[aldo90731]

Coming back from Trader Joe's this afternoon, some fellow in a Japanese sports bike pulls up next to me at a light.

Light tirns green and we both gun it. By the time I redline in 1st gear, the bike got slightly ahead; but when I shifted into 2nd, the Challenger lurched forward like a catapult, catching up and slightly passing him. We hit 60 (in a 40) and were neck-to-neck until a minivan got in his way.

At that point we both eased off the gas and cruised for a few blocks, with he following until I had to turn. He honked and gave me thumbs up.

To be honest, this was the first time I floored my 392 this way since I bought the car 8 months ago. I was surprised how well it fared against a sports bike, and the thrust forward was just awesome!

The whole thing was friendly and lasted less than 5 seconds. The guy was super cool with my blue whale beating hiss sports bike. I'm sure he was as surprised as I was...

 

[xrcrx]

Glad ya enjoyed your car,looks great, be prepared for a flame or two for street racing lol
I have been riding and racing sportbikes for 20 years and a well ridden 600 hits 60 in about 3 seconds and a liter bike in under 3. My CBR runs [email protected] and my Suzuki TLR [email protected] (it's a twin). So if ya get walked hard by a bike don't feel bad lol

 

[aldo90731]

Yeah, I know. I rarely engage in such things, but the road was pretty clear and we both eased off quickly.

I wish I knew what type of bike it was. All I know is it was white and had his high beams on LOL

 

[xbringdarukusx]

Your 392 has literally ZERO chance against a sport bike and a real rider. my gsxr 750 with minimal work is a 10 second bike. 11 seconds our of the box. anything bigger you are getting blown away.

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[xrcrx]

Personally , i believe in time/place and excercising common sense, any grown ass adult knows when it's just plain unsafe vs a quick run for fun. ...and I'd challenge anyone who drives an RT or SRT to say they never get on it on public roads.... Don't believe it

 

[xrcrx]

Your 392 has literally ZERO chance against a sport bike and a real rider. my gsxr 750 with minimal work is a 10 second bike. 11 seconds our of the box. anything bigger you are getting blown away.

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There are a lot of piss poor bike pilots unfortunately , tho after a couple seconds ,no matter how bad the launch,
even a 600 will haul in most cars.

 

[sbct6]

I've been in several 10 second cars and never been in a car that could pull like my CBR 600 RR....

 

[troyus]

Hehe just remember, fast bikes accelerate so hard they can literally flip over, a 1000 can flip over at 80mph in 2nd or third....

 

[wasp392]

I know the feeling. I used to ride myself. I agree our cars are no match for the sports bikes. Unfortunately there are a lot of inexperienced riders out there. A month after I got my car, I ran with a R6 from the dig. He got me from the hole good but I closed the gap shifting into 2nd. He was only a car length ahead of me. Kept up pretty nicely. Was a short run as well. Saw the same guy a week later at Starbucks. He couldn't believe I kept up with him. Well almost.


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[stevec3201]

At least you had some fun! I would never attempt a sport bike, maybe an old Harley, maybe...

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[aldo90731]

At least you had some fun! I would never attempt a sport bike, maybe an old Harley, maybe...

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FWIW, I got the little orange cone for the lowest overall time at the drag races, when I did the SRT Track Experience in Laguna Seca last year . But yeah, I am sure both he and I were just as surprised.

I wouldn't have bothered against an old Harley. There's a Harley hangout bar near my house: those guys look as happy as a bunch of cattle ranchers at a K.D. Lang concert.

 

[Yaanufs]

Any idiot can push their foot all the way down on the accelerator in a car and make it go fast in a straight line. As has been mentioned, it takes rider skill to get a bike to go quick, particularly from a standing start.

And here in the US, the choice of protective wear on a bike seems to be shorts and flip flops. If you are really being "safe" - jeans and close toed shoes. It makes you ride with a lot more caution than the guy driving his 4000+lb car with a monstrous steel frame, crumple zones, seat belt and air bags out the whaazoo.

I was only overtaken once by a car when I used to ride. It was a Subaru WRX. I was riding down a wet country lane, with dirt and leaves all over the road, and I had my nephew on the back. I wasn't about to take the corners like the car could with all his 4WD goodness. I'm sure he felt good about beating a 1000cc bike, but our lives were not worth the risks there.

 

[RoostKing]

I wouldn't say I beat one, but as we both hit in on ramp, we gunned it. He started behind me and stayed behind me.

 

[Yaanufs]

I wouldn't say I beat one, but as we both hit in on ramp, we gunned it. He started behind me and stayed behind me.

He probably thought it was safer to stay behind you. Car drivers do crazy things.

I've deliberately stayed behind an aggressive car driver as they are often unpredictable and get annoyed (making them even more unpredictable) when their expensive car gets crushed by a bike.

