Posted by Patrick on May 05, 2001 at 01:42:37:
In Reply to: Re: Horsepower & Top Speed Specs. ? posted by Rotsi on May 04, 2001 at 22:21:36:
Thanks Rotsi.
I am able to find "useful" specs on many US bikes ONLY on German and other non-US websites which I have to translate (German to English & Metric to SAE). By useful I mean top speeds, power, acceleration, such as you provided.
Here in the states, this info is only available if a third party, such as a magazine review article (or an aftermarket exhaust manufacturer) provides it.
I have to assume that publishing a very high HP rating, or a very high top speed or acceleration, is an invitation for a lawsuit here in the states, so the manufacturers just don't do it. Otherwise we have disgruntled parents suing sports bike manufacturers for killing "Johny" on a 100Hp bike that goes from 0-100mph in 10sec.
In my case though, when I only to know if a GZ250 (or a Savage) can propel me to interstate speeds without being dangerously slow, I find this lack of information very annoying!
Ok, I'm done ranting... now I'll shut up and ride. And someday when I'm feeling brave, I'll see if my GZ250 can accelerate into interstate traffic without killing me. -Patrick