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I agree with Kev on this. It really isn't SAFE to have extra power on the highway. Yes, you may ride slower, but, that is usually 'safer' than buzzing along in the fast lane or weaving in and out of traffic or passing those trucks just cause they are going 65 and you want to go 75.Now, if you WANT the extra power, then by all means keep the EV or get a bike with more power. But please don't kid yourself that it is for 'safety' reasons.
I'm sorry, but I just don't accept this argument. According to it people should be rear-ended every day on every major highway around you. Granted I've only ridden a number of weeks in CA not decades like I have on the East Coast, but for that to be true the traffic and culture would have to much much different than I have observed.
The very existence of alternate methods does not prove either their superiority or the NEED for them. I conceded desire for them from the start of the discussion.
So , all of the times I've used all the available HP to create a cushion between myself and some clown in a car that was trying to mate with my motorbike were just imaginary ? Maybe you guys live where no cage driver ever tries to occupy the same space as your motorbike is already occupying , around here it is common . Hell , it has happened on an empty two lane road . Dusty
Wow... Didn't realize how dangerous the plains states are. Perhaps the flat, straight roads encourage faster driving, I can see that. Or maybe you're a magnet for disgruntled Midwesterners ... come on out to sunny California sometime. Lots a curvey mountain roads punctuated by unbearable traffic, lol.
The other option is "lane sharing". Modern interstates have 12-foot wide lanes. There is more than enough room for an average passenger car and a motorcycle.On one occasion in the past couple years, I have had to move left to the yellow line when a pickup with trailer moved into me at about 65mph, and I was unable to accelerate or brake out of his way. There was plenty of room in the lane, and a few seconds later I was in front of him.Just another day in the life...
I know my posts are tiringly long sometimes.
He's probably referring to Tulsa at Rush Hour, which isn't a cakewalk.
I really think the answer is that having the ability to quickly accelerate out of a situation IS a safety concern because it can allow you to DECREASE the probability of a collision or other occurrence that could cause damage to yourself or machine. This is kind of an anti-antidote statement, that the absence of seems to be proof that power is never needed to avoid disaster. "I've never needed it or seen it so it must not be!"
Some years ago, I traveled all over Southern California on a Vespa ET4, a 150 motor. It cruised at 65 + all day on the freeway... In the right lane. With enough planning, I could overtake trucks and slower vehicles. On hills it slowed a lot and passing power was minimal... But manageable. I remember having to 'budget' the Vespas power... And that was part of the fun. I guess the point is, you don't have to have 1000+ cc bike to go somewhere. All is planning and budgeting what you do have. My wife loved the vespa... It was comfortable and classic, and limited you to a more relaxed pace. My V7 stone is a behemoth next to the Vespa, a fire breathing monster by comparison. I enjoy the visceral feel of the V7 and think it has the perfect amount of horsepower... for me and what I need.
I did mention that... I know my posts are tiringly long sometimes.
I also know now not to question the power levels of the V7 any more. People feel very emotional anout their choice of bike. I guess one could tour on anything I guess. Once read an article anout a guy that toured on a Whizzer. Safety is related to one's perception of risk.
Sometimes it seems like we are a major crossroads for interstate traffic!
I also know now not to question the power levels of the V7 any more. People feel very emotional anout their choice of bike. I guess one could tour on anything I guess.
It's probably why Dusty doesn't bother replying on the forum to me... he usually just calls me up and we BS for an hour.
Likely true. Dusty I apologize... I didn't mean to sound like such a dick
I'll take two Tulsa rush hours to one OKC (honestly think Tulsa drivers may have a slight advantage in the mental department). Of course it may also be the huge amount of truck traffic OKC has on I40 and I35, along with the I44 traffic that comes our way going to and from Tulsa. Sometimes it seems like we are a major crossroads for interstate traffic!
I don't consider rush hours bad unless you are in places like DC, Dallas, LA, etc. And then they are only slow at certain places or if there is an accident.
Rocker's natural habitat in Northwest AR has turned ugly over the last 20 years .
Yeah. I-49 between Fayetteville and Bella Vista are best avoided during rush hours. Especially Friday afternoons !!!6:30 to 9:00 am, and 4:00 to 7:00 pm.
Now that's comedy !!!!!!!At least to someone who drives in The Dallas/Ft. Worth Metromess
My metro area has passed 500,000 this year. Way too big for me. My next move is going to be to some small town in the middle of nowhere. I grow more anti-social as I grow older...
Did you forget where you were? Some of these people live for this stuff.
Well that makes perfect sense to me.First the gearing on the Cali is taller, meaning its motor is spinning slower (further away from peak power) at the same highway speed as a V7. So the V7, already higher in the powerband SHOULD roll on better. Yes, I think your weight is helping. At my weight it's almost like I'm carrying a passenger too compared to just you solo. Plus I have HB bags on mine (and sometimes a topcase) which add to wind drag.And as mentioned there are the differences in bike weights too.Let's look at some relative specs (I know they don't tell the whole story, but they paint at least part of the picture, most specs from Motorcycle Consumer News, but some filled in from other sources):Jackal vs. Black Eagle vs. Cal-Vin vs. V7 Stone (2013-15)Wet Weight: 572# / 589# / 616# / 443# RWHP: 63 / 68 / 68 / 40Torque: 60 / 58 / 58 / 41Standing 1/4 mile: 13.74 / 13.35 / 13.2 (not MCN) / 14.29The 1/4 mile figures show slight differences. The Cal-Vin number is a test variance from a different source, there's no reason it should be quicker than the same motor/ECU (but lighter) Black Eagle. The numbers show a slight advantage WOT from a dead stand still that goes to the Breva1100 engine internals in the Black Eagle/Cal-Vin, and that the Jackal (another lighter, stripped variant compared to an EV or many other Tonti Calis) which likely goes to the slight hp to weight ratio advantage of the Tonti Cali vs. the V7.I should add the top speeds in the 1/4 mile for the Black Eagle (fastest) vs. the V7 (slowest) were 100 mph vs. 90 mph.I don't have the figure for the Jackal noted, but looking at the times, let's split the difference and call it about 95 mph.So in a standing 1/4 there might be a 5 mph difference between a stripped Cali and a V7, that's not much.And any sudden "need" for acceleration on the highway it's going to come down to the particular rider/bike and conditions. I mean, how much weight are you carrying, windshield and bags for drag, do you try to roll on or drop it gear? To me, that's basically an RCH.