I was comparing stats on liter bikes from shootouts done over the last three years and a disturbing trend seems to be emerging. With the notable exceptions of the '08 CBR 1000 which has dropped to a svelte measured dry weight of 410 lbs and the even lighter Ducati 1098, most of the liter bikes need to go on a serious Jenny Craig diet. They have gained 15 to 20 pounds compared to literbikes from just two years ago. Most of this is in the exhaust system and a lot of the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of our government bureaucrats as they mandate ever tighter emissions and noise compliance standards. This also affects driveability as they have to run crispy critter lean down low to get by those same standards. This is effecting all the bikes regardless of engine displacement,just look at the differences between the '06/'07 ZX-14 and the '07/'08 versions. Heavier catalysts are needed on the '08s to meet emissions and blubbering rich A/F at high rpm are spec'd to keep the catalysts alive. I imagine a lot of the torque dip at 3000 rpm can be contributed to a lean A/F ratio. Another trend I see is thinner and thinner structural margins in the frame backbones and swingarms to compensate for weight gains elsewhere. How many instances have we heard of lately where frames are cracking in the steering head or other areas? Speaking of trends, the liter bikes keep pushing rpm limits to stratosperic new heights to win the horsepower wars that sales are so dependent on. Over the last few years, peak engine torque figures have barely budged but peak rpm and horespower keep climbing. The problem is few riders are capable of using that type of high rpm power and it's of little use except at Maxton. In Motorcycle USA's 2008 Smackdown, the 139 BHP Ducati 1098 lapped quicker and outran in the quarter mile all but the aforementioned CBR 1000. Some of those same literbikes had as much as a 20 BHP advantage but the Duck put them all on the trailer. It begs the question, are Italian Stallions stronger? Just some things to ponder.
Kruz