If you’re into large touring bikes and you want to get a realistic assessment of what their capabilities are, there’s no better place to go than the annual Michigan State Police test report. These folks can ride and you’ll see what Harley, BMW, and Yamaha motorcycles can do in capable hands.
Good buddy Mike is a retired police director who was right in the middle of this kind of stuff, and he sent the link for the latest MSP report to me. There’s no advertising and it’s all presented clearly and in a way that’s easy to understand. It’s fascinating reading and the results are presented in a no-nonsense engineering format. Check out this table of results for the 0-100 mph acceleration tests:
The Michigan State Police report has similar displays for 0-60, 0-80, top speed, braking distances, fuel economy, lap times, and more. I couldn’t put the report down. In their best days (days that are way back in the rear view mirror), none of the motorcycle magazines did this kind of outstanding work. And there’s more…they have all of the above and more for police cars, too. Check out the stats on the Ford EcoBoost vehicles.
The best part? The report is free, and you can get to it here. You can thank me later.
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Good blog. Back in the late sixties the top dog was Mopar with the 440s in the mid size and full size sedans. In the seventies it started to go down hill even though Mopar was still king of the hill. I drove a 440 Fury in Nevada. It was quick and fast, handled well, but braking was a little iffy. Now it goes back and forth between Ford and Dodge. I got a kick out of the photo and comment about braking with the motorcycles. That is definitely a check your drawers moment.
Be safe!
I used to do stuff like that all the time. Mine always ended differently, though.
That Yammy looks to be quite the performer.
Indeed.