Anybody ever do any stoplight racing?

[tcoop]

Last year I was on my way home from a city league softball game. My adrenaline was still going strong (I had hit in the winning run ) and was in the left lane to turn on the highway. There was a guy behind me in a supped up Mustang that was revving his engine and inching forward. The light turned green and I proceeded as normal through the turn. I hear his engine light up and pull around me during the turn which pissed me off for some reason . As he was about to pass, I opened up the throttle… now I was on my son’s LH that didn’t have first gear so I was starting out in second and my wife came to the game with me. Once I red lined in third I remember she was with me but kept going : when I red lined in forth I was thinking this is stupid and let off the throttle. The mustang never got half a bike length in front of me. First off I was glad that I didn’t lose my wife off the back even though I knew she was going to be upset when we got home(Saying she was upset is putting it mildly ). Second I was amazed at the power of the bike. If I had first gear and it was just me on the bike…who am I kidding, I would have been dead!!! I would have probably been out in front and kept going and who know what would have happened.

Disclaimer: In no way do I (or my wife ) condone street racing…Just in case my kids read this.

[XJkid]

So, am I hearing that the XJ does not have the same combustion chamber configuration nor the same compression (pistons)?

[natemoen]

So, am I hearing that the XJ does not have the same combustion chamber configuration nor the same compression (pistons)?

Correct, they changed it in '80 .

[trbig]

78 & 79 motors had a flatter topped piston, smaller valves, and a smaller valve relief area in the head which gave it the higher compression. 80 and 81XS as well as the XJ in 82 (83 & 84 in Canada) have a much larger valve relief area in the head which lowered the compression, BUT they have larger valves and a much higher domed piston to try to make up for the lost compression.. they just didn't QUITE get there with it.


Still waiting for someone to slap a 78/79 head on an 80+ motor as well as the ignition/timing stuff to see what happens. You'd definately need to do a valve to piston clearance test first, but man, I bet the thing would scream. I'm thinking you'd HAVE to run premium in it though since it would bump the compression WAY up.. even more than adding Wiseco pistons since the stock 80+ pistons are domed even higher than those.

[mharrington]

You better stick to racing bikes of your vintage. I rode my brothers Ninja 900. It is old now- a 2003. In first gear all you have to do is crank the throttle and before you know it your doing 80--in first gear with more left in it. The new stuff? The 750cc Suzuki GSXR makes 150 HP. A guy in a club I am a member of has a 1979 KZ 1000 Kawasaki. I always wonder how my 79 1100F would do. He claims the 79 Kaw 1000s made 95hp- and his has K&N pods and a Kerker 4 into one exhaust. Either way my bike pulls so hard from down low up to the top that I dream about it when I sleep at night!

[Cuda 69]

I have a 80 xs, and its fast enough for me to get in trouble or worse.

[XJkid]

I have a 80 xs, and its fast enough for me to get in trouble or worse.

That's how I see it. I don't really intend to need more than what I've got. Reckless driving tickets are really expensive, and then there is the traffic court, points against your driving record, higher insurance, etc.....

[XJfan1]

When I started this post I was thinking along the lines of vintage bikes. I mentioned the 1000 kawasaki a example. The newer sport bikes are crazy fast. I scared that scat out of my self on a honda 954rr a few years back. Lesson learned. I should have been more spacific. I don't condone street racing either. Most of you got wat I was saying. Stop light to stop light is what I had in mind. I have had my bike a little over a month and my top speed so far has been 70. I'm no dare devil. I have a family that needs me. More importantly don't wanna destroy my bike. Ok maybe my prioritys are off a tad.

[mharrington]

I for one know hhat you meant by stoplight racing. 99.9999% of street racing is done from a moving roll and goes for just a blip. Illegal and dangerous? Yes. But a throttle blip thru a gear for bragging rights is fun- not in the city but out here in the sicks where I live.

[graybird78]

my dad had a 78 kz1000 and he couldnt keep up with my 80 sg. my younger brother had a vtx 1000 and i would walk on him all day long. my other bro had a xj and that was no contest.

[T99Ford]

Nothing beats a good spontaneous road race, though. I raced a guy on a Harley Street Glide when I still had my XS11 cafe bike, and while I beat him on maneuvarability, and ultimately won the 20 mile "race", it was a pretty impressive bike. Of course this was all at speeds of around 120 or so, not really sportbike ranges, but still pretty darn fun. The old XS was a handful on that run, all over the road...

My sportbike friend tolerated the old XS on cool factor only. I was pretty much the waterboy on real rides, though. I would be wringing it out, and they wouldn't even be out of 3rd gear. But I have fixed that problem

Racing is fun, man, and why motorcycles were built. Heck, even Harley guys on baggers race. Just remember what class you are in, remember to keep it fun, and remember to be safe (ish)!

[planedick]

Hardly V Rod

My neighbor's wife bought him a V Rod for his birthday. I heard a lot about how fast it was until we did the stop light race. I have the 750 final drive and he got me out of the hole, but on the other side of the intersection I passed him and at 60 MPH I shifted into second leaving him really far back and he slowed down and turned into a side street. I never heard anything about that V Rod again.

[crazy steve]

My neighbor's wife bought him a V Rod for his birthday. I heard a lot about how fast it was until we did the stop light race..

He didn't know how to ride it.... The Vrod has consistently tested as a mid-elevens bike since it came out...

[planedick]

Ridden hard

I'm pretty sure he did all it would do, but he had some loud pipes and some other than stock stuff too. The XS ate it up pretty bad, especially when I got into second and really began to pull away.

[T99Ford]

I think Steve is right, though. The V-rod is pretty quick. It weighs in close to the 11, and makes about 30 more horses and redlines at close to the same RPM. Stock it outperforms the 11, and modded at all it will walk away. We use to race my boss's '05 rod against my 11 and the HD would take it every time (but not a walk away, for sure)

But try a v-rod in the corners...