Thread: Getting power out of a harley

Originally Posted by Shearer

Yeah, they may be fast by Harley standards but 125Hp is piss all today for a big engine. Every 1000cc sports bike (and a few nakeds) on the market now produces 200hp and weigh a hell of a lot less than any Harley. Even my 12 year old KTM RC8 produces 170hp and over 123nm of torque factory standard.

I probably shouldn't post in this thread but........

My last superbike made 205 at the wheel (not the crank as per standard factory hp lies) and weighed 170 dry, silly Vrod thingi wouldn't see what direction I went......... My last 600 made 125 at the wheel and weighed 155dry, silly Vrod thingy still wouldn't see which way I went. My current road bike (for sale as it happens) S1000RR makes 185 at the wheel (factory claim 200, but at the crank) but is a bit heavy at 198 wet, Silly Vrod thingi still wouldn't see where I went - The Vrod thing is about making up for a complete inability to ride a motorcycle that might ask questions of it's pilot, allows delusional numpties to believe they are somehow "fast".

A mate who fell in with a group somewhat dubious sub humans went off on a holiday and gave me his bike to look after/protect until he got back, positively begged me to ride the thing about believing I would fall in love with it as a riding platform - it was a Harley, tried it, so awful and frightening to ride, zero feel, zero ability to do anything a bike should do, and set up skills honed by years of serious racing couldn't change a thing - awful awful awful. Just why the fuck would you!!!!

The one exception I would consider making to my anti Harleyness, is an Aussie race series that had 883 Harleys as a support class, while they were a bit slow and ponderous, they were reconfigured to behave like an actual motorcycle, and I enjoyed the close racing they produced.

Still laughing remembering a bikkie mob that had their "pad" next to an engineering mates workshop, forever getting the "made in Japan" removed from various parts on their Harleys. Don't give a toss who made it myself, the only things I need to know: Can I stand it on it's nose then trail brake to the apex, can I carry the corner speed, can I stand it up and drive it out allowing some wheel spin to help finish the corner, is it stable enough to let me hold it pinned until I see God waiting at the end of the straight - coz that's what riding a bike is about.