Packs of motorcycles swarming St. Louis area highways

STL Today ^ | September 17, 2011 | JENNIFER MANN

[Da Bilge Troll]

ST. LOUIS • Drivers have reported huge packs of motorcycles swarming the highways around St. Louis, with the bikers pulling stunts, making hand gestures and forcing cars off the roadway.

[Spktyr]

2 strokes are banned from highway use and have been for decades. In fact, most actual dirtbikes now are moving to four strokes more and more.

[Spktyr]

That’s from 2007.

[goat granny]

that one’s good for a good laugh....size matters...

[freedumb2003]

>>Unless it’s the Roadog<<

That is a car with 2 wheels. At 3,000+ lbs, it would indeed be a 50/50 fight with most standard sized 4-wheel vehicles.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Acceleration isn’t needed to keep a motorbike in unicycle mode once it’s there — just good balance.

[mamelukesabre]

You need to look up “supermotard”.

Modern dirt bikes are not what you think.

[Charles Henrickson]

These things go in cycles.

[cyclotic]

I was driving down a freeway around 3am doing about 85, only vehicle in sight. From behind came a pack of 6-8, widely separated go-fast bikes, easily running 130. They were separated enough and having obvious fun.

I didn’t have a real problem with it given the conditions and time of night. Close packs during daytime traffic-stupid.

[Graybeard58]

My regular family dentist couldn’t understand it when I refused to be sent back to him for another extraction.

What are you, some kinda anti dentite?

[Spktyr]

Supermotards are relatively unpopular in the US. I know what they are, but they haven’t really taken off here yet. I strongly doubt there’s going to be a crowd of a thousand or so assaulting StL.

[Spktyr]

Yes, but most of those dirtbikes won’t go 60.

At any rate, I suspect he’s looking at either sportbikes or streetfighters, not dirtbikes.

[buccaneer81]

This was the result of a moose collision. Cars do considerably worse, usually looking like they went through a crusher.

[derllak]

It’s not Darks’ fault, Nully!

If it were his fault, they would be grenade-wielding gnomes on big wheels instead. :P

[steve86]

2 strokes are banned from highway use and have been for decades.

Uh, uh. Just re-licensed my Yamaha IT250 in Washington State; no restrictions on public road usage.

[lwd]

Sounds like a job for Philo Beddoe.

[steve86]

Dirtbikes generally don’t have the power to do a sustained wheelie at 60+.

Uh, uh. The power is irrelevant as long as the bike will do 60. Once the bike is at the balance point in a wheelie at a particular speed no additional power is needed.

[steve86]

Yes, but most of those dirtbikes won’t go 60.

Uh, uh. Even my KTM 125 will easily hit 75 geared appropriately. My CR500, 110.

[Spktyr]

Yes, but they generally won’t do 60 and THEN pop a wheelie. Though I suppose you could try and clutch it up - but most two stroke dirtbikes would be pushing it to get even close to 60 due to gearing and power issues. A KX125, for example, isn’t going to do 60 any time soon.

[linn37]

Left turn Clyde.

[buccaneer81]

Sounds like a job for Philo Beddoe.

Cletus Snow.