how much of the bikes ability do you think you can use?

[weegaz22]

just thought id ask a general question and ask the members how much of their SV's ability do they think they can use? 40%? 100%?

im not talking about top end either.....




just think this may make for an interesting debate once started :wink:

tell the %age you selected and why

[Yams]

Very confident on the KTM, not using it anywhere near it's full mind.. but getting confident on it.. would get more condident on it though if it actually worked :lol:

SV pretty confident around town, slow stuff etc, was starting to do uturns really tight without a worry and generally confident, not tried knee down or anything on it.. was v confident at knee down on my old ZXR400... r6 i done but always thought the front was going to wash out (once it did..)

All in all, not really using bikes to their abilities yet, but slowly and surely pushing my own abilities and gaining further biking experience.. being young I don't have a great deal of biking experience so got a lot to learn, but willing to put in the track time to learn :mrgreen:

[jonboy]

I think it depends how you define "bike's ability". For me this is handling, nothing more. And in that case I've gone for 70% (might be optimistic, not sure).


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[northwind]

Ehm... Most of the go, a good chunk of the stop, and I don't know, maybe half of the cornering day to day.

But it depends what you mean... I can use pretty much all the power the SV has to offer in a straight/fairly straight line, but in the real twisties I can't since I'm not great at reading the road or choosing lines, and that slows me down. On the track I use most of it I think... But again my cornering lets me down, and I come off the power early and stay off for too long. So the question needs clarifying I think :) I'll take most of you on the drag strip but I'll be the last to get home afterwards :)

I think most riders would be surprised by the corners the SV will take in fairly stock trim (decent tyres maybe). There's been a couple of times on the track when I've thought "Right, I'm well over here" and then started to run wide, funnily enough the bike always has more to give. I went through Duffus something like 20mph faster than I thought I could simply by missing a braking point and having to get on with it, and the bike still wasn't pushed too far.

On the road I've got no intention of using even 3/4 of what the bike has to offer, to be honest 9except for power sometimes, and brakes in an emergency), in fact I've arrived at the level of use I'm at simply because I don't think it makes much sense to push it any harder. If that makes any sense... I'm getting better but I'm not using any more of the bike, I'm just using it more safely.

[weegaz22]

ive went for 80%, it may be optimistic but having ridden with other riders on SV's who are a fair bit quicker (dean, hazel)this is what im basing it on....but in saying that, if rossi was given an sv that percentage may come down to 0.5% :lol:

[weegaz22]

and im talking about handling, the ability to get through the twisties at a fairly fast pace....in a straight line ive had the SV on the limiter in 6th showing an indicated(but far out in reality)145mph

[Warren]

i havent an SV, but id say that i can corner at about 90 percent of the bike, providing i know that corner like the back of my hand.

on a road i dont know, i use about 40, say 50.

but usually i use about 10 percent of the bikes acceleration/brake through normal riding.

i would say tho, (not being big headed or anything) that i am pretty damn good with the brakes and slow speed control. not sure why, just i do lots of it. and when i first got my bike, i learned my e-stops pretty well.

[Iansv]

90% of your cbr warren ? so when are you gonna start racing ?

I'd say about 50% on mine atm :lol: I'm a chicken ever since I crashed it, maybe 60-70 ish before hand, used to learn it over a fair bit and could keep up good speed even in the twisties...

not anymore tho :(

[Warren]

im gonna start racing when i can take a corner that i dont know at 90 percent :)

come to think of it, mabe 90 percent was a bit optomistic,

better make it 80

[Stig]

It was me that voted 100%.

I have used the SV to the limits of its capability, not all the time, and in fact hardly ever, but I have taken it to the limit. This is with a standard bike without the suspension messed with or upgraded in any way. After the big one, I now ride it at about 60% and that's when I'm riding fast.

For me 60% is now just fine thank you very much. At them moment 60% of the bikes capability is probably closer to my 90%. I no longer wish to push either myself or my bike.

[fizzwheel]

I think about 70%.. every now and agan I push at bit more and I realise that my bike in some circumstances is still faster than I am able to ride it round corners and has reserves in the braking department I am yet to explore.

I dont know if for me if it is possible or indeed safe to use much more than I currently do on the public highway.

[Richie]

For me 60% is now just fine thank you very much. At them moment 60% of the bikes capability is probably closer to my 90%. I no longer wish to push either myself or my bike.


Well said..
:D You need the option "How much to your Own Limits" do you ride the SV...

[Mike1234]

how much of the bikes ability can you use?

You forgot to add the environment under which people can have used that ability! Also the conditions!

In my opinion anyone that actually uses anything over 50% of the ability of the bike on the road is dangerous!

Anyone that put down over 80% on the track should be out there racing!

I went with 80%. I can get the bike round Brands Hatch in around 54.5 seconds. Still almost 3 seconds off the times from the top guys.

[Damoulianos Marios]

It was me that voted 100%.

I have used the SV to the limits of its capability, not all the time, and in fact hardly ever, but I have taken it to the limit.

A-Haaaa! That's why you scraped your knees&pegs on the road. And I thought I was over-confident by voting 80%, by scraping my shoes on the deck and the pegs being very-very close (yes, I managed to peek down a couple of times, mid turn :oops: ). Don't know how to drag the goddam knee yet... :(

[21QUEST]

I'll say maybe 60-%65% as it's too easy to over estimate stuff like this. On a good day I feel comfortable enough to even 'back it in' but still I'll say maybe about 60%/65%.


Cheers
Ben

[wheelnut]

110% :P in my dreams, probably 30% daily


It is genuine 42 carat gold Rodney :D

[northwind]

and im talking about handling, the ability to get through the twisties at a fairly fast pace....in a straight line ive had the SV on the limiter in 6th showing an indicated(but far out in reality)145mph

See, I'll get through twisties I know at a good lick, twisties I don't much slower... So that's still a bit fiddly.

