190 mph - 200 mph

brad

Registered
Question for those with high speed experience:

When reaching the speeds I've listed in the topic title what kind of things do you have to watch out for?  

What are the top issues on your mind that can go wrong?

Please advise.
brad
 
It's like anything else before you ride. You always want to do a pre-inspection before going out and trying high speed runs. Tire psi, chain, oil, etc..etc...make sure the bike is 100% before attempting anything. Now if you are talking about wind, surface hazards, etc.. there could be anything. My biggest fear would probably be an animal like a deer or something running in front of me at any speed let alone 190mph+...
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At those speeds you have little to no time to react. You have to look at least a 1\4 mile away in order to make adjustments. Even then, you will be covering each 1/4 mile in about 5 seconds or less.

Reactions and movements happen much slower at higher speeds as well. Swerving to miss an obstacle that runs in front of you will likely not happen.

Hard braking takes great skill at high speeds. The best way to slow down is to brake gently using the engine and the brakes.

You will have no choice but to stay in a tight tuck under the windscreen. Otherwise you will never see 190mph, and you will be torn from the bike and the road surface.


At 200mph you will likely crash if:
you have a problem with your tire(s).
a chain breaks.
an animal or other obstacle gets in your way.
go into a tank-slapper.
sit up on the bike.
the engine locks up.
brake too hard.
I'm sure there are other reasons I could include.





Be safe and have fun.
 
He's something to think about.
At 190mph, if you crash on the street, you will likely not survive even in full leathers.
If you hit a road marker, small tree at that speed it would sever you in half.
I would pick a 3 or 4 lane interstate and use the middle lane on a straight-away.
That way if anything happens, you only have to survive the 3rd degree burns through your leathers.
If you wear textile, at that speed they will weld themselves into your flesh.
So many happy thoughts...

Have a ball!
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at top speeds I only worry about oil pressure and having enough room/time to slow down. Everything else it out of your control.You have to rely on all of your prerun inspections.
 
I did the math awhile back and if memory serves, here is some info for you. At 180mph you are covering 278ft a sec. Which is approx a football field, just to give you a point of reference. Now, normal human reaction time is 1.2 - 1.5 secs. That is just to perceive a situation and initiate a motor response to the situation. I am not even going to address the bike reaction time as there are so many variables that can affect it.

If you are moving that fast, I don't think watching a 1/4 out is enough. At ~300ft/sec the 1/4 goes by in 4.4 secs. You have lost 1.4 of those to reaction time, so you have 3 secs to get the bike shutdown and under control before you reach the end of 1320ft.

I know that as your speed decreases your time to reach the situation increases, but I don't believe that it is enough to save your butt.

Don

Having said all that, I have had mine to 172mph (gps). Long stretch of interstate, with a concrete median in the middle and a concrete wall on the right side of the road. No traffic at all. I did 3 passes before the speed run to look for junk on the road and to inspect the asphalt.
 
Have to have faith in your pre-flight inspections.

Watch the horizon and try to keep it level, take care with the cross winds, and be mindful of wheelspin. If it gets spooky, get out of it.
 
like everyone said-check tha bike over, make sure you have gear, and try to get a look at the ground you plan on covering beforehand to look for crazy 2' potholes n the like.

my personal opinion??? if you know you dont have the best reflexes/reaction time and/or your vision is NOT at LEAST 20/20, (ie:if you wear glasses, period-dont try this) you cant see far enuf ahead nor will you be able to react if you do to anything going 150+mph, so if that be tha case-stick to Tourist Trophy its safer n cheaper
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...what kind of things do you have to watch out for?  
The answer to your question is easy:  EVERYTHING.

Simply put, you must watch out for everything.  

If you don't, you are destined to your final, tragic failure.

That said, it's a total rush to do, so enjoy it~
 
Are my elbows and toes tucked, is my head down far enough. Do i have the throttle fully pinned? This is what goes through my mind.
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The biggest problem I've seen is people getting on the brakes to hard. You need to gently and progressively apply the brakes.
 
The course walk is holy to me. At El Mirage, I walk every inch of the ground I'll be covering. I pick up every bit of debris that I find and at the end - that's my "treasure". I plan the path I will take, visualize everything. Get intimate with the dirt. I think the course walk may just be my favorite part of the entire trip.
 
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