Originally Posted by: LordathestringsSomething to bear in mind: Power-to-Weight Ratio.

A 3000 pound car with a 150 hp motor is fairly capable. The P/W ratio is 20 pounds per horsepower.

An 'old geezer' bike like the 1981 GS1000G shaft-drive UJM that I gave away last year weighs a bit under 600 pounds and puts out maybe 65 horsepower. That's a P/W ratio of a little less than 10 pounds per horsepower. Which puts it in the same acceleration category as a full-race-prepped NASCAR machine! And that's a 25 year old bike.
My newly-rebuilt 1986 FJ1200S is still in a fairly mild state of tune. I do not want reliability issues. So it only puts out about 140 hp. And the bike weighs about 570 pounds. There's not a street-legal car on the road that even comes close. And that's a 20 year old bike. :D

The new ones are lighter and more powerful! :eek:

I once owned a 1985 FJ1200. Those bikes are super fast! The first time I nailed it, I almost flung myself right off the back. I heard they are taking the engines from those bikes and putting them in sprint cars. :eek: