Dyno run (2017)

That's what I'm sayin
It's the official weight but the thing looks like the HMS Queen Mary when parked next to my 438 lb dry weight Commando.

Glen

Fast Eddie said:

My Nourish Dresda was a quick bike, at 84rwhp and being light, it would have been difficult not to be!

I came up against a very nicely turned out 750 Norton, with a well known rider / builder / all round good guy at Snetterton. I wouldn’t normally beat this fella, but Snetterton is a fast circuit and I thought ‘I gotcha today’!

Down the back straight we were neck and neck, I couldn’t gain an inch. But I had to have more power than him! I was confused. And perturbed.

Then, when I was talking to the rider in the paddock the penny dropped, he was about half my weight !!

His name was Norman White. In fact it still is !

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At high speed aero is more important.

I read a figure somewhere that at 100MPH, to gain a 5% increase in speed you need a 5% reduction in drag or a 16% increase in power. That goes up exponentially as you get faster. I'd guess that down the back straight at Snetterton you'd be pulling 140 MPH? At that speed it's drag that makes the difference.

Weight doesn't make much difference to top speed. The dry lakes racers here in Australia add ballast to get traction on the salt surface.

Weight makes a difference to acceleration, ( which obviously makes a difference to how quickly you get to the top speed) so could have been a factor in your case.

No arguments there John. In fact I fully agree, I guess I was over simplifying...

As you say, the weight difference would have got Norman half way down the straight quicker. He’s also a good rider rememebr, so likely carrying more corner speed onto the back straight than an amateur like me.

Normans bike is a JPN work rep, so is very slippery. Being half the weight of me means he’s half the size. Where I’d be poking out from behind my faring all over the place, he was tucked in like a wind tunnel dummy!

worntorn said:

That's what I'm sayin
It's the official weight but the thing looks like the HMS Queen Mary when parked next to my 438 lb dry weight Commando.

Glen

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I think you’re being disrespectful to HMS Queen Mary there Glen ...

1up3down said:

Motorrad claims the R1200RT to have 505 pounds dry weight

BMW R1200RT
Manufacturer BMW Motorrad
Wheelbase 1,485 mm (58.5 in)
Dimensions L : 2,230 mm (88 in) W : 905 mm (35.6 in) H : 1,430 mm (56 in)
Seat height Adjustable 820 to 840 mm (32.3–33.1 in) Low seat option: 780 to 800 mm (30.7–31.5 in)
Weight 229 kg (505 lb) (dry) 259 kg (571 lb) w/o panniers (wet)
18 more rows

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Interesting that BMW ‘claim’ a 30kg or 66lbs difference between wet and dry.

That’s a lot of ‘wetness’ isn’t it??

As Glen mentioned, perhaps it includes the battery? There’s no chain to remove so I wonder what other things they managed to include in the ‘wet’ part of the weight ?

Serious question: does anyone know what ‘wet weight’ really means? Is it a full tank of petrol or a specified amount? What items are manufacturers allowed to exclude in the ‘dry’ weight?

I bet they dont include the panniers or top box. Or coolant, oil and fork oil. LOL.

gortnipper said:

I bet they dont include the panniers or top box. Or coolant, oil and fork oil. LOL.

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Yes, they state the weight is w/o panniers etc.

I’d still like to know how they get 66lbs of liquid though!

Maybe it includes a barrel of finest weissbier...?

Must be a full tank of fuel.....25 litres weighs what, 18kg? 4 litres of oil, 3kg. Coolant say 3kg. That's over 50lb.

A

pommie john said:

Must be a full tank of fuel.....25 litres weighs what, 18kg? 4 litres of oil, 3kg. Coolant say 3kg. That's over 50lb.

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And a battery...