Why are cars faster than motorcycles?

[exdeath]

Stability and aero. Beating a fast bike on the highway is just about taking to the speed that the rider starts to experience tremendous wind resistance and would be sucked off the bike if one ripple of clothing stuck up. Theres also the issue of keeping the front tire down on the bike.

It's all technical issues not raw power or weight.

As for minimum power to stay in the same zipcode as a bike, I can take on 600s with 624rwhp. Liter bikes require twin turbos and 850+ rwhp.

But it's mostly rider aero. Bikes hit a top speed brick wall because of the exposed rider no matter how tight they tuck in. But they will pretty much always take the launch and 0-60 from you. Even with slicks on the car and enough power, streets are too dirty to hook.

 

[BUTCH1]

As far as bang-for-the-buck goes a bike is a true bargain but a lot IMO is the area you ride in and the danger factor, it's true that experienced riders can somewhat compensate for this by anticipating what the moron's driving around you are prone to do but here in FL you get a mix of old geezers, lost/gawking tourists, texting teens, and in a hurry blow-through red light assholes. Get good insurance if your gonna ride a bike around here..

 

[MongGrel]

That's nothing. For $30, I can jump off the Empire State Building and go even faster than that. Show me a bike that will do that for that cheap.

I liked the Top Gear episode where they dropped a Volkswagon from a helicopter the same distance vertically vs a Porsche at a dead stop, and the Porsche barely lost getting there faster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyrvfhOI3ls

 

[waggy]

a experienced rider is going to have a far better chance of beating any car. Though same can be said about a experienced driver (in a good car).

though for the majority of bikes they are going to beat 95% of the cars on the road.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Maybe it's because they have more powerful engines

If your top end is limited to 186 mph power is irrelevant. You might get there quicker, but it's a brick wall. That said, it's relatively easy to work around the limiter in most cases.

Power though isn't everything. It's a matter of power to weight and gearing. If you are a good rider on a good bike you have a lot of fun.

For less than the price of a real sports car you could get something like this.

If the need for speed is the thing you can't beat a good bike for the buck.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Stability and aero. Beating a fast bike on the highway is just about taking to the speed that the rider starts to experience tremendous wind resistance and would be sucked off the bike if one ripple of clothing stuck up. Theres also the issue of keeping the front tire down on the bike.

It's all technical issues not raw power or weight.

As for minimum power to stay in the same zipcode as a bike, I can take on 600s with 624rwhp. Liter bikes require twin turbos and 850+ rwhp.

But it's mostly rider aero. Bikes hit a top speed brick wall because of the exposed rider no matter how tight they tuck in.

Out of curiousity what is the top speed you have gone on a bike and in a car?

 

[exdeath]

Been around 140 in 4th. Never rode a bike.

Dont generally like high speed. Cast wheels, non Z rated 000 treadware tires, 5th and 6th means boosting in overdrive, crap roads, etc. Not really set up for it.

I'm more into unloading the front suspension between stoplights around town type of stuff. And on ramps of course. Brake to merge!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Been around 140 in 4th. Never rode a bike.

Dont generally like high speed. Cast wheels, non Z rated 000 treadware tires, 5th and 6th means boosting in overdrive, crap roads, etc. Not really set up for it.

I'm more into unloading the front suspension between stoplights around town type of stuff. And on ramps of course. Brake to merge!

If you have the chance to learn and ride you might enjoy it. I'm not knocking cars by any means, it's just a different kind of pleasurable experience. I've gone crazy fast as I've said, but I never felt the need to do that often, and when I did I was well aware of the danger and calculated accordingly. It's just fun to go down a windy road on a glorious day, to find the right line into the curve, to become part of the machine.

Ahh, a good ride is a wonderful thing.

 

[T9D]

You people are ridiculous talking about speeds of 180 mph and such. Even at a race track it's rare someone will get to that speed in normal cars and not professionals. Let alone on the street. On the street the bike is almost always going to win in most all cases. At best you need to be talking 120 mph or so. The race is going to be over before then as someone would have obviously long since pulled ahead (the bike). (don't street race anyway it's lame and unsafe).

 

[waggy]

If you have the chance to learn and ride you might enjoy it. I'm not knocking cars by any means, it's just a different kind of pleasurable experience. I've gone crazy fast as I've said, but I never felt the need to do that often, and when I did I was well aware of the danger and calculated accordingly. It's just fun to go down a windy road on a glorious day, to find the right line into the curve, to become part of the machine.

Ahh, a good ride is a wonderful thing.

agreed.

fastest i have been is around 160 at that point it was just to fast. Not something i did more then a few times.

but man a nice sunny day on a curvy road. oh yeah

 

[exdeath]

If you have the chance to learn and ride you might enjoy it. I'm not knocking cars by any means, it's just a different kind of pleasurable experience. I've gone crazy fast as I've said, but I never felt the need to do that often, and when I did I was well aware of the danger and calculated accordingly. It's just fun to go down a windy road on a glorious day, to find the right line into the curve, to become part of the machine.

Ahh, a good ride is a wonderful thing.

Oh I know. I'm kinda ashamed of being a gearhead and never having ridden (as driver) a (motor) bike.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

You people are ridiculous talking about speeds of 180 mph and such. Even at a race track it's rare someone will get to that speed in normal cars and not professionals. Let alone on the street. On the street the bike is almost always going to win in most all cases. At best you need to be talking 120 mph or so. The race is going to be over before then as someone would have obviously long since pulled ahead (the bike). (don't street race anyway it's lame and unsafe).

Street races aren't smart, I'll agree. As far as raw speed I think the OP was talking comparisons, not what one would normally do. Being a squid isn't a sought after title.

