What's the point of so much power?

[OneMoreFarang]

Recently I saw a nice looking sports bike. I looked it up and found out it has more than 200HP. More than two hundred!

What is the point of having so much power on the streets, especially in Thailand?

I understand that bikes should be fun and should have some power. But isn't 100HP or less more than enough?

The most powerful bike I had had about 65HP. After a few seconds of acceleration it wasn't advisable to get any faster.

With 100 or 150 or more power it's maybe 4 seconds instead of 6. But that's about it.

Once I was pillion rider on a 100HP GPZ on the German Autobahn. 2xx km/h was more than enough. I don't think I want to try 280 even on a perfect road.

Today I saw a video about a 150HP bike with lots of electronics. And the guy who tested it explained that all that electronic is basically necessary to control all that power. Otherwise (almost) nobody would be able to control it.

So what's the point of so much power?

What is your experience?

[Kwasaki]

53 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

So what's the point of so much power?

What is your experience?

Because I like it and I can, would still like it now at my age if I could justify the cost.

[moose7117]

Have you ever ridden a bike with 200 HP ?

my bike has somewhere near that. see attached photo.

why do people buy a Ferrari ? or an Astin Martin ?

you say the roads in Thailand are not suitable for these kind of bikes, well take your 65 hp bike up to Mae Hong Son and ride the loop, then all will be made clear.

I have and believe me ...you need it !

 

 

[eisfeld]

Thailand has race tracks. The recent sport bikes that reach about 200HP are actually also pretty good on the roads nowerdays. So you get a bike that you can take on a casual weekend ride AND something you can rip down the track. What's not to like?

[Rhys]

... because we are riders, we will always push it to our own limit and fun levels...

[jackdd]

There is clearly no point in so much power and i prefer to ride my pcx

[canthai55]

555

Only those who have had the experience can know. Those that say too much - never felt it.

No such thing as too much

[guzzi850m2]

Power is king and addictive.

 

I somehow managed to keep my V650 (also app 65hp) and leave it at that and it can easily ride the Mae Hong Son as well.

 

I think the risk of getting into trouble increases if you ride a very powerful bike as 75% of the people riding them will go faster than they would on a more modest bike. 

Further I read about one guy that sold his 1000cc sports bike and got himself an app 65hp bike for same reason and wrote that he found it fun to ride this modest bike to the limit which he never could on the almost 200hp sports bike.

Much depends on the person, age and so on.

[Kwasaki]

32 minutes ago, guzzi850m2 said:

Power is king and addictive.

 

I somehow managed to keep my V650 (also app 65hp) and leave it at that and it can easily ride the Mae Hong Son as well.

 

I think the risk of getting into trouble increases if you ride a very powerful bike as 75% of the people riding them will go faster than they would on a more modest bike. 

Further I read about one guy that sold his 1000cc sports bike and got himself an app 65hp bike for same reason and wrote that he found it fun to ride this modest bike to the limit which he never could on the almost 200hp sports bike.

Much depends on the person, age and so on.

Get your point some but I think this way, the thing is that a modern expensive Z10, CBR, R1, BM, GSXR 1000 cc bike 200 hp or 140 hp at the crank will have many safety feature and be easier to ride than a modest bike, lighter too.

 

Personally I'm old school don't like em with all the safety crap on em, give me something like a K5 Suzuki anytime. ?

 

 

[boonrawdcnx]

In a country like Thailand you ride for the fun of it and never for speed!
On a German Autobahn you have no potholes that could swallow you whole - no crossing cows, chicken or dogs or a 20 wheeler truck parked in the middle of the road !

I have been driving motorbikes here for 30 years - and even though it is tempting sometimes do not drive fast!

It’s nice to have the power if you need to get away from danger sometimes and speed up - but other than this - Just enjoy the ride but be on alert every second - you never know what waits for you around the next corner!

Saying that - the stupid things I have done riding bikes when I was much younger and had little knowledge about Thai driving habits is sending shivers down my spine!


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[OneMoreFarang]

13 hours ago, moose7117 said:

Have you ever ridden a bike with 200 HP ?

my bike has somewhere near that. see attached photo.

why do people buy a Ferrari ? or an Astin Martin ?

you say the roads in Thailand are not suitable for these kind of bikes, well take your 65 hp bike up to Mae Hong Son and ride the loop, then all will be made clear.

