[Kevin]

Does anyone on here watch Pinks on Speed Channel? Last night was the second time I have seen them run bikes. The first was a glorioous event where a
construction worker with no drag experience shows up with a 1100
Suzuki GS like a 1984 right the guy he is pitted against is a guy
with professional drag bike experience ridding the most researched
bike ever a 2004 Harley V-rod which I think has a couple hundred CCs
on the GS too not too mention the V-rod was brand new and the GS had
some ungodly amount of miles on it. The GS not only won but in true
Harley-crap-quality-control fashion the V-rod also burned its clutch
up. On the last run of 3 the GS guy even gave the Hog a lead at the
start.....A brand new $18,000 V-rod the flagship of Harley (with you
would expect 20 years of technology on the GS) gets smoked by a $3500
dollar 1984 Suzuki GS with a bazillion miles on it and a rider who
swings a hammer for a living. Last night they had a kid on like a 87 FZR 1000 raceing a pro drag rider on a newer GSXR1100 with a quoted 150rwhp whereas the kid said his FZR only had 67rwhp? That can't be correct can it? My SV has more than that? Also how much effect on straight line preformance do you think a rider with say 50lbs above another rider would have? Are we talking full seconds here or fractions of seconds assumeing both riders are equal in all respects minus weight?

 

[BlueThunder]

My question is what was the professional rider doing that was so much better than the guy on the black bike? Even with a massive lead they guy still had his ass handed to him.

...and man what a horrible way to loose your bike. Not even starting the race. What a looser. Guy calls up a professional and he makes a stupid mistake like that.

 

[Spirit of Bunny]

i'm sorry I missed this episode. I saw previews for it, but now I'm wondering if I could have a go at a V-rod. Ya think?

 

[cuzimaluzer77]

i raced a v rod once. i hung with him till 100. then he blew past me like i wasn' t even moving.

 

[tonyjuliano]

i raced a v rod once.  i hung with him till 100.  then he blew past me like i wasn' t even moving.

Race him into a corner next time!

 

[Kevin]

So in a 1/4 mile then you would have beat the Vrod b/c he isnt going to run a 11sec 1/4 and you beat him till 100mph. Those old FZRs like the black bike the kid has those arent still air cooled are they? I know the Honda Hurricane of the same year was air cooled.

 

[arimichael]

I've never seen the show but I can make a few comments. One, the air-cooled Suzuki GS motor was/is a flat-out staple of bike drag racing. Those things are like stone axes. Blunt, powerful, and can stand up to some serious abuse. Also, no Yamaha FZR or Honda Hurricane was EVER air-cooled. The FZ600 (FZ not FZR) was air-cooled as was the Honda CB900/1100. All were from the early/mid-80's.

 

[BlueThunder]

I've never seen the show but I can make a few comments. One, the air-cooled Suzuki GS motor was/is a flat-out staple of bike drag racing. Those things are like stone axes. Blunt, powerful, and can stand up to some serious abuse. Also, no Yamaha FZR or Honda Hurricane was EVER air-cooled. The FZ600 (FZ not FZR) was air-cooled as was the Honda CB900/1100. All were from the early/mid-80's.

Noob question but why does the cooling methodology have to do with it?

 

[axeman]

i've never seen the show, but it sounds like it's definatly rigged for entertainment purpose.

also, I was watching NHRA drag racing last weekend and the V rods were kicking butt.

 

[Bster13]

Water cooled generally affords you more consistant and uniform cooling throughout the engine block as opposed to air/oil cooled. So generally the watercooled bikes are tweaked more since they can take advantange of being cooled more efficiently. But..the water jacket and plumping, fluids does weight down a watercooled bike more than air-cooled.

 

[arimichael]

I think the old air-cooled motors lent themselves to drag-racing simply due to their beefier architecture. Big, strong crankcases and cylinders could be built to the hilt and stand up to the stresses.

 

[beatpusher]

also, I was watching NHRA drag racing last weekend and the V rods were kicking butt.

The Buels and Harleys are running fuel injection, while the others are carbed. Which I don't really understand. You'd think everyone would run injection. But I'm no racer.

 

[thinmac]

The "Buells" and "Harleys" they run in NHRA aren't from those brands at all, really.  According to what I've read, the Buell dragsters don't share a single part with the street bikes, and the Harleys are built in a similar vein.  Also, because they're running on two cylinders instead of four, they displace MUCH more than the suzukis and kawasakis they're running against.

To put that in context, the Suzukis they're running against are smaller engines, built from (modified) street parts, and are carburated.  My understanding is that the only reason they allow the big twins in the same class is that it draws fans to the races.  By allowing them to compete with much looser rules, the Harley fans get to go home talking about how well the 'v-rod' kept up with the 'hayabusa.'

Not that the 'zooks are really all that stock, either.  My understanding is that they use almost completely aftermarket purpose built bottoms ends and pistons, hayabusa blocks, and GS1100 heads.  Then they hook them up to computers that figure out the best possible tune for each piston and each valve, fill the water jackets with concrete, and throw them in to purpose built frames.  We're not exactly talking about regular guys on retail bikes here.

 

[Marc]

Don't you think the "contestants" get paid for their "appearances" even if they lose??

 

[Kevin]

If you have never seen Pinks how can you say it is rigged for entertainment purposes. Talk about talking out of your ass. I don't think the show is rigged. The GS fairly blew the Vrod away. Deal with it man.

 

[Marc]

If you have never seen Pinks how can you say it is rigged for entertainment purposes. Talk about talking out of your ass. I don't think the show is rigged. The GS fairly blew the Vrod away. Deal with it man.

Whoa, that's not what I meant. How do you get all that from my one sentence? I never said it was rigged or never watched it. I saw the GS vs. Harley show along with others. I'm sure everyone trys as hard as they can to win. That what racers do. Nothing is rigged for entertainment. What I'm saying is the poor guy that loses his vehicle may get some compensation for being on the show.

 

[PaPa-G]

WWE Wresting or whatever it is called is real, too!!!

 

[Kevin]

i've never seen the show, but it sounds like it's definatly rigged for entertainment purpose.

also, I was watching NHRA drag racing last weekend and the V rods were kicking butt.

Marc I was talking to this guy about talking out of his ass not you.

 

[Marc]

   Marc I was talking to this guy about talking out of his ass not you.

Sorry about that Kevin, I was getting ready to challange YOU to a pink slip race ;D

 

[Kevin]

Man Marc that would be cool. I would like to drag somebody.