Motorcyclist ticketed for 205mph in a 65mph zone

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Originally Posted by OUTRACE

The MC LSR is at least 333 in a 'liner. The open bike speed record is just a bit over 250 aboard a street legal 1300cc turbo'ed Hayabusa.

Make no mistake, the difference between 205 and 250 is about a bajillion horsepower.

Top speed occurs when the total drag equals the force applied thru the contact patch. If you apply more power to the contact patch than it can handle, the tire will simply spin and you will not gain any additional speed.

The real difficulty with bikes is the size of the contact patch. In order to apply more power to the ground, you need a bigger contact patch. The larger the contact patch, the less maneuverable the bike is. If you get a large enough contact patch, the bike won't steer at all, which means you can't keep it upright. It's a classic compromise.

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That said, what is the likely hood of a guy on a street bike on the highway doing 205 :scratch: From what I've seen, stability is one heck of an issue around the 200mph range on a bike that's not really really modified to be slippery and smooth. Back when I rode, I had a V-max (not the most areodynamic) and although the advertised top speed was 153mph, I could only do 135 comfortably. I did take it to 145 but the wind wabble was a real concern at that speed. While I know the cafe' bikes are much cleaner than my V-max I would think 200+ in less that optimal conditions would be difficult at best, especially if he had mirrors.