545i vs. a Sporty Motorcycle
#1
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My Ride: 2005 BMW 545i, Silver Grey, Sport Package, R. Shades, Cold Pkg, Sat. Rad., Prem. Sound.
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9:40 PM 10/26/07, I was driving home from my sister's house at faster than normal speed because I had to get to put the kids to bed. Along a semi traffic 3 lane freeway, I noticed a single headlight in the rear mirror moderately gaining speed despite my current cruise of 80-85 mph. A traffic light was within 1 mile distance as traffic began to increase, so I had to make some manuevers to get to the head of the pack; so did this single headlight that now followed closely behind me.
At the light, I managed to positioned myself behind one car shy of the red light in the middle lane, and the single headlight came up next to me also positioned behind one car on the left lane. Moving up to my left side, he reved his engine; I looked over, and it was a man (in helmet) on a speed motorcycle. My ignorance of sport bikes could not identify the make and model. Nonethless, it looked like sporty bike, but not like a super bike; I figured he was looking for TROUBLE when he reved his engine next to me!
When the light turned green, the car in front of him moved faster than the one in front of me. As I approached the next light (the length of an underpass), I had to move to the left behind the biker and kept about 1 1/2 car length. I wasn't sure what would happen (if the car in the middle lane would start to move faster or if the left lane would continue to move faster). As it turns out, I had to maintain the left lane behind the biker up to the next light; that's when the action began.
As soon as there were enough room betwen the left and the middle lane cars, he punched the throttle at about 20 mph (I could hear the sporty motorcycle engine screaming. Prepared, the sweet v8 responded with a reved to about 4500 rpm and increase rapidly before shifting at about 5500 rpm. I didn't do the "pedal to the metal" for reasoned you'll know later. Within a few seconds, he put 2-4 car lengths in front of me. Go figure, the guy punched it before I had my opening! But just as fast as I noticed the car lengths increase, I noticed that it began to stabilize and then decrease. Glancing at my odo, I was at about 90 mph rapidly rising and rpm at 5000-5500 rpm. Within a second or less of the my odo glance, the biker was at about 1 1/2 car length and closing in. HERE COMES TROUBLE!!! I was reeling him in at the rate he was trying to get away (OK, maybe a tad slower). Current speed was at 100-110 mph with rpm in the 5000-5500 rpm; not even redline yet. Within seconds, I'll stamp the BMW logo on his bike.
SUDDENLY, my personal and loving speed governor kick in. Damn!!! "Honey, if you don't slow down RIGHT NOW, you going to get HIM killed! Then you feel real good." I persisted for a split second and another alert followed just as rapidly as the first one, "I will never get you a faster car in the future." I'm thinking, "Man, that 997 TT I've been dreaming about is fading away." So I said in a begging voice, "Honey, I'm barely at 100 mph." She said, "I don't care, it's dark, you're gaining on him, and if something happens to him at that speed, he'll be dead, and you'll regret it later." I was thinking to myself, "Hmm, at least she feels safer in a Bimmer at that speed."
I didn't get to brand the logo on him; the biker disappeared in the night down the vast empty 3 lane freeway as I returned to the speed limit and the tranny was now in D mode.
I'd like to do another run, Mr. Biker, if you can hear me; I'll have to leave my governor at home, though.
Hope you'll enjoyed the narative as much as I enjoyed the experience.
At the light, I managed to positioned myself behind one car shy of the red light in the middle lane, and the single headlight came up next to me also positioned behind one car on the left lane. Moving up to my left side, he reved his engine; I looked over, and it was a man (in helmet) on a speed motorcycle. My ignorance of sport bikes could not identify the make and model. Nonethless, it looked like sporty bike, but not like a super bike; I figured he was looking for TROUBLE when he reved his engine next to me!
When the light turned green, the car in front of him moved faster than the one in front of me. As I approached the next light (the length of an underpass), I had to move to the left behind the biker and kept about 1 1/2 car length. I wasn't sure what would happen (if the car in the middle lane would start to move faster or if the left lane would continue to move faster). As it turns out, I had to maintain the left lane behind the biker up to the next light; that's when the action began.
As soon as there were enough room betwen the left and the middle lane cars, he punched the throttle at about 20 mph (I could hear the sporty motorcycle engine screaming. Prepared, the sweet v8 responded with a reved to about 4500 rpm and increase rapidly before shifting at about 5500 rpm. I didn't do the "pedal to the metal" for reasoned you'll know later. Within a few seconds, he put 2-4 car lengths in front of me. Go figure, the guy punched it before I had my opening! But just as fast as I noticed the car lengths increase, I noticed that it began to stabilize and then decrease. Glancing at my odo, I was at about 90 mph rapidly rising and rpm at 5000-5500 rpm. Within a second or less of the my odo glance, the biker was at about 1 1/2 car length and closing in. HERE COMES TROUBLE!!! I was reeling him in at the rate he was trying to get away (OK, maybe a tad slower). Current speed was at 100-110 mph with rpm in the 5000-5500 rpm; not even redline yet. Within seconds, I'll stamp the BMW logo on his bike.
![Devil](https://5series.net/forums/images/smilies/imported/devil.gif)
![W00t](https://5series.net/forums/images/smilies/imported/w00t.gif)
SUDDENLY, my personal and loving speed governor kick in. Damn!!! "Honey, if you don't slow down RIGHT NOW, you going to get HIM killed! Then you feel real good." I persisted for a split second and another alert followed just as rapidly as the first one, "I will never get you a faster car in the future." I'm thinking, "Man, that 997 TT I've been dreaming about is fading away." So I said in a begging voice, "Honey, I'm barely at 100 mph." She said, "I don't care, it's dark, you're gaining on him, and if something happens to him at that speed, he'll be dead, and you'll regret it later." I was thinking to myself, "Hmm, at least she feels safer in a Bimmer at that speed."
