W9GTR

Dear all
Not wishing to start another slangin match but..................
hehe
To all who have continually boasted that they regularly slay superbikes "round the twisties" take a look at the new copy of EVO and weep
Standard new Blade Quicker around Bedford Autodrome (complete with twisties) than Mini Cooper, Civic Type R, TVR Amora, EVO 7 RS Sprint, VX220, M3, Aerial Atom, Elise , Exige (with 260 BHP), Caterham R300, Caterham 7 Fireblade, and Westfield XTR. Using comparable national level car driver and bike rider, the Fireblade was....wait for it....6.4seconds faster than an EVo RS Sprint (330 bhp). The only car to top the bike was the Radical S3 at £45000 which is like a mini le man type race car. Even then the blade managed to outdrag it on straights and out brake it going in to bends the only thing in the cars favour was higher lateral grip enabling faster corner speed to be carried. But no..... I'm sure all you standard UK Scoob drivers would have been quicker than all the cars in the test....
As the drivers were of similar standards this should prove once and for all that Bikes are quicker than all Jap turbo nutter ******* saloons end of.
Thank you and good night.
Flame suit on
Steve

chrisowe

It is a suprise to me that the lap time difference is as much as 6.4s, I would of thought at least one of the Caterhams would get closer. There is a race on a Jeremy Clarkson video (Head to Head I think) which has a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 against a Yamaha R1. The Porsche is driven by Jason Plato and the bike by Niall Mackenzie. The Porsche just wins because of its higher cornering speed. The time might depend on how twisty the circuit is.
I am a motorcycle owner.

CrisPDuk

The bikes take the advantage at Bedford, because the circuit is pretty narrow and the corners are damned tight. Obviously a bike can take a wider, and therefore faster, line than a car on a tight corner, purely because its wheelbase is a good 6' narrower.
The cars would probably be a lot closer on a wide & fast circuit like Croft or Thruxton.

jms-g

Fair enough, but I think you're missing the point...

With such a superior power to weight ratio a bike will be quicker around a track, usually, and when its dry, but the Impreza's (and evo's!!) were developed to be quick in the specific conditions you find out on the road in the real world that most of us live in!!!

chrisp

Cant get 5 people and luggage on a bike and it hurts when you fall off (and you will well all my mates have to some degree). How quick are they in the snow and ice and rain that we get so much of in the UK .

RichiW

Put a bit of grit on the road, a rider who`s a pussie like 95% are an you`ll beat `em.One the other other hand meet a nutter who *can* ride (very rare as i`ve said) and you`ll not get near him unless it`s *really* twisty.

Rich. (ex-owner of GSX-R,Blade,Duc996s to name a few)

mutant_matt

Steve,

Whilst I admire your attempt to provide decent evidence, you still won't convince people that bikes are in fact faster than cars, car only drivers just won't listen

Quote from my wife on the way home from Donno last night "I thought those fast cars were going to be faster, your bike is loads faster" (unprompted and took me by surprise)

BTW, thanks to all those who took Nic out yesterday, she loved it, just thought it'd be a bit faster

Ding, ding, queue round one of this months 50 page mega thread of cars vs bikes....

Matt

Alberick

Oh reminds me each time I fly to Japan to see my family, the Boeing 747 is 42 days 7 hours 29 minutes and 18 seconds faster in Tokyo than my lightly modded My 99 Turbo.....

MadScotsXR2

I have a KAWA 550 Chop beat most in a straight line but on a corner forget it lol

Comments about luggage and 4 people ....aint an issue as u don't ride a bike coz u want passengers

Same as u don't have a fast car coz u wanna be cold

I'm lucky I get paid to drive Jap imports and have some nice cars/bike at home too

jms-g

Whoops!! hadn't finished then!!!

I'm going to give some figures from the legendary Bike magazine test between the R1 and the STI...

On the B road test the STI did a 52.95, then a 52.09, then a 51.81. The bike "takes two laps to get up to speed" then "his last six circuits vary by less than half a second, with a best of 52.32"
On the roundabout test the STI's first lap is a 9.39.. the bike takes eight laps to get from 11.54 to 9.35... the STI goes out and does a 9.34 straight off... as the mag says "we force him back out for as long as it takes to beat the car" Eventually the bike gets down to a 9.13...

