAirbag/

Anyway, I don't want to look like an idiot by trying to suggest that motorcycle safety systems are on a par with cars.. I doubt they ever will be.. (unless maybe if they developed some kind of ejection seat )

That may be true for the local scene (where the budget is low and bikes are much cheaper than cars), but on the bigger picture bikes don't compare (at least not when events such as formula one is included).

Well I can't claim to be in the know in this area..
I would say it depends on the situation..
Where top speed is concerned then the cars are definitely gonna win..
But throw in some very tight twists and I'm not so sure..

 

[Gnome]

As far as braking systems I doubt that cars are ahead of bikes (I'm not insinuating that bikes are ahead of cars either). ABS and such things are not unheard of on motorcycles , though they are perhaps not so common - remember that a motorcycle having only a fraction the weight of a car does not require as much "technology" in order to stop as fast..

Ah good point wasn't thinking about that

Well I can't claim to be in the know in this area..
I would say it depends on the situation..
Where top speed is concerned then the cars are definitely gonna win..
But throw in some very tight twists and I'm not so sure..

It's exactly in those situations (tight cornering) that bikes are outperformed by formula one cars:

As mentioned above, the car can accelerate to 300 km/h (190 mph) very quickly, however the top speeds are not much higher than 330 km/h (205 mph) at most circuits, being highest at Monza (360 km/h in 2006), Indianapolis and Gilles Villeneuve (about 325 km/h (202 mph) at both). This is because the top speeds are sacrificed for the turning speeds. An F1 car is designed principally for high-speed cornering, thus the aerodynamic elements can produce as much as three times the car's weight in downforce, at the expense of drag. In fact, at a speed of just 130 km/h (81 mph), the downforce equals the weight of the car. As the speed of the car rises, the downforce increases. The turning force at low speeds (below 70 to about 100 km/h) mostly comes from the so-called 'mechanical grip' of the tyres themselves. At such low speeds the car can turn at 2.0 g. At 210 km/h (130 mph) already the turning acceleration is 3.0g, as evidenced by the famous esses (turns 3 and 4) at the Suzuka circuit. Higher-speed corners such as Blanchimont (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps) and Copse (Silverstone Circuit) are taken at above 5.0g, and 6.0g has been recorded at Suzuka's 130-R corner[7]. This contrasts with 1g for the Enzo Ferrari, one of the best racing sports cars.

These turning accelerative forces allow an F1 car to corner at amazing speeds, seeming to defy the laws of physics. As an example of the extreme cornering speeds, the Blanchimont and Eau Rouge corners at Spa-Francorchamps are taken flat-out at above 300 km/h (186 mph), whereas the race-spec GT cars in the ETCC can only do so at 150–160 km/h. A newer and perhaps even more extreme example is the Turn 8 at the Istanbul Park circuit, a 190° relatively tight 4-apex corner, in which the cars maintain speeds between 265 km/h (165 mph) and 285 km/h (in 2006) and experience between 4.5g and 5.5g for 7 seconds - the longest sustained hard cornering in Formula 1 (and hence all motorsport).

 

[Shake&Bake]

Eish - talk about derailng a thread!

*Applauses Gnome and redarrow*

 

[redarrow]

It's exactly in those situations (tight cornering) that bikes are outperformed by formula one cars:

Well.. OK, it seems you're right! .. I'll give you that one..

But I must say that this discussion has drifted somewhat from my original point..
A car like that will also tear a production supercar into shreds in a dice..

So basically we've concluded that if you have stacks of money you can get a high powered drag car which will out perform a motorcycle on the quarter mile - but not be much good for anything else than straight line driving..
OR if you have even more money you can get a formula one car which will outperform a superbike on all angles, but never in your wildest dreams get it licensed..

So yea.. my original point: an average production superbike will outperform an average production supercar except on top speed (and safety features).. - for a fraction of the price tag..

Eish - talk about derailng a thread!

*Applauses Gnome and redarrow*

*bows*
Thank yew, thank yew!

 

[Gnome]

*bows*
Thank yew, thank yew!

We humbly accept the award

 

[lexis]

I never saw myself on a motorcycle but now I ordered a Vuka XL 110 to travel to work and back, to the amusement of my children who are both students. I am staying 7.5 km from work - town traffic.

 

[medicnick83]

It's the way to go lexis!
I'm buying a car (or trying too) and if I get it, I'll only use it on Tuesdays when I work late hours, other than that, TAXI's

 

[hyperian]

3 of my mates have been killed on bikes - 2 of them driving in the suburbs with other cars being the cause (jumping lights etc). Pay the extra on fuel and stay out of hospital with all body parts intact.