BHP vs Harleys

Russ Jackson wrote:

>> You know you're a Harley rider if.
>>
>> you're unable to let your bike simply IDLE at a stop light.

That is sooooo true! The mindset also afflicts many of the wannabes on the clones as well. I call it "throttle wanking".

Beatpoet wrote:

...multiplied by the quotient of the handlebar tassels.

Heh, heh...reminds me of a time I attended a cookout at the Harley dealership where I bought an '00 Softail (just had to try one to see what the "mystique" was all about...there IS none). Anyway, as I was walking around checking out the posers in their brand new black leather chaps, vests, and doo rags in the 95 degree heat, I walked by this RK with the tassels hanging from the bars and, before I thought about it, I said "You know, my sisters used to put those things on their bicycles when they were kids!"

I left quickly to a chorus of "F*** you's" behind me.

I've owned two Harleys. A '95 1200 Sportster and the '00 Softail Standard. I did like the torque of the engine and the sound (when properly muffled). Couldn't really ever get used to the forward footpeg position though...made my tailbone hurt after so many miles.

Sonny

:laugh: awesome guys, i just had a conversation with my uncle, he owns 3 harleys, i showed him my 81 csr 1000, he said get the rip in the seat fixed and stop putting money into it cause its junk and not worth anything. I was a little pissed needless to say then i thought about it and replied, how much was your harley stock, $17000, he has it cammed up and some cosmetics and over 25000 into it, i laughed and said i paid 800, its 30 years old and stock except the k and n pod filters, i told him to go get the harley and we'd race, he said what kind of race, i said any kind you want and that he would end up so mad that he spent that extra$24,200, whos the idiot now. I love my kawi and will prob continue finding the old kz1000s and get em up to par and sell them love it everything on the bike has a purpose and it just seems that the japs had their engineering perfect 30 years ago,

Cycle World had a large article dealing with this subject. See below for explaination along with what everyone else said.







"Even though both bikes make the very same amount of horsepower. their actual performance out in the real world couldn't be more different. The big inch Harley accelerates hard at low rpm top gear cruising speeds and pulls consistantly until it nears it's moderatly low redline; by comparison, the smaller dispacement Kawasaki has weak low end and midrange acceleration but comes on like gang busters at higher rpm. At cruising and around town speeds, the much heavier Harley will smoke the lighter Kawasaki unless the smaller bike is down shifted several times; but when allowed to accelerate at full throttle in the upper one third of it's rpm range, the 600cc Kawasaki will leave the 1693cc Harley for dead. For all practical purposes, these two are like night and day."

i've been caught by a couple harleys and shadows in my lifetime.
i guess they had better control of the clutch than i did off the light.
that low end torque is killer.
of course i passed them in the upper rpm range.
just like i can take a 600 cc sportbike off the line but they kick my ass in the upper rpm range.
lets not get into the talk about the twisties. i don't even try to keep up.
it's all about your choice.
we all talk about how they look alike but all of our ujm's do as well.

Remember the twin engine Norton dragbike back in the day?Its name was the "Hoghunter" and he smoked everything that the Harley dudes could throw at him.What a bike.bj

kawsakiman wrote:

i've been caught by a couple harleys and shadows in my lifetime.
i guess they had better control of the clutch than i did off the light.
that low end torque is killer.

A Harley engine has a huge amount of reciprocating flywheel mass. Rev it up and drop the clutch and Harleys scoot right off the line. However, once accelerating through the gears that flywheel must now be spun up and that costs horsepower. Add in the elephantine weight, and HD's are not meant to be drag raced in anything resembling stock form.

BTW, Horsepower is the by-product of Torque and RPM. The equation for it is:

HP = Torque x RPM ÷ 5252

otakar wrote:

Harley has the torque. Top end he would most likely walk on you. Harley BHP is honest. Kawasaki BHP is BS. Put both on a Dyno and you will see. Your stock 650 would read about 45BHP at the rear wheel on a Dyno. The 83 GPz1100 which is advertised at about 120 BHP is about 80-85 on the Dyno.

The BHP numbers from Japan were fairly accurate. HP at the crankshaft and HP at the rear wheel cannot be compared:

Brake / Crankshaft horsepower (power delivered directly to and measured at the engine's crankshaft)

Effective / True (thp) or commonly referred to as wheel horsepower (whp) accounts for frictional losses in the transmission (bearings, gears, oil drag, windage, etc.)

I found that two KZ650s can live in peace in the same garage as a Softail Custom! This comparison is like asking "which is better, a Cadillac or a John Deere?" If you got beans to put out, the Caddy is worthless. If the corn is in, a John Deere isn't much good for bar-hopping. It's all a matter of use/need/want.

I posted something about Harley's being underpowered on a local forum in a thread where some guys were bashing Harley riders, and this guy singles me out and says

Place foot in mouth again...
You are building a Drag bike like your sig states?? Want to put your reputation on the line?
I will bring the "underpowered" Harley, you can then proceed to enbarris me with your 77 Kawasaki 810 Yoshimura Harley killer
Winner stays on the forum loser must leave .. Clarenville Dragway, June 12th??
Or we can race for cash..

I said, sure I'll race, for fun not money, but having no idea what the hell kind of a Harley he's got I have no idea if he's talking shit or not yet.

Typical Harley owner-he cant spell--"enbarris".Lol.bj

Best of luck. Make sure to practice practice practice. I hope you can do it