0-60 time would be a worthwhile "rough yardstick" for us to compare our bikes when posting back & forth.   We just need to develop a method to accurately and consistently time it.

Now, when we are all up in the mountains together this summer I can see one of us going up on an overpass with a video camera and filming a group off in the distance at a start line.  Somebody sounds a horn and THEY'RE OFF ... riding directly towards the overpass.  

This way you can have a visual record of who gets off the line better but loses his ass in the top end run up.   You also have a historical document to refer to the performance of the various levels of mods that we do as just about all of them will be up there.

=0-60 time gives a clue to part of the range
=roll-ons that are timed from a specific speed to a higher specific speed also gives clues for other parts of the rang
=1/4 mi speed and time shows another aspect of the machines capability

they all have their place

then there is the dyno...in the shop or a mobile device like the Veypor which is proven to be quite accurate.  The raw data from the unit is downloaded into the VAS program and is converted into usable information.  You can look at an assortment of performance values  and data on a literal second by second basis as it happened during any type of performance run.  It is a remarkable device and downright cheap compared to other makes of quality digital speedo's and tach's from other companies.

  The wider the powerband the better a engine will perform,Thats why they went to 4 valve heads in a lot of bikes and cars.To have a wide power band in a S40 you need tuned pipe and air intake,Suzuki makes it,Its the stock pipe and air box.Suzuki didn't get that muffler and air box out of a bunch things they had laying around.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 03/09/10 at 06:00:10:





What do you want Bill, ya Ol Crank. I done said You Win..

That said, my trips include some 0- 60 runs & some wide open runs. I ride roads with 1st gear climbing turns. Where I live, theres places & roads to do it all.

I think Bill is both right and wrong. A broad power band makes the machine easy to ride, while a narrow power band and lots of gear selections makes the machine (given a competent rider) faster on a track. The four-valve head gives better breathing at higher engine speeds, while a two-valve head usually gives better torque at lower speeds - where most car engines run on the road. There are at least a couple of automotive engines on the road which deactivate some of the valves at low engine speeds to try to get the best of both worlds.

A tuned pipe, either on the intake or exhaust, tends to make the power band narrower, because of resonances in the pipe. The reason expansion chambers on two-stroke engines are tapered is to try to widen the power band. A longer taper results in a broader and less "peaky" power band. A straight pipe is nearly the worst possible configuration in terms of being peaky, because there will only be one engine speed where its resonances match the engine speed. Motorcycle makers spend a lot of time and effort trying to make power bands usable over wide rpm ranges, which might even involve tuning the intake for one speed and the exhaust for another to smooth the torque curve. Fortunately, long-stroke engines such as the S40 and most of the V-twins have a fairly low maximum speed, so the job is easier.

The 0-60 and the 1/4 mile tests both are highly dependent on driver technique. The high-gear roll-on pretty much removes technique. All of the tests are dependent on driver and machine weight. All of them test the system only at wide-open throttle, and not much riding is done at wide-open throttle. In terms of carburetion, that means the only thing checked is the main jet. And for those with modifications, it will be very difficult to do a before-and-after comparison.

All points are valid, but at the end of the day the one who rides away from the rest has the best deal going ....

You forgot rider/bike weight as a factor -- given same engine output less mass accelerates faster.   Now Lancer is a small light dude on a powerful bike, so he will be tough to beat.

Shifting skill is part of the game, not an exception to the game.

87 bhp (big huskey power)
I like it.

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 03/09/10 at 05:46:51:


For the stock motor group, my money is on my bike and the new owner.