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Quarter mile and top speed

41K views 100 replies 32 participants last post by  Wazzanz 
#1 ·
I just got a new t-bird 1600 with the shorty TOR's and still breaking her in. I was trying to find performance numbers and found one site that claimed a top speed of 115mph on the stock 1600, that seemed kinda slow considering how strong she pulls. Anyone got some real world numbers to share on a stock 1600, 1700 or with mods? Quarter mile and top speed or whatever you got. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
115 mph seems pretty realistic to me. I don't *know*, but wouldn't be surprised if there's a speed limiter on the bike. I know Rockets are pretty restricted until you get a tuner (TuneBoy, PC Com., etc...) after them and open up the throttle bodies to 100%.
 
#3 ·
You're probably right, it would have to be restricted in some way to not go over 115 with that big twin in there. On a hilarious side note, a friend of mine told me he had his old Honda 700 Shadow up to 142mph, yeah right buddy, those are kilometers! :cool:
 
#4 ·
It'll pull better than that. I buried the 120 MPH speedo and would have kept going if my helmet and glasses weren't about to get ripped off my head. last i looked it was at 120 which with speedo error was probably 115. I felt i could have gone at least another 10 MPH. By the way, the theoretical top is insane....it's about 180. realistically you probably couldn't pull that without at least 50 more HP, maybe 60 or 70. But the gearing is such that at redline you'd be doing 180. I was only doing like 4000 rpms at 120 MPH indicated. I suspect with the BB kit and pipes/filter it should go 130-135. If not a, bit of air flow like the seat mod with proper tuning and i have no doubt it will get up to or close to 140. Heck, i felt mine wanted to do a real 125 in stock form except for the pipes which make little diff by themselves.

as to the 1/4 mile, no clue. But one thing is for sure....triumph's emissions conscious tuning has this bike horribly choked at higher RPM's just like they did to the speedmaster. The proper airflow and tune will increase acceleration a lot i suspect just as it did when i uncorked my speedmaster. It's high RPM performance literally felt like it doubled. Freeway roll-ons which in stock form were utterly pathetic went from "am i accelerating yet" to holy cr@p". So i have no doubt the Tbird will benefit equally and the 1/4 mile time will go from acceptable at best to impressive for any cruiser. This bike really is limited horribly by triumph's tuning. But thier hands are tied by the emission standards which make good performance harder and harder to archive the bigger the engines go. Bigger engine=more emissions. so to curb that a big engine like this gets crippled horribly and it takes very little to release a lot of power.
 
#24 · (Edited)
as to the 1/4 mile, no clue.
I took mine to the strip last night just to see what it would do and found a couple of interesting things. It will take a stickier tire to really tell what the Bird can do because I was breaking free and spinning the rear wheel in the first 3 gears. Thus I lost a lot of those crucial first few seconds having to back off the throttle. Running full out also gets you to the RPM limiter really quickly, and I didn't get to shifting quickly enough to stay in the power band until I had made half a dozen runs.

I had no idea what to expect, but based on my times of around 14.9 with my Bonneville America I thought the Bird might break 12 and be somewhere in the high 11s. That was optimistic. My best times were all between 13.5-13.6, hitting about 96 mph at the 1/4. Of course, I am a total noob at this and with a stickier rear tire and a bit more experience I might be able to shave off a second or a bit more, but I don't think the bike as it is currently configured has much more to give beyond what I was getting last night.

I was on the Bird, and there was one Buell running - besides that, every other bike at the track was a Hayabusa and they were all running in the 9.2-9.8 range.
 
#5 ·
I agree with Daz the bird will peg the speedo. I got into a minor sort of on ramp race with a Z4 last week (it was a very long ramp with metering lights at the top). By the time I conceded the race at the merge point I was doing 120mph in 5th as the Z4 started to pull away.

