Some while ago, motorcycle manufacturers voluntarily limited bikes to around 95bhp if I recall correctly. Certainly my R1150RT has a maximum bhp of 95. This was in response to the threat of compulsion. And this threat is back on the table. The BMF Rider magazine (no online copy, I’m afraid) carries the latest proposals for motorcycles to be fitted with speed limiters similar to those used in the haulage business – so that those of us on big bikes cannot do what we have been relying upon all of these years – accelerate out of trouble.
There seems to be a belief that recurs like those zombies that just won’t die in old Hammer horror movies – that a bigger, more powerful machine is automatically more dangerous, whereas, in fact, the opposite is true. That extra power and weight gives the bike more presence on the road and the performance means that when that trucker decides to change lanes just as you draw alongside him, you can grab some throttle and power away from the situation. But, no, the bureaucrats in Brussels know better than we do about what is in our best interests. We must not break speed limits and as we cannot be relied upon to behave ourselves, our betters will do it for us using type approval.
The voluntary horsepower restriction went out the window with the introduction of the Triumph Rocket III, the 2.3 litre triple that develops 147bhp out of the box.
V-Max….. We have them full power here. But only as “Greys”.
Chaps, you might want to consider whether you’ve missed the point here… 😉
So you are denying that Britian limited the V-Max??
No, you missed the fact that this post was an April fool.
BUT the fact that they HAVE limited, is no “fool”.
That is what makes it rather ambiguous.
In fact, from the origional post, WHEN it was on-line, I could have pointed to virtualy the SAME story month after month from The BSH, or AWOL.
The V-Max, like my BMW had restricted BHP. There is no plan to fit speed limiters to bikes. That was a spoof.
O.k…. Trouble is, I would NOT put it past the bastards….
Sorry to have brought your spoof down. I am being “ever so practically German”, and you know what THAT can lead to…. 🙂 🙂
That it was believable was the point. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise.
And would that same restriction be ‘forced’ on a 17yr old in his 200 BHP Subaru, or some Clarkson wanna-be with his Ferrari Testosterone. It’s time we saw the EU for what it really is, money grabbing control freaks. Fuck em.
Um, see my comment above. You seem to have missed something vital there. Take another look – very carefully…
APRIL 1st ???
Yup.
Nice one. You followed the rules for a classic April Fool. Make it half believable and tune it to your readership. Not like Google’s sniff search which is too unbelievable.