I have and believe me ...you need it !

If people want to buy and ride these bikes that is fine with me. I started this thread to better understand why people do it. My intention was not and is not to say something bad about them. If they like it they should do it.

 

Except from racing where it really counts who is fastest I think riding bikes is about having fun and sometimes getting from A to B. Is more power always more fun? I don't know. I remember once the wind shield from my sports bike was broken so I rode it without that shied for a few kilometer. At that time 100km/h felt like 140 (or something like that). My conclusion from that was that the fun counts and not the speed. Now I have a naked bike which feels fast even with 100km/h...

 

I remember long time ago I read an interview with the rally driver Walter Röhrl. The interviewer asked him how he felt about driving within the speed limit of 100km/h in his home country Austria. Röhrl replied something like: It depends on the car. It's boring with a sport cars but it's a challenge with a VW Bus (Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter).

[DeusExMachinaBKK]

I think my cbr 929 had around 140hp? It was fun, but it was too much for me. Especially in the city. I wanted to join the 300km/h club but only got it up to 260km/h ONE time...

 

I have a son now so I don’t ride like I used to. 650cc is enough for me and I can have just as much fun riding a scooter to be honest... 

[robblok]

I sold my Ninja 650.. I just did not do trips and the power was never really used. I am not that brave, i would go 150 km/h tops.. I once went 170 km/h for a small distance and that already scared the ... out of me. In a car its much easier to drive 150 km/h without too much fear. I am just not addicted to speed got other addictions.

 

Reason i sold my bike was that i just did not use it enough anymore, got a 155cc scooter that i use a lot more. Though I would have paid more if that scooter was 300 or more CC but at the same size and weight (probably impossible). 155cc is just not enough power for me but other scooters that have more CC are larger and a pain in the ass to park. This is the perfect shopping thing.

 

I think that if people love the speed let them have it. You don't read much about people on bikes killing others because of speeding. Cars on the other hand and drink driving.. red light jumping  ect. Most bikers kill themselves with speed. So I don't see speed as a huge problem for motorbikes. 

[Peterw42]

7 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If people want to buy and ride these bikes that is fine with me. I started this thread to better understand why people do it. My intention was not and is not to say something bad about them. If they like it they should do it.

 

Except from racing where it really counts who is fastest I think riding bikes is about having fun and sometimes getting from A to B. Is more power always more fun? I don't know. I remember once the wind shield from my sports bike was broken so I rode it without that shied for a few kilometer. At that time 100km/h felt like 140 (or something like that). My conclusion from that was that the fun counts and not the speed. Now I have a naked bike which feels fast even with 100km/h...

 

I remember long time ago I read an interview with the rally driver Walter Röhrl. The interviewer asked him how he felt about driving within the speed limit of 100km/h in his home country Austria. Röhrl replied something like: It depends on the car. It's boring with a sport cars but it's a challenge with a VW Bus (Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter).

I think I would tend to agree, the most fun I have had riding bikes is trail bikes and smaller road bikes, the least fun would be when a mate talked me into buying a big cruiser, it was boring, like riding a lounge chair around.

I have lots more fun pushing a smaller bike to its limit, applying skills to ride it well, take the right line through a corner, shift your weight, select appropriate gear, get power to the ground without loosing control etc, lots of fun. 

 

[Neilly]

22 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If people want to buy and ride these bikes that is fine with me. I started this thread to better understand why people do it. My intention was not and is not to say something bad about them. If they like it they should do it.

After a quick search I can only find a handful of stock bikes that are 200hp out of the crate. And all of them are top notch kit with chassis and brakes to match the power.

 

In 2000 there was a gentlemen's agreement between the major bike manufactures that capped the speed at 300kph...which lasted about 8 years until all the fervor had died down and the possibility of high speed motorcycles being banned from import had faded away.

 

I've never ridden a 200hp bike...but I'm pretty sure they are much safer to ride than the 1000cc+ motorcycles I used to hoon about on when I was in my late 20's.

 

As you go up the ladder in power you get used to it, when you go up a step you are pretty cautious at first, but after a very short time you are ringing it's neck...and then the search begins for the next bike to take you a bit further up the ladder...it is very addictive I can assure you.