Not that I normally do this, mind you, but the bird was quicker off the line and did beat the same car at the previous set of lights. It just does not have the top end that the Z4 does.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the responses, 115 just seemed ridiculous as a top speed with all that power, I figured she would peg the speedo easily. Taking my t-bird in for the 600 mile service on Thursday, looking forward to unleashing some of that power afterward on a long ride down hwy 1 to Santa Cruz. Some nice straight stretches down there.
 
#7 ·
That's good to know, I reckon. I rarely ever look at the speedo if I'm on the gas because if I am, that means I'm passing someone. Otherwise, I'm generally pretty tame. I have to be. The wimmins have come to expect me to ride slow so they can pant and get hot and bothered when they drive past me and see my perfectly sculpted buttocks straddling the seat and my long, sleek and muscular legs reaching down to the pegs as if to say "Go ahead ladies, take a squeeze", my tanned and ripped arms bursting out of the sleeves and my finely chiseled jaw with boyish dimples and blue eyes as deep as an ocean. :)
 
#8 ·
I had my T-bird dyno-ed and it had a top speed of around 142-145 mph. Of course, that wasn't with rubber on the road, but I think it isn't too far off.
 
#9 ·
Now, that would surprise me. I have an 09 Tiger 1050 and a Thunderbird 1600. The only mods to both bikes are pipes and re-map (TOR tune). The Tiger will eat the Thunderbird's lunch everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

I *think* I read on the Tiger forum that the top speed on the Tiger is around 155 mph in the stock configuration. The Tiger dyno'd at around 121 hp after pipe and TOR map, if I remember correctly. And, IIRC, the T-Bird dyno'd at 94 hp after installing the Hog Slayers and TOR map.

The Bird *might* hit 140 mph, but based on my experience with the Tiger (I've had it to 124 mph), I'd have to say it would take the Bird awhile to hit that speed.
 
#12 ·
By my calculations the bird can do a theoretical max of 162.5 mph, assuming it had the power at 6500 redline to combat the drag. So at 75 mph (according to speedo), my bird is churning away at 3000 rpm on the nose. Therefore at 6000 rpm it should go twice as fast, no? So that's 150 mph. And then for the extra 500 rpm to redline, it's a simple matter of figuring out that for every 500 rpm, the bird picks up 12.5 mph. 150+12.5=162.5. I seriously doubt it has the HP at that rpm to counteract drag so that puts it, I think, in the 140-150 mph range...

Unless of course you factor in the error in the speedo! From my experience, it's about 5 mph or so at 75. That puts it at 70 mph at 3000 RPM and therefore a theoretical max of 151.7 mph at redline. And again probably significantly slower than that when real world forces are at play. My guess is 140, but then again, that's just a guess. I'd love to test it out though!
 
#13 ·
Unless of course you factor in the error in the speedo! From my experience, it's about 5 mph or so at 75. That puts it at 70 mph at 3000 RPM and therefore a theoretical max of 151.7 mph at redline. And again probably significantly slower than that when real world forces are at play. My guess is 140, but then again, that's just a guess. I'd love to test it out though!
for those following the speedo sticking thread - these sort of indicated high speeds become a very real possibility. On the occasions that the speedo resets its 'zero', like yesterday to 60 mph and then at the next stop reset to 30 more (90mph) I can easily do 140mph or more. In fact the speedo needle once got all of the way down into the redline area of the tach, thats fast. My bird is so fast that setting in my garage right now it has an indicated speed of 90mph, and it is not even the fastest colour!
 
#16 ·
I just bought a stock 1600 with ABS and am having the dealer put on a big-bore kit. The shop called me to say they had it on their dyno and recorded 66bhp at the wheel before the kit and 88bhp after the install! Once its ran in a bit I think that I should get it up to 90bhp. It also put another 7lbft of torque on it. These seem high to me. Anybody else got similar numbers?
 
