*R1150R vs. Bonneville Salt Flats*

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:27 pm

http://www.toddlaneart.com/motorcycle/bsf/

Boxerboy · Post by **Boxerboy** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:00 am

that was a good read Harry.
Cheers

chris · Post by **chris** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:50 am

I bet that gets the adrenaline pumping! Cheers!

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 8:21 am

Great story and great pictures..thanks for posting it..just wondering..how much did it cost to enter..and how slippery was the salt..any front end wobbles?

You should have stripped to your undies and laid on the seat with your legs pointing back..I think that's how it's done..............just kidding..

DJ

cworley5150 · Post by **cworley5150** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:49 am

Very cool. I hope to make it out there one day as well.

I thought that the Roadster would do a little better than that given the amount of room to keep it pinned wide open.

Nevertheless, good run.

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:37 am

Thanks, bros. Glad that you liked the short story.

The "Run Watcha Brung" entry fee was only $100. From there the fees jumped to $400. and up.

No wobbling at all from the Roadster. All of the Bonneville regulars kept saying that this was the best that they had ever seen the salt. It was very dry!

I had hoped to reach 130mph (hence the number on my gas tank). My bike had reached 133 on a Dyno tester a couple of months ago, at which point the computer automatically retarded the fuel supply and it began to sputter. But that speed was in ideal conditions.

Too bad we didn't race top speed on a twisty road;)

I highly recommend Bonneville to *everyone.* It's a hell of an experience all around.

Samiam · Post by **Samiam** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:19 pm

But the dyno speed test included no wind resistance and no front tire rotation, right? Still, your speed is pretty doggoned impressive. Ya done good!

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 8:05 pm

Yup. Dyno tests with no wind and no front tire spin. It's misleading, really.

Post by **Ed K** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:12 pm

Harry wrote: My bike had reached 133 on a Dyno tester a couple of months ago, at which point the computer automatically retarded the fuel supply and it began to sputter.

Harry, Interesting... did not know that the RR computer automatically retards fuel in this speed range... are you sure of this?

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:40 pm

Nope. I'm not sure. But that's what the guy operating the dyno told me when I asked him why my bike was starting to sputter at 133.

Can anyone else help to educate me on this?

Post by **gregor** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:30 am

Doesn't the rev limiter cut in at that speed?
My bike does roughly 4000rpm at 70mph, in sixth, so the red line at 7500 rpm IIRC would take you to 131.25mph ish.

Post by **boxermania** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:03 pm

Harry.....congrats, that was indeed a very nice adventure. I have always wanted to go to Bonneville, but have yet to make it....well maybe one day.

Great story too...........

solitario11 · Post by **solitario11** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:35 pm

quick question,,how did thw SPRINT ST do? my use to get up to 145 but this was never verified!

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:18 pm

My buddy Joshua did really well on his Sprint; 158 and some change:
http://www.ozzy.net/jdscott/sprint/bonn ... ackPic.jpg

He's a wiry guy (145lbs) which helps.

I've ridden his Sprint and really liked it. It rode much like the K1200S;
quick, stable, and handles well (although honestly, not as well as the Roadster) but darn good.

The complaints about the Sprint are the under-seat exhaust (a bun cooker that they've discontinued for that reason), and the portion of the frame that runs along the inner thighs gets damn hot too.

I think that that's about it.

Nice bike overall.

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 4:45 pm

Damn. *Broken link* of Joshua on his Sprint. This one should work:

http://www.ozzy.net/jdscott/sprint/bonneville/

chris · Post by **chris** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:42 pm

I was wondering about the 130 on the tank.

Post by **DSKYZD** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:52 pm

Harry,

Boy, did I enjoy reading about your adventure and looking at your pictures. Thank you especially for those great pictures.

I just watched "World's Fastest Indian" last weekend with my family, great movie. The timing of your post was perfect.

As for your question about the bike sputtering...
Yes, the rev limiter kicks in somewhere in the 7500 rpm range. Doubt you'll ever have that happen in 6th gear under real world conditions.

Did you take any notice of how your bike accelerated from say about 110-115 indicated on up to the indicated 125? For me, it is easy to get the bike up to about 110 but those last few mph come on a lot more slowly. Was wondering if your experience was similar?

Great report!!

DSKYZD

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:28 pm

It was "The World's Fastest Indian" that inspired me to take the trip. What a fantastic movie!

You're absolutely correct; reaching 100, 110 was rather easy. But 110 to 115 was more of an effort. From 115 to 125 (indicated) slower still, at which point my bike just hit a wall in terms of acceleration:(

The motor definitely didn't sound as if it was laboring at that speed (just the opposite). It was humming along nicely. But I could feel that it simply wasn't going to give me any more speed.

It held 125 on the speedo for *approximately* two miles, so I knew that it wasn't a matter of not having enough distance.

I'm really curious how the new R1200R (naked) bike would do under the same circumstances. Nice looking, sporty bike!! My bike's dyno test indicated 79 horse power (I forget what the RPM was at the time). But the new R claims to have 109 hp! I'll bet that you could get more than 130 out of that bike!

Again, glad that you enjoyed the story and photos. I'll tell ya, all of that salt surrounded by those rocky mountains is completely bizarre! It looks like you're on another planet or something!

Joshua and I decided to take a walk over to some mountains one day (we were done racing and got bored). The mountains honestly appeared to be about a mile away..... they ended up being FOUR MILES AWAY!! We ran out of water soon and we're struggling under that blazing sun.

The mountains were like a mirage, never getting closer. Distances in that environment are *completely* deceptive! It was humbling.

Harry

solitario11 · Post by **solitario11** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:22 pm

but I took a bad spill at 55mph and total it! broken ribs,collapes lung, 4 days in the hospital! no more sport bikes for me,,,they bring the a&&hole in me! I had it up to 145 with out any problems and I am 230lb. Now I have my 1150r and star 1100, my family are forcing me to act my age!
ps..the crash also had something to do with it!

Lost Rider · Post by **Lost Rider** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:53 pm

What a great story! Very well written. Posts like this keep me from trying to write more about my adventures!
I'll stick to pictures.

Keep the stories coming!

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R1150R vs. Bonneville Salt Flats

R1150R vs. Bonneville Salt Flats

hey harry

I Loved my sprint st