![Whistling](https://5series.net/forums/images/smilies/imported/whistling.gif)
I didn't get to brand the logo on him; the biker disappeared in the night down the vast empty 3 lane freeway as I returned to the speed limit and the tranny was now in D mode.
![Innocent](https://5series.net/forums/images/smilies/imported/innocent.gif)
![Innocent](https://5series.net/forums/images/smilies/imported/innocent.gif)
Hope you'll enjoyed the narative as much as I enjoyed the experience.
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#2
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Hhahah your governor... thats nice... at least yours is set above 100. haha
I have a bike story but its not entertaining at all. I'll tell it anyways...
it was a while back... driving to work at 6 am... the freeway is pretty clear in some parts and in the left lane I come up to a bike... similar to yours.. a sporty bike but no Hayabusa... this guy was annoying me... he would slow to 50 then gun it to 80-90 like 3 times before I got tired of it... I never followed his acceleration runs... each time he guns it I would increase speed to my cruising 70 and then I'll catch up and he'll slow to 50 and do it again... I had no intention to play but I got annoyed after 3 blasts so the 4th time as he was slowing to 50 I downshifted to 4th waiting... once I found a clear 2nd lane I downed it to 3rd and gunned around him I heard his motor scream once I got along side of him but by then it was too late... my car was at peak acceleration and he had no chance... I out ran him with quite some distance and I got in front of him and settled down at 70 again... after that he just cruised behind me for the rest of the way.
Maybe he just wanted to see my acceleration? Who knows...
I have a bike story but its not entertaining at all. I'll tell it anyways...
it was a while back... driving to work at 6 am... the freeway is pretty clear in some parts and in the left lane I come up to a bike... similar to yours.. a sporty bike but no Hayabusa... this guy was annoying me... he would slow to 50 then gun it to 80-90 like 3 times before I got tired of it... I never followed his acceleration runs... each time he guns it I would increase speed to my cruising 70 and then I'll catch up and he'll slow to 50 and do it again... I had no intention to play but I got annoyed after 3 blasts so the 4th time as he was slowing to 50 I downshifted to 4th waiting... once I found a clear 2nd lane I downed it to 3rd and gunned around him I heard his motor scream once I got along side of him but by then it was too late... my car was at peak acceleration and he had no chance... I out ran him with quite some distance and I got in front of him and settled down at 70 again... after that he just cruised behind me for the rest of the way.
Maybe he just wanted to see my acceleration? Who knows...
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Not to sound like an asshole, but an entry level sportbike (600cc) can kill any car. For example the Honda 600rr has been tested around 3.0 - 3.2 seconds 0-60 and the top speeds are limited usually some where near 170mph. So I am sure this guy was taking it easy or he had no idea how to ride a bike.
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Originally Posted by JetBlack5OC' post='486977' date='Oct 28 2007, 01:46 AM
Not to sound like an asshole, but an entry level sportbike (600cc) can kill any car. For example the Honda 600rr has been tested around 3.0 - 3.2 seconds 0-60 and the top speeds are limited usually some where near 170mph. So I am sure this guy was taking it easy or he had no idea how to ride a bike.
Being a sport bike rider myself, (Honda CBR1000RR), I'd have to say he was playing with you (unless it was a scooter) there's not much chance a 545i (or most any car) is going to hang with a bike. I also have a 500+hp GT500 and while it's very fast 0-60 in the lower 4 second range, my CBR would also eat it's lunch. My bike is rev limited at 178mph as well. It's very hard for cars to keep up with bikes as the power to weight ratio is just so much better with a bike. His bike is probably in the 550lbs range and you are pushing closer to 4000lbs.......that's pretty much the difference. And do try and give bikers some room (even if he was being the instigator) as sometimes when they go down - they don't get up
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#5
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Ya sorry guys any guy on a bike letting you bust ahead of him is either toying with your ego or he completely cannot drive a bike but if he is on the highway the second option should not be the case.
I owned a honda cbr-nothing too special for a period of 2 months before realizing a bike was not for me-but after about 3 weeks of learning how to drive the thing and going to school to learn to drive it safely-
You must remember the bike weighs like a few hundred pounds and has tons of hp relative to that-any sport bike would eat a 550 or anything for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sounds like a good run though
I owned a honda cbr-nothing too special for a period of 2 months before realizing a bike was not for me-but after about 3 weeks of learning how to drive the thing and going to school to learn to drive it safely-
You must remember the bike weighs like a few hundred pounds and has tons of hp relative to that-any sport bike would eat a 550 or anything for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sounds like a good run though
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My my. What does it matter? That biker will be an organ donor at some point no need to try and join him.
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Oh I know bikes are faster but at least for me I probably caught him off guard or he didnt want to just yank the throttle and do a 360 wheelie. Not all bikers use 100% throttle on the streets its much harder and takes much more skills to use max acceleration on a bike than it is for anyone to just mash the pedal in a car.
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As much as I love the quickness of my 545, if I really want speed I jump onto the Honda Interceptor. 800cc and 0-60 in about 3.6 seconds. Just lean forward, twist the wrist and go! (Oh, and make sure there is a clear, straight, smooth path in front of you.)
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Originally Posted by seventhirteen' post='487050' date='Oct 28 2007, 09:38 AM
My my. What does it matter? That biker will be an organ donor at some point no need to try and join him.