Stunt Stoppies??
Posted on 10/27/2003 12:01:41 PM PST by BraveMan
I think I hold the record for the longest (duration) over-the-bars endo . . .
Back in my young and foolish days (as opposed to my current old and foolish days) I was following behind a friend's car on my Kawasaki KL-250. I caught the eye of a fetchingly cute young girl walking on the sidewalk along the street. Unbeknownst to me, this beauty has also caught the attention of my friend in the car ahead of me, who stopped in the middle of the street . . .
Well, I hit him about five miles an hour, imparting just enough force to stand my bike straight up on the front tire, and push his car forward about eight feet. Ever so slowly the bike continued over, landing in a perfect three-point stance (two handlebar ends and the taillight) and pinning me underneath sprawled out on the pavement. Try as I might, I couldn't muscle up enough leverage to get the bike off me, pinned in the position I was.
My friend jumped out of his car to rescue me from my predicament. When he saw me helplessly pinned uner the bike, he couldn't stop laughing. I finally convinced him to peel the bike off me as the tears rolled down his cheeks . . .
The fetchingly cute young girl walking on the sidewalk also was laughing so hard, she had to sit down on the curb while she composed herself. At the time, I was the only one who didn't think the situation was so damn funny.
I never did meet that girl . . .
Stunt Stoppies??
1- Who or what company would be willing to write an insurance policy on this thing?
Answer: Nobody
2- Who is going to buy this?
Answer: Jay Leno, for one...and anyone crazy enough to "need" it.
If you can't insure it, you can't ride it on public roads. I doubt that it would pass muster with the DOT but does it really matter? If you can afford the selling price, chances are that you could also build your own road or airstrip to ride it on.
As for this machine reaching 250MPH......not likely without any kind of aerodynamic bodywork. If you've ever been on a "naked" bike, getting above 125mph or so without some kind of bodywork to slice through the air, your hands (and the rest of you exposed to the airstream) become one helluva drag. Just hanging on at 125mph+ on an unfaired bike is a feat in itself. Steering precisely at that speed exposed to the air directly is NOT easy. It doesn't matter how many ponies the motor can put out....without bodywork you MIGHT see something like 150mph. COnsider the following:
On Sept. 13, 1948, Rollie Free rode the first Vincent HRD Black Lightning to a speed of 150.313 m.p.h. at Bonneville. Rollie's leathers tore from early runs at 147 mph, he discarded them and made a final, heroic attempt without jacket, pants, gloves, boots or helmet.
The bike was capable but the rider provided enough drag to prevent speeds in excess of 147mph. He had to ride practically NAKED to get above 150. If there was bodywork...read: WIND PROTECTION, he would have been even faster. 147mph TORE HIS LEATHERS....wrap your mind 'round that for a second.
I have this issue of Design News... thanks for posting this.
Untrue in Floriduh! Just FYI. :-)~
While I'm no fan of Insurance companies, having an "incident" with an uninsured driver is something none of us should be saddled with. It has happened to me and to two people I know. The uninsured walked away without having to pay for squat in each case (and they were ALL the cause of the mishaps).
BTW, is that just Bikes that can go without insurance in the Sunshine State? Been a while since I've been there. Judging by all the Floriduh-tagged pastel Cadillacs I see in New England shuttling their Beige Orthopedic-wearing "gotta hit the Early Bird Special" types to and fro, I'd be carrying a full boat of insurance if driving in that state. Hell, I'd get PEDESTRIAN Insurance.
I say to the idiots running (or is it ruining) Chrysler, "Go for it!"
First these imbuciles went to work at their billion dollar R&D center in Canada & engineered a V10.
Then collared Carol Shelby -- no less -- to design 'em a true "sports car" in the same vein as Carol's AC Cobra, 25 years before.
So far, so *good*.
Next thing ya know?
The public's seeing that same Copperhead V10 showing up as an option in Dodge pickup trucks.
>doink<
Then Chrysler designers come up with the *retro* "PT Cruiser" & people are standing in lines waiting to scoff the thing up.
Those people would've told ya "It has great styling! while the lamestream mediots are giving it all the positive press any American automobile manufacturer could ever possibly ask; thereby, fanning the flames of a hungry motoring public.
What could be better, eh?
So what's the engine Chrysler used to *power* this fabulous testament in styling?
