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A powerful bike desensitizes speed

Gary856

Gary856

Are we having fun yet?
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Location
San Jose, CA
Moto(s)
WR250F, MTS1200, FZ1, DR650, R1250GS
Name
Gary
I used to not believe this, like, how can you not know you’re going fast, but now I believe. I noticed this phenomenon each time I got a more powerful bike. It also makes you ride harder on the less powerful bikes. When I started out on a GS500, it felt plenty fast. But after I got the YZF600R and the SV650, which felt pretty powerful, all of a sudden the GS felt underpowered. I rode the GS harder, revved it much higher, but it still felt underpowered. After I got the ZX-10R, quite a few times I found myself going 10-20 mph faster than I thought I was, since the bike got up to speed so quickly without trying hard. As a result, I’m more comfortable pushing the 600R and SV much harder, without feeling they’re going that fast. In fact, the SV is beginning to feel a bit underpowered…

The above is my impression from commuting, on relatively open freeway and city streets. In the hills, even the DRZ feels plenty fast on tight roads.
 
I gauge speed relative to traffic. Sometimes I stay with traffic, sometimes best to split, just depends on what's happening all round. talking about slabs.
 
Which bike do you ride most?

Least?

In my case I ride the F800ST most, the DRZSM next, and, by a large margin, the old Literbike the least though it is by far the bike I've invested the most money into to make it "right."
 
So you noticed that more powerful bikes make less powerful bikes feel less powerful and less capable.
Who would have guessed.
 
Yep.

I also have the same experience on the same bike during long trips. First riding long distances you get this kind of I'm going slow at 80. Then when I get back to the city I notice I am tearing around for the first couple days...
 
Throttle Control.

Although you make great points, I am still trying to get my head around the Desensitized part. If anything in my Opinion it should make you more aware.

Gary856 said:
I used to not believe this, like, how can you not know you’re going fast, but now I believe. I noticed this phenomenon each time I got a more powerful bike. It also makes you ride harder on the less powerful bikes. When I started out on a GS500, it felt plenty fast. But after I got the YZF600R and the SV650, which felt pretty powerful, all of a sudden the GS felt underpowered. I rode the GS harder, revved it much higher, but it still felt underpowered. After I got the ZX-10R, quite a few times I found myself going 10-20 mph faster than I thought I was, since the bike got up to speed so quickly without trying hard. As a result, I’m more comfortable pushing the 600R and SV much harder, without feeling they’re going that fast. In fact, the SV is beginning to feel a bit underpowered…

The above is my impression from commuting, on relatively open freeway and city streets. In the hills, even the DRZ feels plenty fast on tight roads.
Click to expand...
 
Blankpage said:
So you noticed that more powerful bikes make less powerful bikes feel less powerful and less capable.
Who would have guessed.
Click to expand...

:laughing Yeah, at least two different things are getting into this Speed impression...but I guess it takes time to sort some things out.

I do hear about women that don't have any idea how fast they are going in a new car....(like they haven't been looking out a window their whole life, in the cars they drove/rode in).
 
I've noticed it. There would be times I'm on the scooter and I'd have the throttle pinned and I'm rocking back and forth screaming "C'mon!!!!" like Jeremy from Top Gear.
 
Hmm.. my experience has been the opposite of the OP. I find myself riding more slowly on a slower bike and more rapidly on a faster one. Why? I think it has something to do with the tactile feedback, as my dualie will shake and complain above 60-70mph, but the R6 is just getting started at 100mph. I tend to ride until the bikes are 'strained' the same amount (whatever that means), which gets me into trouble sometimes.

I had the same experience with a 335i I drove for 10 minutes once. I needed to make a quick pass and was suddenly going 110mph down 280 before I realized what had happened. Compared to most cars I'd driven it was just so calm, smooth, and collected.
 
I've always said, the best training for riding a 600 is to ride a 1000. :laughing
 
GAJ said:
Which bike do you ride most?

Least?
Click to expand...

For the commute I rotate daily between the 600R/SV/10R; the DRZ stays home, since it's too slow on the freeway.

For fun, I choose the SV the least, since it's kind of middle-of-the-road, not specialized/exciting enough. If it's all local hills, I tend to pick the DRZ. Farther away, I'd take the 600R. I've only had the 10R for like a month or so; it's awesome, and I love the ergo/power/handling - very exciting to ride - but my back can't handle it for more than 30 minutes at a time before needing a break.

SelfExiled said:
Throttle Control.

Although you make great points, I am still trying to get my head around the Desensitized part. If anything in my Opinion it should make you more aware.
Click to expand...

I don't mean that I'd wack the throttle open on the 10R like a mad man. Quite the opposite, as I'm very careful with its throttle. But to illustrate my point - on the DRZ, I can rev it hard, but 4 shifts later, it's only at 60. On the 10R, I was surprised to see 60 mph in first gear, without really trying. The bigger bike makes you work a lot less to get up to speed.


Zerox said:
I've always said, the best training for riding a 600 is to ride a 1000. :laughing
Click to expand...

Bingo! This is the point I was getting at. People always say to learn on a small/slower bike before moving up, which is absolutely true. But what I've found is the opposite is also true - ride a bigger bike made me feel even more comfortable on a smaller/slower bike. It's like reverse/cross training.
 
Gary856 said:
Bingo! This is the point I was getting at. People always say to learn on a small/slower bike before moving up, which is absolutely true. But what I've found is the opposite is also true - ride a bigger bike made me feel even more comfortable on a smaller/slower bike. It's like reverse/cross training.
Click to expand...

I would go as far as to say that riding ANYTHING on 2 wheels is good cross training for ANYTHING on 2 wheels. Bicycles included.
 
Gary856 said:
I used to not believe this, like, how can you not know you’re going fast, ....... the SV is beginning to feel a bit underpowered…
Click to expand...

Don't get an R1 if this is something you are concerned about. If you find that your outrunning your headlight beam.....you may need to downsize.
 
when i was racing shifter karts i got pretty used to being within inches of other karts at 60-90mph, sometimes touching. as with anything that happens quickly, you desensitize and things really slow down. you get so comfortable with those situations, it's weird. when driving home from the track i'd catch myself getting really close to cars on the freeway when passing them. no crazy high speeds or anything, but it just seems like there's so much more room and everything was happening in slow motion compared to on the track. it would take a day or so for things to feel like 'real time' again.
 
1920's tech

July 4 I took the harley into the city to watch the fireworks with GF , I had been riding the zx 14 recently alot whoa half way up my street I pulled over because I thought I broke a motor mount and there was so much vibration.
I had forgotten how raw the harley was ,65 felt like pistons were going to come loose.
The same is true with cars the more quiet the faster you go..WD
 
I know what you mean I went from a klr 650 to a zx6r about a month ago I was merging on to the freeway I'm in 5th gear and I hear the revs starting to get close to redline I look down at the speedo and I was going 130mph and I just finished merging :rofl
 
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