Still, there are times and places when one can do incredible things. My top end run was done on a closed road with no access except at one point, where we got on. I've been on interstates where there was nothing around. No cars, no people, heck, no towns. Just sweet pavement.

Doing crap in traffic or populated areas? Nope.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Oh I know. I'm kinda ashamed of being a gearhead and never having ridden a (motor) bike.

It's not like you are too old to learn. I don't know who you know, but I've taught others how to be competent riders, and it would be great if you knew someone with a proper bike who would be willing. The 'busa? No one rode that but me.

I hate it when some guy says he's going to learn on a "small" 600cc sport bike or similar. That's completely insane, and I've known a few who didn't make it past the first critical 6 months of riding. The coordination and reactions are of course completely different from a car don't and translate from 4 wheels to 2. When (not if) they get over their head they won't be operating based on experience with proper reflexes gained over time. They're going to hit that front brake hard in a corner at speed, and that's all she wrote.

 

[exdeath]

I have too many toys and hobbies competing for my income as it is, I don't need to get addicted to riding!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Without reading the entire thread and from experience at 125 mph on a Honda night hawk 650, its aerodynamics. Without body work 100 mph plus winds are harsh. Even with proper body work like new sport bikes it has to impact the speed. Imagine going 150 in a car with all the windows open.

 

[exdeath]

Without reading the entire thread and from experience at 125 mph on a Honda night hawk 650, its aerodynamics. Without body work 100 mph plus winds are harsh. Even with proper body work like new sport bikes it has to impact the speed. Imagine going 150 in a car with all the windows open.

More like a convertible and no windshield. And you're sitting up on the headrest trying to hold on with your thighs, and hands while steering and trying to keep your spine tucked behind the gauge cluster.

At that point on a bike you'd shave the zipper on your jacket to get closer to the tank.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Without reading the entire thread and from experience at 125 mph on a Honda night hawk 650, its aerodynamics. Without body work 100 mph plus winds are harsh. Even with proper body work like new sport bikes it has to impact the speed. Imagine going 150 in a car with all the windows open.

You certainly wouldn't want to do it all day.

 

[Greenman]

I don't know anyone with a fast car or a fast bike that actually races at a track. A few of them will (stupidly) street race light to light, or go canyon carving, but thats about it. In most cases (please note I said "most", that doesn't mean "all") guys buy very fast cars or bikes for bragging rights. It's done to win the dick swinging competition at the local bar.

Very high speeds on two wheels sucks. Past 100mph, all I could think about was how bad it was going to hurt when the wind blew me off the bike, and how deep the stinger would go when a bee harpooned me at 120.

 

[exdeath]

When modifying without a budget, for world record type stuff, cars still win in the long run just because space on a bike is already at a premium. Where are you going to put twin 120mm turbos on a sport bike? There's an upper limit to how much you can modify a bike, especially without compromising aero and stability. With a car and all the space for turbos, intercooler boxes and 6" charge pipes, fuel cells in the trunk, etc all under an aero shell the sky is the limit.

It's a matter of logistics.

The bike would have to have a fully enclosed bullet body and be essentially a bike in name only by the time you are done.

When you start talking 1600 lb tubular frame kit cars with carbon or glass shells etc, and adding things to the bike, what advantage a bike did have is now diminished.

At that point it becomes simple class and category semantics: 4 wheels vs 2 wheels.

 

[shortylickens]

because you touch yourself in the backseat.

 

[Gillbot]

And almost none are under $100k

So your general blanket statement now has to be backed with a qualifier to make it valid? I know of plenty of cars under 10k that readily beat bikes. I never said they were a factory car either. I've seen some impressive junkyard turbo builds that embarrassed many an unsuspecting bike rider.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Very high speeds on two wheels sucks. Past 100mph, all I could think about was how bad it was going to hurt when the wind blew me off the bike, and how deep the stinger would go when a bee harpooned me at 120

If you go that fast and a bee got you, you deserved it. I want to punch guys who ride sport bikes in shorts and tees right in the throat.

I never ever felt like the wind was going to blow me off a bike. I suppose it depends on what you ride.

Something happens around 150+ on my old (sniff) bike. At that speed the engine and road vibration are gone. It's like stepping onto a cloud. The terrain in your perepherial vision is going so fast your brain can't process it so it fades to gray. As you go faster it becomes almost like a tunnel. 175+ you are on a magic carpet riding down an infinite tunnel.

Huge buzz.

 

[Greenman]

If you go that fast and a bee got you, you deserved it. I want to punch guys who ride sport bikes in shorts and tees right in the throat.

I never ever felt like the wind was going to blow me off a bike. I suppose it depends on what you ride.

Something happens around 150+ on my old (sniff) bike. At that speed the engine and road vibration are gone. It's like stepping onto a cloud. The terrain in your perepherial vision is going so fast your brain can't process it so it fades to gray. As you go faster it becomes almost like a tunnel. 175+ you are on a magic carpet riding down an infinite tunnel.

Huge buzz.

It's world class foolish to ride that fast on the street. The reality is that at that speed, you might as well be wearing a tee shirt and flip flops, cause if you go down, you're not getting up again. I've seen a drag racer get blown off his bike at something over 150, it was a year before he was walking again, and most of his skin was from someone else.

 

[MongGrel]

Personally, I live in one of the most bike unfriendly places on the planet ATM.

My brother said something about getting one, and lives here also, as nutty as he is I told him he'd be dead in 3 months tops.

And I used to meddle with riding them many years ago.

I'd never own one myself, I had several friends die in High School and over the years riding them.

Just me I guess.

*shrug*

 

[Kaido]

Because motorcycles are two tired.

http://i.imgur.com/0WPLt6c.gif