The only engine available is the same old & very *tired* Mitsubishi V6 one found in virtually every other Chrysler product made since the early 90s.
Yawwnnn.
Yup, bought my bride a snazzy red LaBaron convertable with one of those V6 engines in it, &, the torque curve was a classic *flat liner*. "DOA."
We affectionately nicknamed the thing "The Beached Whale" after the groan it'd make when ya mashed the accelerator.
~Yea...whadda car.
Of course then there was *the* incredible, fabulous Prowler!! (Grrrrrr!)
All the *Prowler* V6s that'd been built for that Edsel-like abomination must've wound up going into the PT Cruisers *after* the *braintrust* at Chrysler managed to run Plymouth into the ground & outa business.
So much for what used to be one of the greatest automobile monikers Detroit ever had & why "Penny-wise & Dollar Foolish" was coined.
But wait, the Chrysler bozos weren't done!
Not finished "reading the record"!
It gets even *better*!
First let us return to Chrysler's billion dollar R&D center where after what, 30 years, Chrysler's engineering brainiacs are *reinventing* Chrysler's infamous hemispherical head iron pushrod V8.
Only *this* time the magnificent heads will be worn not on a 392 or monster 426cu/in block, no-no-no!
This iteration of the famous "Hemi" will be a totally new, state-of-the-art 5.7L V8 engine (~350c/in dis +/- an cu/in).
This motor is being marketed as the Second Coming & currently available in yup -- you guessed it -- a Dodge pickup truck.
Sometime next year's the very soonest it'll be available, as an option, in one of Chrysler's passenger cars.
>doink<
Chrysler's so woefully mismanaged as to be hysterically laughable; so, I say bring that *thing* on!
At a paltry half mil I'm sure most of 'em will be sold to the posters right here at FR.
While the moron-huns who're running Chrysler will finally do to Chrysler what Lynn Townsend couldn't with his infamous *Aspen*.
Ruin it. :o)
While across town things aren't much better.
Ford's all set & chaffin' at the bit to launch their new GT40, soon.
Yup, at a time when the automobile market's in a depressed & bloated condition due to 0% et al.
But in all fairness it must be noted, Ford must keep their factories running & the UAW guys at work per the contracts they signed, even if Ford's only planning to build around 1,500 GT40s, at the most!!
Some *savior*, huh.
The new GT40 will still, after all, be a *Ford*; but, *this* Ford's going cost the perspective buyer anywhere between $120 & $150,000!!
Gosh things must be awfully good in Grosse Point! :o)
Naturally while this malarkey's going on at Ford?
In 2005 Ford's, unfortunately, discontinuing what should've *&* could've been Ford's crown jewel.
A car that was extremely affordable & a true "sports car" going head-to-head with Chevrolet's Corvette.
The Ford "Thunderbird."
The car's being scrapped because -- known to all *but* those at Ford World HQ -- the thing could *not* be had with Ford's premium performance V8, the supercharged SVT twin cam 32 valve modular racing engine.
Nope, couldn't get it in a Thunderbird; buuuuut, you *could* get it in the aging Mustang!!
BTW, that's all ya can get that motor in.
>doink<
Guess Ford's *strategy* is to put all their eggs into the mega-buck GT40 during a depressed economy, or, Ford -- apparently -- knows something we don't, huh?
So Braveman, tell me.
...you gonna be signing up for one? {g}
Actually you can but you just have to put a pre-paid insurance policy out .... you determine maximum liability and then you put that much into the insurance policy issuer's banks in something like an escrow account.
If you crash and die ... the other people you clobbered get it. IF you live long enough to cancel your policy then the company takes a cut and hands it back.
Say *what*??
Something tells me I could have come up with something equally workable for a mere million or so.
I should be thinking more along the lines of what they do for exotic autos
The thing is that few of us here (and I'm assuming)are flush enough play in that realm (at least from the "owner" side) enough to know the ins and outs of this type of thing.
I'm thinking of taking out a special policy on two of my bikes but I'm paying about $150.00 a year to insure each right now and I consider that a bargain....I used to pay more. When I get a 1930's Indian up and running, I'll need to get a bit more coverage, I suppose.
Thanks for the info. I can't be the only one curious so a collective thank you for everyone else while I'm at it....(anyone in the market for a few BSA's? My other half won't complain about a new old bike if I shed a few of the projects.....)
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