My point is that if it takes a bike eight attempts to beat a car around a roundabout and several attempts to even get close on a B-road-esque airfield track, why do you think it will be any different on the real (and far more treacherous) road?

Our cars are so quick because they have been developed specifically to be driven at their ultimate pace in any condition, at any time, on any road, at any moment, without needing practice runs, or suicidal tendencies...

But yes... if someone on a bike asked me to go up and down the same road a few times I'd be a bit worried!!!

Sorry if this sounds miserable!! When I work them damn smilies out...

Chris L

Enough of this b*ll*x - it's an old arguement that will go on forever - just like one about Scoobs & Cossies (don't even go there...)

What is more important is to say what a fine magazine Evo has become - without a doubt the best available in the UK. This month's issue is amazing - fabby cars just falling out of the mag (plus a decent CD) Ferrari 250, Tuscan R (just amazing car - I want one).

I still trying to make up my mind as to who has the better job - Ben Samuelson (TVR PR bloke who gets to drive all the latest TVRs and compete in the Tuscan Challenge - g*t ) or the boys from Evo who got to drive the Tuscan R over to France for the Le Mans weekend - jealousy is not the word...

Chris

turboman786

Whats the 0-60 time of a blade?

catflap

The evo article was excellent, as was the cd rom that came with the mag. Must admit im firmly on the side that bikes will always be faster, as the mag proved (on the track they used)always have thought always will.

I have sold my scoob and moving to a caterfield fireblade for the very reason that i consider it to be quicker, (my original reason for the scoob a that it was a quick car)

I get the bus or walk to work as its only 2 miles, and have a 300 quid Nissan primera for longer trips (for the practicality) and i still have a few grand in my pocket from selling my scoob (quite cheeply i might add)


Would like a blade but after 16 bone breaks when hit by and old woman looking after her cat in the passenger seet as she pulls out of a junction at ramming a speed into me, ill not be back on a bike, so its the next best thing.


But its all choice...

Pavlo

So what's the fireblade, a pumped up pushbike?

Or a not so mini superbike...

Paul

CraigH

LOL.

Moles Dad

Still about then Craig!

Regards MD.

CraigH

Yep

Sheepsplitter

I'm a little suprised that people still doubt the performance and handling of modern bikes even after this article.
Don't you think that Evo (a car magazine) would have tried to get the cars to beat the bike?

Maybe it's like saying the world is no longer flat?

CraigH

Yep - the bike has 600ish hp/ton assuming a 75kg rider.

How the **** is a car gonna live with that?

Braking surprises me tho - Radical and Westie were best braking cars - and the bike matched them.

Although - defending the cars here - the Bike was ridden by a British Superbike contender who competes with a Blade - so he knows the bike inside out - the cars were driven by a guy who hand't been in them before - not much anyway.

Nothing like sour grapes eh?

Sheepsplitter

I had last years Blade and the brakes are simply stunning, all the mags say they are the best brakes on a 'out of showroom bike' and Neil McKenzie actually thought they were as good as his race bike last year.
This years model hasn't changed (if it aint broke an all that).
I don't think the R1 or GSXR1000 would have stood as much chance of beating the cars on the brakes (I've had both, still have the GSXR). GSR1000 brakes are crap even with braided hoses, R1 is pretty good (I used to think the best, until I tried the Blades).

Jza

Great thread!!!

Bikes RULE!!!

And the 'Blade wasn't modded to even the price of the Cooper.. so add a nice exhaust, new Ohlins shocks and brakes and some mega grippy tyres (still having change left from the cost of the cooper) and i reckon it would be well under 1.14 - possibly in the 1.12's!!!

PS And there were people out there who ACTUALLY BELIEVED that Nial Mckenze got beat around the track by a standard 911 on the Clarkson video.... are you feeling SAD now

Jza

Tiggs

this is such a pointless topic (but i'll post anyway )

there just seem to be so many facts that car drivers ignore:

1. anyone name any track where a road car is quicker than a road bike? ohhh, all gone quiet...and no one bother with the "ahhhhhh, but it may rain" so what? if wimbledon got flooded then flipper may beat hewitt but the game is best in the dry just like race tracks.

