vtr and rc51
 

Performance wise, what is different in the rc51 motor from the superhawk motor?

about two verbal exclamations and some soiled undies.

eh it really isn't THAT much faster cause I've raced my buddy. The biggest difference is it's way more aggressive and made to be a race bike which it was and did very well. It has gear driven cams and also has more top end unlike our bikes which have better low end torque. stock to stock they'll put down about 10+ hp more then us

it was an attempt at humor. I'm a firm believer in 'time under the curve'. torque curve that is. 'Hawks have a deceptive power output. you're thinking it ain't so great until you look at the speedo or all the people you've pulled on. I just wish I could find someone who thought like me to sell my '93 Civic to. it's got an auto trans so no one cares. runs 15s with just bolt-ons but still doesn't feel strong.
food for thought: I just reread the 10/97 Motorcyclist magazine 'World's Best Sportbike!' comparo.
1st: Yamaha YZF1000R 73 pts.
2nd: Honda VTR1000F 68 pts.
3rd: Suzuki TL1000S 64 pts.
4th: Suzuki GSX-R750 60 pts.
5th: Triumph T595 Daytona (955cc) 47 pts.

I've been buying old magazines with 'Hawk test and comparos since I bought my bike and it's amazing how highly regarded the bike is but how often overlooked. my favorite quote, from a 1st full test, 'possibly the fastest bike in the world to 80 or 100'

The '02-06 RC51 has 118hp stock. With mods (flapper, soft rev limiter mod, Satos, & BMC) you can get to about 132hp. I had different exhaust on my '02 and got 127.8 hp at 10200 rpm and a flat 72 ft-lb torque between 7000 and 9000 rpm.

Compare that to the VTR-F about 106 hp at 9100 rpm and 67 ft-lbs torque between 6700 and 7600 rpm.

My RC had >67 ft-lbs between 5000 and 10000 rpm. Hehe, that's the number that the VTR peaks at! Yeah, area under the curve - RC51, hands down!

Yeah, I agree with the overlooked.

Don't forget the TLS came out at the same time.
Power and tech wise, the TLS walked all over the VTR.
I loved my TLS, but I'm liking the refind qualities of the VTR now.
I still wish I had the power of a TLS in the VTR frame.

When you compare the two together, the VTR falls short on the track and to riders who like to ride really hard. That's why the magazines didn't like the VTR too much. It all fell back onto the people test riding the bikes.


rob

well, some people are power junkies. I try to be more practical. besides, there's always someone with more. more power, more bling, a longer swingarm, a bigger tire, blah, blah, blah. it never ends and I refuse to join the fight. just when you thinks it's safe to go back in the water... hell, my son has a Mitsubishi Ecilpse turbo front wheel drive that can pull on literbikes after the tires hook up, say 100 or 110 mph. resistance is futile.