Why can't a 1600cc Harley keep up with a 600cc Japanes bike?

Question

Simple enough. 600cc Japanese supersport's run mid 10's. 600cc Japanese standards run mid 11's. A 1600cc Harley struggles to run 13's in the quarter mile. So with such a huge displacement advantage why they at least come close? And better yet why do they cost twice as much? And by the way a 600cc standard is just as comfortable as any non-touring Harley.

Byron... A Chevy v8 (corvette) can smoke a porsche 4 cylinder easily and can also soundly beat their 6 cylinders for less money in fact the corvette Z06 gets around the nurburgring faster than the V-12 ferrari 599 GTB. 1600cc was just an estimate BTW. If chevy can slay giants why can't Harley?

bettyboop#1 Acctually I already know my bike is superior and it doesn't need to be proved to anyone. I just enjoy messing with you H-D riders here when i'm bored. Your a very entertaining bunch not only on the road but on the internet as well. And any MORON who says a 600 standard isn't as comfortable as a Harley has never ridden a Yamaha FZ-6.

Ignore Bill b. He dropped on his head and abandoned at birth by his parents due to being born with an extra row of buck teeth so large that when he closed his mouth he gave himself a lobotomy through the roof of his mouth. During this process he destroyed all of his common sense and most of his thinking brain matter. He now lives in a shed with a Harley shovelhead neatly dissasembled in buckets strewn throughout the property. He still swear that "One o' deez daize ima gonna rebild dat dere bike and crewz down to sturgon" to this day he has never accomplished his goal.

leecavcu. A buell will not smoke a smoke a Japanese bike in the turns. If they did then they would be able to keep in supersport races. Buell did so bad in the 600cc class even though their engine was tiwce the size that they had to pull out of the competition.

Answer 1

No HP allot of weight. Check the Horse power rating of a stock HD, maybe 60 -65. But what I cant figure out is why they put those drag pipes on if the are not out for a race or just want to cruise???????

Answer 2

Why does everyone compare Harleys to sport bikes? That's like comparing a muscle car to an F-1 car. It's just not fair.

If you want to compare something to a Harley, compare the Japanese cruisers. They are great bikes, but compared to a HD, they are slow! Whoever said their Honda 1100 flies past Harleys is either an idiot or a liar. I had a 2002 Shadow 1100 and that thing was slow as far as bikes go. No torque at all. The shifting also sucked and it only had 5 gears (my old Kaw 500 had 6!).

Harleys are more expensive because they have nicer parts on them. Real chrome instead of shiny plastic. Not to mention, after 10 years, you can resell them for full value. Can't do that with a Honda...

I'm not knocking Japanese bikes...but at least compare the same styles of bikes. Compare your sport bike to a Buell. You might beat the Buell in a quarter mile, but it will smoke you in the turns.

Answer 3

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RE:
Why can't a 1600cc Harley keep up with a 600cc Japanes bike?
Simple enough. 600cc Japanese supersport's run mid 10's. 600cc Japanese standards run mid 11's. A 1600cc Harley struggles to run 13's in the quarter mile. So with such a huge displacement advantage why they at least come close? And better yet why do they cost twice as much? And by...

Answer 4

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The Harley will probably have more bark right off idle than the 600, but once the 600 gets up into it's power band it will eat the HD's lunch. I like the 1200cc HD engine in a sport bike chassis, like the Firebolt or even the Lightning or Ulysses. It is delightfully uncivilized and the torque is really a blast, but the engine signs off too soon, running into the redline. Up to then, everything is happiness and light. If the engine had even 1500 or 2000 RPM more available to it, it would be a giggling good time, but IMHO, for my riding style, it is just frustrating.

Answer 5

Harleys can't keep up with a Jap sport bike for the same reason a Kenworth can't keep up with a Viper in a speed contest. However, there's no way you could hook a 40,000 pound load behind the Viper and get anywhere. Try hooking one of those little pop up tent trailers loaded down with beer and camping gear behind one of those 600cc Jap bikes, run the quarter see what happens. The Harley guy would already have his beer opened and half gone before the Jap bike got to the end of the track. It's all a matter of what they're designed for. By the way, I ride Jap bikes.

Answer 6

You seem to ask lots of questions about trying to prove to everyone that Jap bikes are better than Harleys. You seem to have the need to prove you are not inferior or something. I ride a Harley, my choice and I am happy with it. It doesn't bother me what anyone else rides. I have no point to prove about what bike is better. I think everyone should ride what they want. People have different taste in bikes. Nobody's choice is right or wrong. Just different. Get over it.

Answer 7

A 1200 sporster Harley Davidson is faster than my 1600cc (96 cubes) Heritage, the big motor's are made for cruising not racing, Harley's can be upgraded with performance kits that can fully show the massive power they hold, but most Harley rider's are out for a ride not a race.
Japanese bikes are high revving, small displacements of cylinders made from there racing stable, & specifically designed to go hard, rev high & geared for the race track.
Your question in car language, is why doesnt my Rolls Royce go as fast as a ferrari!
I am sure you get my point, G'day from Australia.

Answer 8

why cant a Cadillac escalade keep up with a KIA or Hyundai that costs 1/4 as much?
or a corvette keep up with a Subaru wrx or Mitsubishi evo in the twistys? the jap cars cost 1/3 what that piece of G.M. straight line only junk costs plus they can carry 4 people their luggage & a weeks grocerys. so why would anyone buy a caddy or a vette.
when you answer that you'll know why most people prefer the harley over a single use piece of throw away high maintenance crap like you prefer to be seen on.

Answer 9

You're comparing apples to oranges man. That's like asking why a V8 Chevy can't keep up with a 4 cylinder Porsche. Totally different animals. Where can I find a 1600cc Harley anyway?

My Honda does wheelies when driven under 30 mph.....that's just precious. Kids say the darnedest things.

Answer 10

> Why can't a 1600cc Harley keep up with a 600cc Japanes bike?
Combination of power, RPM, gearing, and weight.

> why do they cost twice as much?
Because enough people buy them. That's capitalism in action!

Answer 11

The reason is that the Japanese bikes like you mentioned has more high end RPM than a Harley, Size doesn't make the bike go faster, it's the speed of the engine, since Harleys only have two pistorns, Japanese bikes doubles that.