 

Riding a fast bike in Thailand...well that's another thing entirely...and not for the faint hearted.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fastest_production_motorcycles

[Airalee]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I remember long time ago I read an interview with the rally driver Walter Röhrl. The interviewer asked him how he felt about driving within the speed limit of 100km/h in his home country Austria. Röhrl replied something like: It depends on the car. It's boring with a sport cars but it's a challenge with a VW Bus (Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter).

Just thought you might find this kinda fun...

 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Just thought you might find this kinda fun...

 

A long time ago I had a BMW 323i and saw one of those in my rear mirror coming fast. I let him pass and soon I didn't see him anymore. And that was with the foot down...

[NCC1701A]

my girlfriend says I have "big power". No motorcycle involved.  

[alx123]

People always want something better, the next level or step up is the goal. Money, power, engine displacement..they're all the same. imho

[Airalee]

31 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

A long time ago I had a BMW 323i and saw one of those in my rear mirror coming fast. I let him pass and soon I didn't see him anymore. And that was with the foot down...

I always got a kick out of that video.  I had a 323is a long time ago too.  Looked sporty...but wasn’t. 

[JonnyF]

I don't have 200hp (yet, but I might buy the 2019 S1000RR if it's as good as I expect). I have more like 150hp at the crank and for me there are a few reasons to want that or even a bit more.

 

• Track days.
• Being able to accelerate away from tailgating Vigo's.
• Being able to cruise at reasonably high speed without wringing the bike's neck.
• The sheer excitement of having that power available on tap.

Modern sportsbikes have fantastic brakes, great stability, power modes, traction control, anti-wheelie. Ridden by an experienced rider with self control they are far safer than a 250 IMO. They are not horses that are liable to break into a full-on random sprint when spooked by something, they only go as fast as you twist the throttle. Of course, I wouldn't do a daily Bangkok commute on one, any more than I would ride one through a rice paddy or a jungle trail. That's not what they are for. 

 

 

[WonnabeBiker]

Well, at the wrong side of 50, I like good ergonomics. Touring handlebars. And if I was to race around Pai, I would be fairly certain that I might be quicker on a KTM 690 Motard with the best tyres. Or an old TZR 250 or a 400 cc / 600 cc vs a liter bike.

 

Riding ability is the limiting factor - and I am not insured over here and can do without another motorcycle accident.

 

To experience the feeling of riding a bullet is something one can experience with a different power to weight ratio, too.

 

An Italian 500 cc 2-stroke race bike accellerated 0 - 300 km/h in 6 seconds. And I do have fond memories of my Yamaha RD 350 YPVS. Weight plays a key role.

[OneMoreFarang]

10 minutes ago, WonnabeBiker said:

And I do have fond memories of my Yamaha RD 350 YPVS

I dreamed about those when I was under 18 and was not allowed to ride one.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

my girlfriend says I have "big power". No motorcycle involved.  

Good point. This thread is looking more and more like a dick comparison.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Good point. This thread is looking more and more like a dick comparison.

Now we better don't start arguing if the size is proportional or inverse proportional.

And what about the guys who have a small and a big bike?

[iroc4life]

Have one for sale if ya wanna try out some US Spec Power :)

[Deli]

You only understand if you feel the power

[JonnyF]

38 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Good point. This thread is looking more and more like a dick comparison.

What an insightful, original comment! Did you dream that up yourself in a moment of rare brilliance or copy/paste it from dumbasscliches.com?

 

Seriously, why do people feel the need to direct an interesting discussion about sportsbikes towards an issue of male genitalia? I have nothing against women or homosexuals, but if the first thing that comes to mind when discussing the relative merits of different types of motorcycles is the size of other men's dicks then I'd suggest a more adult themed website might be more suitable than trying to change the topic of this thread ?

[Lacessit]

16 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

What an insightful, original comment! Did you dream that up yourself in a moment of rare brilliance or copy/paste it from dumbasscliches.com?

 

Seriously, why do people feel the need to direct an interesting discussion about sportsbikes towards an issue of male genitalia? I have nothing against women or homosexuals, but if the first thing that comes to mind when discussing the relative merits of different types of motorcycles is the size of other men's dicks then I'd suggest a more adult themed website might be more suitable than trying to change the topic of this thread ?

No, I posted it for people with a sense of humour. You're excused.

[eisfeld]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

No, I posted it for people with a sense of humour. You're excused.

555, not.