What makes a fast vehicle: power, or driver skill?
Discussion
I've never owned a classically fast car, but had some outstandingly fast bikes.
What makes me laugh is that even with our weedy Smart car, I get in front of most people and stay there. Or with my diesel Pug, same story.
Or how about with a Divvy 600, or SV650, or my latest - the cruiser, how come I get past so many R1 & Fireblade types?
Is it that us PH readers have a "magic" gift at making vehicles go faster? is it called "interest" by anychance?
And why is it, when I get past a lot of people on my bike, that they give up trying when they see I have a passenger, as well as less power?
do you guys find this too?
C
Yep. Took a wee tour in the Ardeche last year. It was a short break so we flew down and hired a Pug 207 1.4, which is not the quickest thing on the road if you count raw bhp. It was always at the front of the queues, and was even a handy machine for overtaking as long as I planned far enough ahead.
It's attitude that counts...
It's attitude that counts...
definately driver skill...
ok so if you put a ferrari against a fiesta the ferrari driver should be able to get away despite his ham-fistedness on almost all road types/conditions...
but as most people who post hear would agree they can stick with/pass/get away from people in much better and faster cars...
this always amuses me as i've never driven a car with more than 104bhp yet (if you discout motorways) i think i've only been overtaken 5 times in a year and a halfs worth of driving and thats only ever been by people in outrageously fast cars... porsche boxsters etc..
edited because its 1:17am and i'm bored
edited again because its actually only 1:16
shite!!! it was 1:17 all along, infact its probably 1:18 now, infact who am i talking too? i better go to bed soon...
>> Edited by littlegearl on Friday 31st January 01:17
>> Edited by littlegearl on Friday 31st January 01:18
>> Edited by littlegearl on Friday 31st January 01:19
ok so if you put a ferrari against a fiesta the ferrari driver should be able to get away despite his ham-fistedness on almost all road types/conditions...
but as most people who post hear would agree they can stick with/pass/get away from people in much better and faster cars...
this always amuses me as i've never driven a car with more than 104bhp yet (if you discout motorways) i think i've only been overtaken 5 times in a year and a halfs worth of driving and thats only ever been by people in outrageously fast cars... porsche boxsters etc..
edited because its 1:17am and i'm bored
edited again because its actually only 1:16
shite!!! it was 1:17 all along, infact its probably 1:18 now, infact who am i talking too? i better go to bed soon...
>> Edited by littlegearl on Friday 31st January 01:17
>> Edited by littlegearl on Friday 31st January 01:18
>> Edited by littlegearl on Friday 31st January 01:19
Have to admit, most of the time I can't be ar***d to pass people just for the sake of it. Only when I am in a hurry. You usually get to the same place only a few seconds later anyway. And if thats the pub they've got the round in...
BTW, if I drive quickly with my G/F in the car she gets motion sickness. Even slowly on a windy country road or one of those switchbabck roads we get up here.
Makes driving the Chimaera a bit of a pain at times 'cos I have to keep dropping down a couple of gears.
BTW, if I drive quickly with my G/F in the car she gets motion sickness. Even slowly on a windy country road or one of those switchbabck roads we get up here.
Makes driving the Chimaera a bit of a pain at times 'cos I have to keep dropping down a couple of gears.
littlegearl said: definately driver skill...
Is this ultimate proof?
www.thamesvalleyharley.com/mcn.htm
Yep me too.
It makes me laugh when I read motoring/bike magazine articles on which vehicle is faster/better handling etc, when it doesnt matter a toss in real life.
I have been chasing a ZX9R on a ZX6R and it changed around that he was chasing me, and couldnt catch me!. Sam when I had my Escort 1.8, twisty bits and people in "hot hatches" drove like grandads.
The worst bit is the bikes, it really does not make any difference to 80% of riders if they have a 1998 spec Fireblade or a 2001, they usually drive them like girls.
And while I am at it, why is it that when people on superbikes insist on driving them like cars? Thats what the gap between the cars is for, overtake!
Sorry, rant over.
It makes me laugh when I read motoring/bike magazine articles on which vehicle is faster/better handling etc, when it doesnt matter a toss in real life.
I have been chasing a ZX9R on a ZX6R and it changed around that he was chasing me, and couldnt catch me!. Sam when I had my Escort 1.8, twisty bits and people in "hot hatches" drove like grandads.
The worst bit is the bikes, it really does not make any difference to 80% of riders if they have a 1998 spec Fireblade or a 2001, they usually drive them like girls.
And while I am at it, why is it that when people on superbikes insist on driving them like cars? Thats what the gap between the cars is for, overtake!
Sorry, rant over.
deltaf said: You havent met my kid brother.......
Does such madnes as wheelies at 120 with a passenger... or how bout wheeleing the 1/4 mile at Santa Pod to a standing ovation.....lmao now that was a good day out!
>> Edited by deltaf on Friday 31st January 09:52
Was that on sunday?
Yer I saw some guy doing that, very funny.
whoozit said:
gtir said:
And while I am at it, why is it that when people on superbikes insist on driving them like cars? Thats what the gap between the cars is for, overtake!
Sorry, rant over.
Bikers don't generally refer to themselves "driving" a bike
No, WE dont, hence thats why I wrote "driving them like cars". Thanks.
>> Edited by gtir on Friday 31st January 11:21
Niggle said:
littlegearl said: definately driver skill...
Is this ultimate proof?
www.thamesvalleyharley.com/mcn.htm
Looks to me like he's a road racer who is too scared to race other road racers cos he might loose!
It's definately skill. I'm a relatively inexperienced biker and although I have a fast bike I can't keep up with supposedly slower bikes on a good twisty road(I'm probably the one you keep riding around hertsbiker !) However in a car where I am a very experienced driver the opposite is true.
manek said:
It's attitude that counts...
I think that on the road its attitude 100%. Sure skills enable you to plan ahead - safely. But frankly going quickly on the road is based on a certain..."willingness" to do it on the part of the driver.
I've see white vans doing mind-boggling velocities.
Driver skill
Had fun chasing a bmw 320i from the A303 to crewekerne tonight in the vauxhurl combo with 65bhp
the onlt times he pulled away from me were on the strights , then i reeled him in through the twisties finally overtook him when we came round a bend and he got stuck behind a milk tanker ,sat back a bit and overtook the pair of them , shame it was dark would have loved to see his face when a metallic silver shed went flying past 
Had fun chasing a bmw 320i from the A303 to crewekerne tonight in the vauxhurl combo with 65bhp
the onlt times he pulled away from me were on the strights , then i reeled him in through the twisties finally overtook him when we came round a bend and he got stuck behind a milk tanker ,sat back a bit and overtook the pair of them , shame it was dark would have loved to see his face when a metallic silver shed went flying past Totally agree. I'm not very skilled behind the wheel of a motor. Probably more so than most of my peers but I'm not great. However I have managed to keep up with a Vanquish and overtake some much faster machinery in a 1.1 Fezza. Its about how fast you want to drive rather than how fast you can drive.
manek said: It's attitude that counts...
on a tight track!
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