Why are there never 0-60mph times quoted for bikes
Discussion
0-60 are massively inconsistent where bikes are concerned, a lot of it is down to the rider, the surface, tyres etc etc. You can see group tests in magazines where there'll be a 600cc machine half a second quicker to 60 than a big thou' superbike. All superbikes are capable of around 3 seconds dead to 60, some less. Getting one to do it is a different story though, and don't forget they only have one tyre for traction. In gear acceleration figures are a lot more relevant for bikes.
Pretty pointless for bikes. A 600 would be very very similar to a 100, and something like an ER-6 is probably only a second or two off the 600. It would all depend on the rider too. Would a light or heavy rider be best is another variable, in a car the lighter the better but on a bike a heavier rider could use his weight to keep the front down.
Several bikes of various sizes can do 0-60 in slightly under 3 seconds. Including the Honda CBR600RR, Honda Fireblade, Suzuki GSXR1000, Kawasaki ZX-14, BMW S1000RR, etc. etc. etc. That seems to be about the limit because anything faster would just flip the bike over backwards.
As it is, it takes a VERY skilled rider to do it, so you'll find all kinds of 0-60 numbers for these bikes, depending on who was riding it.
As it is, it takes a VERY skilled rider to do it, so you'll find all kinds of 0-60 numbers for these bikes, depending on who was riding it.
Roll on acceleration in 5 th gear times would be a great indicator of a bikes performance. 5Th gear would cover most bikes then 30 to 70 would be a good range while keeping it legal. I imagine a 1000cc machine would really show a clean pair of heels to a 600cc bike then as 0-60 is a poor indicator of performance on a motorbike.
Would love to see this done with a mix of bikes such as Kawasaki Ninga250 v ER6 v ZX6 V ZX10 V ZZR1400 to see how they varied.
Would love to see this done with a mix of bikes such as Kawasaki Ninga250 v ER6 v ZX6 V ZX10 V ZZR1400 to see how they varied.
Carl-H said:
Pretty pointless for bikes. A 600 would be very very similar to a 100, and something like an ER-6 is probably only a second or two off the 600. It would all depend on the rider too. Would a light or heavy rider be best is another variable, in a car the lighter the better but on a bike a heavier rider could use his weight to keep the front down.
I agree, as soon as you get up to 600cc the 0-60 times are very similar, even slow bikes like my SV650 (3.6s) are pretty similar to modern superbikes like the R1 (2.9s) so quoting the times is pretty irrelevant when you compare them to the spread you get with modern cars. Once you get to the 1/4 mile times they start spreading out a bit (11.8s and 10.05s)H100S said:
Roll on acceleration in 5 th gear times would be a great indicator of a bikes performance. 5Th gear would cover most bikes then 30 to 70 would be a good range while keeping it legal. I imagine a 1000cc machine would really show a clean pair of heels to a 600cc bike then as 0-60 is a poor indicator of performance on a motorbike.
Would love to see this done with a mix of bikes such as Kawasaki Ninga250 v ER6 v ZX6 V ZX10 V ZZR1400 to see how they varied.
I see that measure as pointless. My 600RR outperforms my Ducati 996, but the Ducati would romp a 30-70 in 5th against the 600. On the 600 I would be in 2nd gear for that increment, so saying a 600 is low performance due to a 5th gear roll on test is not true. You'd also find that large capacity nakeds would piss that test as they have a big engine and short gearing.Would love to see this done with a mix of bikes such as Kawasaki Ninga250 v ER6 v ZX6 V ZX10 V ZZR1400 to see how they varied.
Bikes already have a decent performance benchmark - quarter mile and magazine test lap times. On the road, the engine capacity and configuration will tell you the rest of the story.
0-60s haven't changed for years. 90s bikes like ZZR1100s had long wheelbases, more weight and short 1st gears, so 0-60 in a similar time to the latest short wheelbase lighter, more powerful, S1000RRs. I once read a test where a stock 99 Hayabusa with about 15 psi in the rear tyre ran a 1.9 sec 0-60.
Unlike 99% of cars 0-60 on a bike is more about rider ability than the bike - Everything 600cc and upwards hits 60 in 1st so you are looking at balancing throttle, wheelie, wheelspin, clutch.
Edited by 3doorPete on Saturday 4th August 17:57
3doorPete said:
H100S said:
Roll on acceleration in 5 th gear times would be a great indicator of a bikes performance. 5Th gear would cover most bikes then 30 to 70 would be a good range while keeping it legal. I imagine a 1000cc machine would really show a clean pair of heels to a 600cc bike then as 0-60 is a poor indicator of performance on a motorbike.
Would love to see this done with a mix of bikes such as Kawasaki Ninga250 v ER6 v ZX6 V ZX10 V ZZR1400 to see how they varied.
I see that measure as pointless. My 600RR outperforms my Ducati 996, but the Ducati would romp a 30-70 in 5th against the 600. On the 600 I would be in 2nd gear for that increment, so saying a 600 is low performance due to a 5th gear roll on test is not true. You'd also find that large capacity nakeds would piss that test as they have a big engine and short gearing.Would love to see this done with a mix of bikes such as Kawasaki Ninga250 v ER6 v ZX6 V ZX10 V ZZR1400 to see how they varied.
Bikes already have a decent performance benchmark - quarter mile and magazine test lap times. On the road, the engine capacity and configuration will tell you the rest of the story.
0-60s haven't changed for years. 90s bikes like ZZR1100s had long wheelbases, more weight and short 1st gears, so 0-60 in a similar time to the latest short wheelbase lighter, more powerful, S1000RRs. I once read a test where a stock 99 Hayabusa with about 15 psi in the rear tyre ran a 1.9 sec 0-60.
Unlike 99% of cars 0-60 on a bike is more about rider ability than the bike - Everything 600cc and upwards hits 60 in 1st so you are looking at balancing throttle, wheelie, wheelspin, clutch.
Edited by 3doorPete on Saturday 4th August 17:57
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