[weegaz22]

and im talking about handling, the ability to get through the twisties at a fairly fast pace....in a straight line ive had the SV on the limiter in 6th showing an indicated(but far out in reality)145mph

See, I'll get through twisties I know at a good lick, twisties I don't much slower... So that's still a bit fiddly.

its all about reading the road i suppose, riding behind dean or hazel has probably learnt me a lot

[carelesschucca]

ive went for 80%, it may be optimistic but having ridden with other riders on SV's who are a fair bit quicker (dean, hazel)this is what im basing it on....but in saying that, if rossi was given an sv that percentage may come down to 0.5% :lol:

Don't want to worry you Gaz, but I only put 70% and you say I'm quicker...

I'd love to see what sort of time Round Knockhill a top pro would get, My best I’ve been told is about 67 to 68 seconds, and I was scaring myself silly on every corner...

I bet a pro could take at least 10 off that if not more, reality strikes when you do a track day with a pro (not for long in my case) but you know how slow you really are...

[northwind]

Gaz, that's most of the reason I'm planning to do the IAM course... I know the theory but can't get it into practice too well.

I self-timed myself to a 74 second last time I was up at Knockhill, but it was pretty wet :) See what happens next time I'm there in the dry.

[Warren]

Gaz, that's most of the reason I'm planning to do the IAM course... I know the theory but can't get it into practice too well.

I self-timed myself to a 74 second last time I was up at Knockhill, but it was pretty wet :) See what happens next time I'm there in the dry.

me 2, (the IAM bit)


i suppose this thread has taught me one thing . . . . that where i think the bikes limits lay are no-where near the real limits of the bike.

[Grinch]

On a good day 100%.... but normally about 60% so I went for 80%. All depends on my mood, I ride better when I'm a bit wound up or when I'm following someone. The good flowing days seem to get less and less now, but maybe thats just the weather.

[BillyC]

Bit of a loaded question...

I put 90% :shock:

... mainly because I use all the tyre right up to the edges, I use just about all the rev range, I accellerate hard when safe to do so, I brake hard when necessary and safe to do so.

I don't go silly on the bike, and I don't ride at 90% of my ability... that would be unsafe. I don't think using your bikes ability is about screaming around corners with your knee down etc - as in part that's down your own style and ability - not the bike's.

[Warren]

Bit of a loaded question...

I put 90% :shock:

... mainly because I use all the tyre right up to the edges, I use just about all the rev range, I accellerate hard when safe to do so, I brake hard when necessary and safe to do so.

I don't go silly on the bike, and I don't ride at 90% of my ability... that would be unsafe. I don't think using your bikes ability is about screaming around corners with your knee down etc - as in part that's down your own style and ability - not the bike's.


thats how i was thinking when i put 90.
aslo i was assuming that it was safe to do so, and conditions were superb.

[Dirty Baz]

Even on a road I know well I'd say about 60% of the SV's ability, on a road I don't I'd say 40%. I concentrate mostly on reading the road and getting the right lines rather than trying to crank it over or power hard out of corners. I'm sure the bike could handle tons more lean and speed mid-corner and loads more throttle coming out of corners but I'm still learning.

I've been quite happy with my pace (especially after only 8k miles) when I've gone out with the Ecosse Posse, usually at the back but never left for dust......

[daddy_sperm]

I think its very hard if not nearly impossible for any rider regardless of ability to take a bike to the absolute limit on the open road, and if they can they should swap the lights for a numberboard so they can see just how slow they really are :lol:... those that do try to ride that way usually end up in wooden crates, a few of my good friends included :(


So i put 50% or less......even though I am no slouch on a bike.

[Carsick]

I answered the question as it was put "how much of the bikes ability do you think you can use?"
I said 60%, because I think that is all I'm capable of making use of.
I've pushed it all the way on power, alot of way round over round a corner and stopped bloody quickly, but a bike is more than the sum of it's parts.
The whole package works together, and I don't think I can make anywhere near full use of the whole thing, all together.

And I'm talking about the bike here, not how I ride on the road/track or where I do it, purely what I am capable of on the bike.

[Stig]

See, we are talking about the SV. The SV is very limited in its's capabilities in it's stock form. I never got anywhere near the YZF's capabilities and I rode that as hard as I have ridden my SV. The same goes for my CBR 6. So I think I am just, in saying that I have ridden it to 100% of it's capabilities. If the suspension were to be upgraded to something sensible then I very much doubt I would come close. At least not on a public road. On a track I would give it a damn good go. :twisted:

[Clunk]

I don't know where the 100% point is so I don't know how close I am to it :?

I just ride to 100% ( or less) of my abilities and that's good enough for me :D

[SV-Sexy-virgin?]

i ride my bike as hard as feel it safe to do so in the conditions im not gonna ride m bike at 110% past a school or built up area but in back lanes etc i will use all of the bikes ability i voted 90% purely because i can slide the bike about drag my knee corner fast gee a fair move on through lanes etc wheelie ( where apropriate) and controll mishaps on my bike.

but there is 1 or 2 things i can improve on (well probebly alot more the 1 or 2)

i think the reason i can ride my bike as i can is due to the fact i have alwaays had to be faster harder and smoother due to the fact i was riding with 600 - 750s on my 125 and now ride with the likes of busas blads and cbrs on my sv it does make u a very confident (maybe very cockie) rider

its the way i like to ride every ones entitled to there own oppinion and i know people dont ike my riding or riding style but each to there own if everybody rode the same there wouldnt be much of a moto gp race would it !! :lol:

Gricey