Topic: Group effort by Enthusiasts of the Big Four Manufacturers..

[754]

I am  bringing this up to illustrate the difference in attitude of RIDERS/ ENTHUSIASTS of domestic brands vs imports. perhaps it is not so much an attitude as a sheer numbers thing?

 My intention is to have a good disscusion, not a war.. but we will see how it unfolds.

Anyway I am referring to a few years back when Easyrider launched a huge effort to claim the top motorcycle speed record.. they did it with the support of thousands of people that had interest in the project.

 I remember thinking at the time though, that if one of the Big Four tried this if it would have the same result??  My thoughts were that collectively as a group this would be difficult to  pull off.. just different people and different mindset.

 Do you guys think this would work or do you know of similar thing ever being done by the import enthusiasts??

[masonryman]

Are we talking a class thing or a over all 2 wheel open motorcycle speed record. I find it hard to believe that a record like that would not be held by a JAP bike

[ekim98]

I think it would be easier with an import, mainly because they are more sport/speed orinated to start with. What class/type of motorcycle record are you talking? Open wheel and fairing or full body, not that it should really make that much difference imo.

[754]

It was the top speed motorcycle record they went after, and managed to get it away from Kawasaki at over 300 mph.. streamliners of course..

 It held for quite awhile then a few years ago got broke ... at one time the absolute record got broken 2wice in 2 hours, in 2006 I think.

[tramp]

i don't think you could get all the big four because the land speed record is bragging rights
i don't think that they would want to share that right

[754]

What I meant was,

Do you think any ONE of the big four has a loyal enough following & a desire to do this (anything) a group..ie working together toward a goal.

[333]

Sure.  But I think the Big Four only care about road racing.  And Motocross.  Furthermore, I don't think the Japanese quite understand the American love of racing just about anything.  I don't quite get it either when I see guys taking snowmobiles across a lake in summer to see how far across they can go.  Or Swamp Buggies.  What is that all about?

Seriously, judging from television coverage, behind road racing(bikes, cars, Nascar...)drag racing is up there in terms of popularity.  Yet the Big Four has yet to sponsor anyone.  I was watching one of those 60 minute commercials disguised as a show on different activities that Harley owners do.  One story was about a drag racer.  Actually a Harley sponsored drag racer.  The bragging rights were proclaimed like this;"Harley Davidson has the fastest factory sponsored motorcycle in drag racing.".  Now someone who knows nothing about drag racing might think that Harley's are pretty fast.  But those of us who follow it(like me ) know otherwise, that Harley doesn't show, place, or win at drag racing events.  Just like in all other racing.

I don't blame the Japanese for staying away from these situations.

[ekim98]

Well, the top drag race bike I believe is what some say is a harley, but imo it is so far from being a harley that it is only a harley in looks = a big V-twin, and nothing that HD actually makes. The guy that I had helping my with my bike was bragging about how fast harley's are now  , I kept my thoughts to myself and let him talk. I did hear rumors that harley was talking about bring out a XR 750 replica which is/was a pretty good running bike. The V-rod was a pretty good runner too, but the harley crowd didn't go for it it seems, and HD let it die out. Even Buell gave up on harley, from what I've read.

I too am suprised that Kawasaki or Sazuki(sorry, I can't spell very good) hasn't sponsered a bike for the speed record tho.

[754]

I was looking thru a few mags a while back looking for stuff to try to post on here..(if we can get 1080 back on here)

In the late 70,s dont hold me to the date, Honda was running an effort called the Hawk I think.. but they seemed to lose interest aftyer a few seasons..

 I just find it interesting that a magazine dedicated to Harleys.. (love them, or hate them, or dont even care..)with the help of a few thousand readers, and a few  bigger sponsors, managed to build and run a streamliner and get the record..
 that for all the talk and hype about how advanced the Big Four  buolders are, that somehow, someway, they could also do that.. or??

Just wonder about that sometimes..
 I t would seem

[ekim98]

Racing technology is what drives the evolution of everything we drive from cars to bikes.

Endurance racing drives the reliability of the production bikes up. Technology can be directly applied from the race bike to the production model. These bikes are modified production models or are at least loosly based on production models.

Drag racing must only last a 1/4 mile or so, very little of a drag racing machine is derived from or will ever be used on a production model. Same with land speed. The machine does not have to handle or be a funcional machine for anything other than going very fast in a straight line. These are purpose built machines to do one job very well and only haved to last long enough to complete one event. A Honda land speed or drag racing bike would only have Honda stickers on it. No components would be "Honda" components. Built by Honda but not from any existing Honda or ever available for your Honda.

Given the engineering and financial backing that goes into drag racing cars, such as a budwiser top fuel dragster, how much better could GM do themselves?

They would never share. Look how secretive they are about endurance technology, guarded from view until the last possible moment.

I guess the 500cc and 750cc two cycle triples were not what Kawasaki was trying to sell. Even the Z1 900 was made as a stop lite/drag race bikes. The first two were not what anyone could call good handleing bikes but could run like hell in the 1/4 mile. The Z1 900 was better at handleing but it to was made to beat the cb750 which was what carried Kawasaki. Even the RD350 and 400 were more speed orinated than most other bikes of the era. Honda open the door with big cc's fours but Kawasaki made speed their selling point.

 754, not to bash HD, but how many show room stock harleys can compete against even a 600cc crotchrocket, much less a jap bike of equal cc's, other than comfort of two up highway rideing. Certainally not in preformance. You can't really call a streamliner world record holder powered by what started out as a HD engine even remotely a harley other than engine shape/looks. Don't get me wrong there are fast harleys out there, but compared to what you can ride out of a Jap showroom and go race, harley is an after thought. Almost all of the fast harleys I've seen were on dragstrips and nowhere close to street legal.

[754]

Like I say to anyone re V-Twin  dragsters,, do they make you think Aprillia, Ducati, Vincent, Yamaha, Kawi, Suzuki..or any other brand.. just tell me what they resemble..

 But that is a bit off topic, The real point is can people that are fans of any other marque, get together to build a world record holder, after all they do claim to be superior in a few ways..

Racing motors often dont share much with their street counterparts, but I will still call a Kawi based dragbike a Kawi, or a Suz based a Suz.. rather than than say its not really that..

[masonryman]

I know a guy that fields some Yamaha race teams, 125 and 250 GP and the large Yamaha v-twin on the strip, 1200 I think, he get some factory support, I think. The drag bike is fast, but I am not going to quote times.

There are people out there doing it every day for a love of the sport, they just don't get the press like the people doing it for commercial reasons