#17 ·
Doesn't make much sense when triumph declares 15 HP with BB tros and filter, and thats at the crank which would equate to probably 12 rear wheel HP like a dyno records. So triumph declares that setup to give 12 HP and that dyno showed a gain of 22? I don't think triumph is going to advertise 10 HP less than it makes. That would be like a burger chain telling you thier burger tastes "acceptable". There has to be another reason for the dyno numbers. Could even be each run was done differently or by different operators. Dynos can show different numbers on the same bike on a different day. If i had to guess i'd say the stock number is off by a good bit. Others have shown more like 70 HP stock on a dyno. Could be both dynos could have leaned towards the opposite directions for one reason or another. But that just don't sound right given triumph's numbers.

As to the top speed, i think the Tbird can do way more with very little work. This bike is absolutly straving up top, and it's very obvious by the feel. My speedy was the same way and once i got it breathing much better on the top it was nite and day in the top end. I never ran it to top speed to see, but it went from feeling like it would just slowly creep higher when pegging the throttle at say 80-90 MPH to pulling like a freight train when i twisted it up there. The bird will likely improve similarly at the top once the airway is opened up and the bike is able to use tuneboy or PC to get optimum tune. At that point i believe 135-140 may be realistic, even with the 1600. Certainly with the BB kit. This poor bike is starving for fuel and is tuned lean to boot. It's a wonder it even performs as it does. I must admit it can reach the top speeds it has not pretty quickly. So theres a lot more to be had easily i'm sure.
 
#20 ·
Does the Special edition BB come in Blue?. I only saw red and silver.

Maybe I should buy it back and have the BB kit installed. I could probably buy it for $1000.00. The biggest problem is that the lower main case is cracked behind the chrome right flywheel cover. It needs a new engine case, body work, handle bars, controls, brake resivoirs, headlight, levers, seat, tail light, handlebars, bar clamp, foot rests, foot controls,.........wow, I guess thats why it totaled.......lol

The only thing that is salvagable is the wheels, tyres, throttle bodies, forks, and frame......

I have the stock exhaust, seat, and headlight assembley but promissed the seat and turn sigs to Thatch

The bottom picture shows the Magnum Tuning Dyno Chip location (red).





I have the stock exhaust, seat, and headlight assemble
 
#21 ·
i think it comes in any color, tho the release coincided with the special paint so i think they just wanted to combine them. could be wrong, but i think someone said they ordered or got a blue/white 1700. If you're getting another one just hand on to that dyno boost thingy. I'll likely get a tuneboy anyways. By the way....you STILL never said if you noticed any improvement with it....did you?
 
#22 ·
I could'nt feel a difference. I installed it the day before the final ride and was more focused on meeting my friend on time at the Ducati dealership to test ride the new Multistrada.

I was hoping to releive the bike of its popping tendency during deceleration. It did'nt work to eliminate that but the throttle was as crisp as it always was. They claim it would'nt hurt anything...

Like I said in my PM to you: In theroy, it works but only a dyno run could measure any gain properly. The claimed power gains are hog wash but I was hoping for richer delivery on the closed throttle when engine braking.....oh well, it was worth the 80 dollars just to spend some quality time with her in the garage before she passed.:(
 
#25 ·
Cycle World just did a comparison test with the H.D. Wide Glide and in their test the Thunder Bird did 13.24/97.31. In the same issue they did the Bonnie compared with an 883 Sportster and Honda Sadow RS. The Bonneville did 13.24/100.66 . So.........for those looking at the numbers there you are. That's the August 2010 issue for anyone who wants to check it out.
 
#26 ·
in their test the Thunder Bird did 13.24/97.31

The Bonneville did 13.24/100.66
Well, I don't feel quite so bad now - assuming that the magazine had a rider for the test who had been to a track more than once before. My times on the Bonneville America were with a windshield, so I think I could come pretty close to their time if I took it off.
 
#29 ·
BB kit. The sales manager from the dealer where I bought the T-Bird brought a stock demo bike to run against mine - he was consistently 1-1.5 seconds slower.
 