2. anyone know a road car that accelerates as quick as a bike?....hmmm, still quiet.

3. what about a road car that goes as fast? not many you say? well i am surprised...NOT!

4. what about a road car that is as narrow as a bike thus can take a bikes line through a bend which is a HUGE deal different to a cars line (a point often missed by the "ohhh, its twisty brigade")......you sinclair C5? no that dont count.

5. anyone got evidence of a LARGE difference in braking length to make up for 1,2,3 and 4? (by the way, all you "i have 4 brakes you have 2" dont forget you may find you weigh more in a car.


T

ps- anyone who mentions rain/falling off/danger/load space may as well say i am a defeated little car fan scrapping the bottom of my large barrel marked "Excuses for losers"

CraigH

1. Nurburgring.
2. Mclaren F1.
3. Porsche 911 GT2, 550/575 Maranello, Diablo, Murcielaggo, Pagani Zonda, F40, Saleen, Tuscan R
4. Err, Caterham/Westie narrow bodied - "cough"
5. At Donington some years back, Senna was testing for the Euro GP - think there were some bikes there too - one of the well known riders (Ron Haslam maybe?) was amazed that at the bikes braking point the F1 car was changing up still - apparently. It meant the car was faster so must be true

Did any of the above have to be realistic?

davyboy

CraigH.

I think Formula 1 brakes maybe a bit unfair

LG John

How ironic, I just had the bike/car argument 10 mins ago with the lad in the office. Round a nice smooth track I don't doubt a bike would win but my point was in the real world (i.e britains sh1tty roads) comparible driver/rider a car like a scooby or evo IMO should win. Tell me your not going to die when you've got silly amounts of lean on mid-bend in a corner and you hit a rutted muddy part of the road on a bike.

In anger I ended up saying to the guy that we'd race the east lothian twisties for cash early one Sunday morning but I've concluded I'd better back down. Not because I'll loose but because the twisties in E Lothian are in such poor condition that he'd very likely get frustraited (type of person he is) push it too far and kill himself and I'm not wanting to be responsible for that. I'll let him thrash me in a striaght line have his boast and then I'll forget all about it.

Sorry if I seem pi$$y but I'm a little wound up and also the guy at work was being ageist saying I'm too young for a scooby and will put it through a hedge!

Tiggs

Craig thank you for posting so cleary in favour of bikes over road cars!

i couldnt have made a clearer point if i'd tried.

i assume that now craig has made it clear that, without reverting to exotica or F1 brakes, a bike will whip a car this can be laid to bed.

T

ps.

1.Nurburgring- i assume we are talking exotica again? dont think a scoob gets round like an R1 does.

4.Westie? sorry did i confuse? i was talking about race bikes not 2 goldwings side by side

CraigH

Just you wait till our Westie is ready - we'll show ya then

catflap

A point that many of you seem to miss when looking at such arguments is ironically the very reason many of us buy the types of vehicle we do, FUN.

Just because a car/bike is the fastest does not imply it provides the most fun (and fun by its nature is subjective, do you get your kicks form the crazy speed? The sliding sideways action the wheelies who knows? Only you)

If you have not watched the vid, try to get hold of a copy, the inside evo shots are DULL, DULL, DULL its so dull it hardly looks like the driver is awake.

Then watch the caterham OH BOY that look s fun, the perception of speed is that much more, even though there is very little in it (only a matter of seconds)

Bikes will always feel faster, and are in some peoples opinion much more fun to ride (I tend to agree)

If your after the fastest thing there is, then I think your in the wrong place, you should be racing a car for a living, but most of us are after thrills and not so many spills form our bike/car, and sometimes fun is more important than speed.
Bit like go karts, come on lets face it we all love a bash in a go kart whooping out mates, some seldom go over 35 mph, but they are a giggle

davyboy

So what is a good time round the ring for a experienced rider?

mutant_matt

<snigger>