When the SRT can do 0-60MPH in 3 seconds, then it is a serious competitor to a 1000cc bike in a straight line. If the SRT can't do that, then the bike rider is probably taking it easy and looking out for his life. Or is a terrible weekend rider.

 

[RedRider]

I wouldn't say I beat one, but as we both hit in on ramp, we gunned it. He started behind me and stayed behind me.

Only because he decided to... or more than likely was nervous about passing a 4000 lb car on the on ramp...

The only way our car is even remotely hanging with a bike once the launch is completed is if the guy on the bike is playing with you or doesnt want to got WOT....and if its a liter bike it doesnt even have to be full throttle...figure my GSXR1000 weighs 400 lbs and has 165hp at the rear wheel or 2.5 lbs per 1 hp...even if the challenger was putting out 500hp at the rear wheel it STILL is 8 lbs per hp....its not only bringing a knife to a gunfight, but its a cheap plastic knife from a picnic with paper plates and hte other guy has a 50 cal Desert Eagle...


Put it another way...wayyy back in the day there was a comparison in Motorcyclist (April 2002), where they race a Z06 Corvette against a GSX-R1000 at Big Willow race track. Let's just say that one of them got their butt whooped pretty good...one had a lap time of 1:26.6, the other had a time of 1:34.2. One could do 0-100-0 mph faster than the other could do 0-100 mph....and hte bikes have come a LOT further than the cars have since 2002...and the Vette had a true race driver while the bike had an editor from the magazine on it...

Dont get me wrong...I LOVE my car...but performance wise it doesnt even remotely touch a bike...if they raced this is all I would be thinking...

 

[Heminator]

As has been mentioned, it takes rider skill to get a bike to go quick, particularly from a standing start.

Exactly. There are lots of 600 cc and below UJM bikes with detuned versions of the hotter engine found in the true track bikes.

They actually aren't that quick, and run high 12's or low 13's at the drag strip with the typical inexperienced rider's crappy launch - which consists of a no-slip clutch let-off followed by a massive bog. The older (mid-late 90's) Ninja 500R (for example) typically ran mid 13's at 100 MPH.

And before I get flamed - yes - there are also plenty of hot liter-class bikes at the strip with experienced riders and long swing arms who lean way forward, slip the clutch for 30 feet and run in the low 9s or better.

Point being - we have no idea exactly what bike he went up against or the experience level of the rider. They all look fast even though many of them aren't. Very possible a well launched 392 could walk a "Jap Sport Bike' which looks and sounds fast - but really isn't.

 

[R/T FAN]

So who would be first in a mile+ long race?

 

[Yaanufs]

So who would be first in a mile+ long race?

What are your conditions?

Straight line or corners?

1000cc sport bike and SRT? Or smaller bike to give the 6.4L Challenger a chance?

Just adding that a Hyabusa does over 200mph stock.
177mph for a GSX-R 1100
Honda CBR 1000 is 186 mph

In a straight line, the SRT loses the acceleration race and the top speed race, it can't keep up.

I'm thinking the folks here that think the car can hang with a bike have only ridden Harley Fatboys.

 

[Yaanufs]

Very possible a well launched 392 could walk a "Jap Sport Bike' which looks and sounds fast - but really isn't.

If the bike rider and the car driver have equal skill levels, then this isn't true. Unless you are trying to crappy little bikes against your 6.4L car to make yourself feel better.

Any half decent sport bike with 600cc or more will beat a Challenger when the skill of the rider is reasonable. We aren't talking fat, slow Harley's here. Even a 600cc sport bike will hit 0-60MPH in just over 3 seconds. The SRT isn't even close.

Unless you are racing a 2009 Royal Enfield Bullet Classic with a 0-60 mph time of 10.0 seconds.

 

[Heminator]

If the bike rider and the car driver have equal skill levels, then this isn't true. Unless you are trying to crappy little bikes against your 6.4L car to make yourself feel better.

Any half decent sport bike with 600cc or more will beat a Challenger when the skill of the rider is reasonable. We aren't talking fat, slow Harley's here. Even a 600cc sport bike will hit 0-60MPH in just over 3 seconds. The SRT isn't even close.

Unless you are racing a 2009 Royal Enfield Bullet Classic with a 0-60 mph time of 10.0 seconds.

You can find an equal number of You Tube videos of newer hot 600 cc bikes which will absolutely wreck a 392 in a drag race, and older bikes which won't. I'm not defending the 392 any more than I'm advocating for the sport bike - and I've driven bikes my entire adult life. I've driven 9 sec liter class bikes and 13 second 500 cc dogs - and you probably have too. My only point was we don't know what he went up against - by the sound of it - it was an older dog.