Speed3Chris
I like Dick
They are beautiful wheels. Love 'em on Lach's ride.
need more power
- Thread starter evil knievel
- Start date
strokerlmt
Moderator
$1500 If I had the dosh I would buy for that price.....
LMT
LMT
sweatmachine
moped
Pieman your bike is awesome!
ivar
TT Racer
As for the original question;
Isn't the Vulcan pretty similar to a bone stock Bonnie in HP and Tq? I believe I've seen HP numbers around 64..?
And I'd think slightly more weight..?
So, from the number, I'd think the Bonneville should have a slight advantage given riders of similar weight and riding ability - but that the difference would not not be huge... Anyone..?
Speed3Chris
I like Dick
Vulcan has about a hundred power weight penalty compared to the bonnie.
Its a low 14 sec quarter mile bike and a stock bonnie will turn high 13's and low 13's with pipes and some tuning.
Bonneville performance reminds me a lot of muscle cars I built and raced in the 70's in terms of performance. The old adage of 10 lbs/hp applies which used to be a benchmark of high performance. In later years this has been blown out of the water however so it comes down to what kind of performance do you want on the street and still keep your license.
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pssssst. Despite what a few people here might say: That's why we all bought one!
Good post.
That ain't what I meant Mike. I was talking about the guys that Evil is riding with. I know what it's like to have too much power, like your brain can simply just not comprehend the acceleration as the world becomes a blur. Also know what happens when things go wrong at warp speed - reminded of it every morning when I try to get out of bed.
It's all good. We all worship at the Temple of the God of Speed - behind the handlebars
I just reckon it's wonderful that there's this one lovely bike that we can all do whatever we want to and create our own.I'm really greatful I've got one.
Which kind of Mikey Bikey are we talking' 'bout..? There seems to be more than one kind.
Seriously, this is complete squid talk!
Speed3Chris talks a lot of sense in this thread.
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Sal Paradise
Hooligan
+1 One thing I find with the Bonneville, its extremely chuckable and friendly on some of our old country roads. There are times when I want to ride around with one knee against the tank, the other hanging off,hunched forward, countersteering and banging the throttle. Not full out crazy,not racing but pitching the bike into the corners and accellerating out like we did when we were kids. That back road style of riding is what many of us grew up on The stock Bonneville can be ridden like that without spitting you off the side of the road. The CG , turn rate, weight and power and gearing must be close to ideal for that barnstoming approach to riding. Too much additional power would change it, IMO maybe not for the better. The school of "its more fun to ride slow bike fast" is true. One reason I really like the open intake sound as well as exhaust sound is because that intake roar really compliments that kind of riding..
And a Vulcan cannot do that. Not like a Bonneville. Without racing, without going nuts,if the average rider just takes a Bonneville, chucks it into the corners and hammers out of them it will just plain run away from a Vulcan.
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Here you go Sweat,
People tend to love it or hate it, but it's just what I envisaged and it does what I want it to.
Well, I for one, love it. Great looking bike and I love the weight reduction. I'm not it need of a lot of power, but getting the wieght down, that's something I could go for in a bike like this. Weren't original Bonnevilles around 400 lbs.? The one thing that disappointed me when I started looking into getting a Bonny was the weight, though it is about 50 or 60 pounds lighter than my old 1200 Sportster.
Speed3Chris
I like Dick
I have taken a bit of weight out of mine. There is weight and also perception of weight and the good news is the bonnie feels pretty light to ride with its low CG. The Thruxton feels even lighter and is a bit lighter mostly because of its wheels. Taking meaningful weight out, means changing the wheels, eliminating or reducing fender size, losing the airbox and maybe a few other small things.
Stock exhaust has to go but it usually is the first thing to be replaced. The steel frame on these bikes is kind of heavy and hard to avoid and not designed as load bearing.
As to speed...the subject was underscored yesterday when I went out for a ride with a young buddy on his 1 liter sport bike. I always end up riding too fast when I ride with sport bike guys to keep up. It takes me out of my comfort zone and I really believe it is more dangerous. No I likely won't go off the bike at higher speed...but it seriously shortens the reaction time of cagers around me who are judging my speed....including those pulling out onto the back roads we ride. So I always come away with mixed emotions when I ride with faster guys...exhilarated but knowing I put myself at greater risk. The other thing is, a 1 liter sport bike isn't a little faster than a bonneville...it is a LOT faster. He can hit 130 mph in the time I can 90 from a roll. It ain't even close. Plus, with the wind protection he tells me he has to ride 90 to feel the sensation of speed. Too bad really as I am trying to hang on out in the wind at over 80. I am all for a bit more power for these bikes, but don't see the need really for a lot more power. Even if buying a sport bike, and I may pick one up at some point, a 600 which is still much faster than a bonny makes a lot more sense....still having the advantage of lighter weight, better handling and brakes.
Anyway, I was just reminded yesterday that I still bought the right bike.
Yes, his bike is a rush to ride but if I owned it I would be riding way too fast much too often.
He and his buddies love my bike btw.
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Sal Paradise
Hooligan
+1 Chris however I disagree slightly as the power is delivered much differently. Its not just faster, its quite different. That sport bike is turning 12,000 rpms to do that. I am not a big fan of motors which just have peaky top end power, as in many sport bikes, but find it a bit more enjoyable to feel the rush of power at lower rpms too. Thats a very common preference by the way and the reason many ditch those sportbikes after playing with them.
Speed3Chris
I like Dick
That's right...there is no load on the frame at all. It can be safely removed.
I failed to insert the word engine. As you may know, in modern aluminum motorcycle frame designs, the engine is an integral part of the frame structure. What this does is shed further weight because the engine acts as part of the frame. The bonneville doesn't have this design and hence it is harder to get the bike weight down.
Speed3Chris
I like Dick
Sal,
All I have to say, is head on down to your local Suzuki dealer and take one out. The bike is outrageously fast. The high RPM low torque thing doesn't apply here. It literally doesn't care what gear you are in. When I pass a car going 60 on my bonneville, I want to be in the right gear. Not so on this bike. It doesn't matter. It hits 110 in the blink of an eye no matter what gear you are in. 190 hp...just shy of the Busa.
In fact, comparing this bike to a bonnie...its almost hard to call them both motorcycles they are so different. This thing is more of a rocket than a motorcycle. Its like driving a Formula 1 car on the street. I wouldn't own one.
http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles...x-r1000-25th-anniversary-edition-ar64389.html
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Speed3Chris
I like Dick
First sentence was an attempt at humor and hence the wink.
I stated it pretty succinctly. Can't help you beyond that...lol.
Have you been drinking this morning?
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not drinking this morning but I am tempted to after reading your posts