#30 ·
Wow, i didn't realized we were talking BB. For a 1700 13.5 is pathetic. That would mean the 1600 is considerably slower than a bonnie. Granted, the bonnie is geared way lower but still, that can't be right, noob or not. Theres gotta be something very wrong here. Bonnies are generally considered slow for thier size....none of this makes much sense to me.
 
#31 ·
Thanks for the clarification Argyle.

Daz, the original article and run by CW are for the 1600. Argyle's run was with a 1700. I was saying something was up since his run was right there with CW's runs and he admitted to not being particularly proficient at the job. So, the 1600 +bb kit -skills = the 1600. :)

Not picking on you Argyle. I haven't spent much time at the strip either.
 
#32 ·
Yeah, but still, i have a extremely hard time believing the bonnie did as good as a bike nearly twice the engine size. The Tbird is heavier and geared higher, but that shouldn't make that much of a different. I could say the tbird is overly detuned, but then it appears to compete well withing the 1600 cruiser segment showing no loss over other brands and in fact better than most. We aren't talking a 900 vs a 1200 here ....it's a freakin' 1600 ! granted, my speedmaster was heavier than a bonnie, but basically the same engine. And in no way shape or form would it keep up with my tbird even with the Tbird stock and the speedy modded. And considering a lot of owners are coming from bonnies and america/speedmasters, how often have you heard any one of them say "wow, i bought the Tbird for the power but my bonnie/america/speedy is faster" ? theres more going on here besides the 1600 vs 1700 w/noob thing. I just don't see the Tbird selling as well as it does if people were demoing them and finding thier bonnie is faster. It's senseless.
 
#34 ·
Thats true....you would definately lose a huge amount of time at the start trying to get it moving efficiently. When i talked about how much quicker mine is then my speedy was, i'm talking about roll-on's where that doesn't come into play, and i wasn't considering that. I have never, nor will i ever rip away from a stand still like that because i don't care to eat up my belt and tire. So yes, i can see why now. I think theres gotta be a way tho....different tire like you say or whatever, but if you could get it off the line efficiantly i have no doubt the times would improve drastically. But to be honest thats not important to me. I'm interested in roll-on power/acceleration. I think once a BB kit bike is tuned correctly with input/output mods the bike will flat out move. of course the 1/4 times will probably got worse because tire spin will just get worse !
 
#36 ·
daz I told you that months ago.weight eats up all that torque the bird makes and it doesnt turn enough rpms to make enough hp.It is what it is a damn nice cruser.A few pounds even slows you down big time a regular bonnie will eat a america or a speedies lunch for that same reason.
 
#37 ·
No, not for the same reason. The speedy is geared a good bit higher than the bonnies. I remember guys talking about where they tach'd on thier bonnies and was surprised at how much lower i tach'd at the same speed. The Tbird is geared INSANELY higher. gear it the same as a bonnie, good bye bonnie in a big way, weight or not. you can't compare 2 bikes that are geared so different. It would be no different than if you told your buddy that your bonnie ia a much quicker bike after dropping 3 teeth on the front sprockt. what do you expect? But that wasn't what the point here. the point was a standing start is what kills the bike because of traction or lack thereof. I have ridden behind a bonnie on my speedy by the way, and when he was getting on it he barely could pull away. a little, yes, but barely.
 
#39 ·
WRONG the speedie is geared lower then the bonnie some years (front sprockets) the 360 motors stock do make more hp because of better cams.
The t bird has to be geared higher it wont rev.
daz a fast triumph twin would scare you to death.I bet you would wreck mine if you grabbed a hand full of throttle in 3rd gear.
 
#38 ·
Argyle

Enjoyed your post. Made a lot sense and helps explain a higher than expected 1/4 mile ET. I would have thought mid to high 12s for the 1700 TB. Or I should say wishing for times in the 12s. Hoping to see other TB owners hitting the strip.

Willy T
 
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