New York Times Vmax article

[HuecoDoc]

Maybe I missed this but it's new to me, a review of the 2009 dated April 16, 2009:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/automobiles/autoreviews/19vmax.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

 

[gunrunner]

Interesting when they say the 09 is limited to 137 mph yet i know of 1 that has gone past that with no mods done to it , and also stating the gen1 is 133 hp not 143 .:confused2:

 

[medic981]

Interesting when they say the 09 is limited to 137 mph yet i know of 1 that has gone past that with no mods done to it , and also stating the gen1 is 133 hp not 143 .:confused2:

I hit 147mph on a hard run. I think 137mph is the soft limit.

 

[Smokinzx14]

I hit 147mph on a hard run. I think 137mph is the soft limit.

If your are going by the speedo reading you are way off ... When i ran Bad_Maxs Vmax in the 1/4 mile the speedo would read 151 everytime at the traps but the ET ticket showed 137 ...The factory speedo is way off ...

 

[gunrunner]

If your are going by the speedo reading you are way off ... When i ran Bad_Maxs Vmax in the 1/4 mile the speedo would read 151 everytime at the traps but the ET ticket showed 137 ...The factory speedo is way off ...

Was this on an 09 , if so you would think it would have the most accurate speedo money could buy . :confused2:

 

[Smokinzx14]

Was this on an 09 , if so you would think it would have the most accurate speedo money could buy . :confused2:

Yes a 09 .. The same one PeeWee and i rode deep into the 9s ..:eusa_dance:

 

[medic981]

If your are going by the speedo reading you are way off ... When i ran Bad_Maxs Vmax in the 1/4 mile the speedo would read 151 everytime at the traps but the ET ticket showed 137 ...The factory speedo is way off ...

Interesting. I have some cop buddies with radar. I'll have to give them a shout when I get back to the States. I'd be interested in seeing the difference. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Redbone]

I know what happened with the '09 speedo on the drag strip...the bike takes off soooo fast that the speedo is slingshotting past the actual speed at the end of the 1/4 mile....it evens out after running wide open for 3 miles.....at least that's what I heard on the internet and the internet is always right! :rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200:
I think having it checked by radar or by GPS would find most speedometers off. My truck runs 5 mph slower than it registers on my gps. Haven't checked my Vmax's speedo for some reason, probably should do that sometime soon.:confused2:

 

[Hatter]

I checked mine today. At 140mph indicated, my GPS said I was at 131mph

 

[HuecoDoc]

I think for liability reasons speedos always overestimate speed, but it's a shame. Someone claimed there was a DOT rule specifying a certain % overestimate plus a few mph. Something like 5% over plus 5mph. I don't know that I believe that, but I've never heard of an understimating speedo.

 

[RagingMain]

I think for liability reasons speedos always overestimate speed, but it's a shame. Someone claimed there was a DOT rule specifying a certain % overestimate plus a few mph. Something like 5% over plus 5mph. I don't know that I believe that, but I've never heard of an understimating speedo.

This would be easy enough to prove
Set your cruise control at 60 mph
Time yourself between mile markers.
If it takes 1 minute to go a mile then your speedo is correct.
If not do the math to find out the percentage difference.
Cheers

 

[Storloc]

My '08 Civic reads spot on to my gps. An '03 Lincoln my dad owns reads about 3-4 mph faster than my gps. I should attach my gps to my max and see what shes reading now that I have Carro wheels on it.

Fwiw-I went out for a spin on the max and it shows 4-5 mph faster on the speedo than my gps. 60 mph on the gps also read 4k rpm.

 

[HuecoDoc]

This applies to commercial transport, 10% either way:

[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 5]
[Revised as of October 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR393.82]

[Page 431]

TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

CHAPTER III--FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION

PART 393_PARTS AND ACCESSORIES NECESSARY FOR SAFE OPERATION--Table of Contents

Subpart G_Miscellaneous Parts and Accessories

Sec. 393.82 Speedometer.

Each bus, truck, and truck-tractor must be equipped with a
speedometer indicating vehicle speed in miles per hour and/or kilometers
per hour. The speedometer must be accurate to within plus or minus 8 km/
hr (5 mph) at a speed of 80 km/hr (50 mph).

[70 FR 48054, Aug. 15, 2005]

 

[HuecoDoc]

Apparently most European regulations say a speedo should read within 10% over. In the US if the regulation is 10% either way, I imagine liability makes companies choose over rather than under.

We had this discussion on a BMW forum and everyone found theirs over, many by more than 10%. Someone then checked and found their odometer WAS perfectly accurate. Considering it was all electronic and feeding off the same sensors it implies a BMW choice to overestimate.

But I got two tickets where the radar seemed to be fairly close to what I saw when I said "Doh!" and looked down at the speedo.:tantrum:

 

[gamorg02]

Apparently most European regulations say a speedo should read within 10% over. In the US if the regulation is 10% either way, I imagine liability makes companies choose over rather than under.

We had this discussion on a BMW forum and everyone found theirs over, many by more than 10%. Someone then checked and found their odometer WAS perfectly accurate. Considering it was all electronic and feeding off the same sensors it implies a BMW choice to overestimate.

But I got two tickets where the radar seemed to be fairly close to what I saw when I said "Doh!" and looked down at the speedo.:tantrum:

thats saying a police officer would never inflate your speed too...

on the vmax tho the odo is tied directly to the speedo right? theres really no way they could differ?

 

[Vendetta]

They could differ if it is engineered to differ. Most factory speedos read high. Some believe it is for liability reasons, I believe it is for sales. If a bike that goes 170mph reads 200mph on the speedo the average person will believe they are doing 200mph. They in turn tell everyone they know that their stock bike goes 200mph. If even one more sale comes from that scenario then it is worth it. Think about how many people have you met that think their bone stock bike, snowmobile, car, whatever; will do some ridiculous speed that it absolutely cannot attain. I've met quite a few.

 

[Noxx72]

The truism that factory speedo's run high as been around since I bought my first bike, and that wasn't yesterday. Most car speedos are a little over. Motorcycle speedometers tend to be wildly optimistic. The reasons I've heard range from liability, customer changes to tire sizes, sales, etc. Lord knows some of the kids I work with think the most important part of any ride is how fast they can claim they were going...

It's all another reason I don't bother to put my speedo back on. My finely calibrated (And very shapely) ass tells me when my speed is appropriate anyway. When riding alone, I outpace traffic slightly to keep threats in front of me, that's motorcycling 101. When riding in a pack, I have a wingman who it's my job to match regardless of speed so again, useless info.

The only people who care how fast I'm really going are the cops, and well, screw them anyway.

 

[Slacker]

I don't understand the discrepancy myself. They are off, especially at higher speeds. There is a healer on the other Max net advertised. The bike will limit out while the speedo keeps climbing.

 

[migs9999]

Interesting when they say the 09 is limited to 137 mph yet i know of 1 that has gone past that with no mods done to it , and also stating the gen1 is 133 hp not 143 .:confused2:

On my 1985 Vmax, the speed show goes up to 155. What year did they change them? Also, is there any truth to the rumor about the first year making them 1985 being free of some of the anti-pollution devices and it having more available horsepower?

 

[gamorg02]

On my 1985 Vmax, the speed show goes up to 155. What year did they change them? Also, is there any truth to the rumor about the first year making them 1985 being free of some of the anti-pollution devices and it having more available horsepower?

not sure on the speedo but as far as i know, 85 was free of the pollution stuff but other years had bigger vboost manifolds etc to make up for it and they all do about the same all things given being equal.