steelhead
Registered
Finally hit 150mph (240 km/h) in a mountain tunnel that goes straight for a few miles.
At 240 km/h, you hardly realize in those few seconds of rapid acceleration how fast you're actually going until you gently squeeze the front brakes to slow down, at which point, you are ONLY down to 180 km/h. And this realization hits, like, "Imagine if something were in front of me?"
And it dawns on you that even at 180 km/h, the danger factor from 180 km/h to 120 km/h IS NOTHING compared to 240 km/h to 180 km/h to 120 km/h. It's like going to a "third notch" when travelling at 240 km/h.
That is to say, if a person errs in identifying a slow car, sharp turn, or road object at this insane third notch, even if they manage to slow down to 180 km/h (from 240 km/h), it will be just too fast to handle, turn, or aggressively brake like they would at 120 km/h (from 180 km/h). Now I understand how some people get killed on the Hayabusa. You don't know how fast 240 km/h is until you see how fast 180 km/h was like. It just doesn't register in your brain in proportional terms how many notches you need to go down before the bike can be sanely controlled.
It may sound obvious, but experiencing that jump to 240 km/h is a whole different world of driving, perception, and control. It ain't just twisting the throttle and going...yeah!!!
A few months ago, a rider (and gf) on a Yamaha R1 was driving about 200 km/h + on the Han bridge in Korea, where they crashed into a car. The girl's leg was amputated from knee down. I saw the bike and the faces of his riding buddies while passing through...not necessary to describe. It's just so seductively deceptive to drive fast and lose sight of the unforeseen handling characteristics involved at such speeds.
...First Experiences? Experience Tips?...
At 240 km/h, you hardly realize in those few seconds of rapid acceleration how fast you're actually going until you gently squeeze the front brakes to slow down, at which point, you are ONLY down to 180 km/h. And this realization hits, like, "Imagine if something were in front of me?"
And it dawns on you that even at 180 km/h, the danger factor from 180 km/h to 120 km/h IS NOTHING compared to 240 km/h to 180 km/h to 120 km/h. It's like going to a "third notch" when travelling at 240 km/h.
That is to say, if a person errs in identifying a slow car, sharp turn, or road object at this insane third notch, even if they manage to slow down to 180 km/h (from 240 km/h), it will be just too fast to handle, turn, or aggressively brake like they would at 120 km/h (from 180 km/h). Now I understand how some people get killed on the Hayabusa. You don't know how fast 240 km/h is until you see how fast 180 km/h was like. It just doesn't register in your brain in proportional terms how many notches you need to go down before the bike can be sanely controlled.
It may sound obvious, but experiencing that jump to 240 km/h is a whole different world of driving, perception, and control. It ain't just twisting the throttle and going...yeah!!!
A few months ago, a rider (and gf) on a Yamaha R1 was driving about 200 km/h + on the Han bridge in Korea, where they crashed into a car. The girl's leg was amputated from knee down. I saw the bike and the faces of his riding buddies while passing through...not necessary to describe. It's just so seductively deceptive to drive fast and lose sight of the unforeseen handling characteristics involved at such speeds.
...First Experiences? Experience Tips?...
