Two motorcycle press launches in Australia have been held on drag strips over the last few years, managing to throw up all sorts of surprises.
The first was for Triumph’s 2300cc, 350kg, 220Nm Rocket III Roadster in Heathcote (Vic), which saw six riders produce quarter-mile times in the low to mid 12-second bracket – and we know the bike has produced 11-second passes elsewhere, which is a striking time for a bike of such proportions.
The diminutive Kellie Buckley from Australian Motorcycle News (AMCN) produced a stunning victory in the 2010 shootout, while the Bikesales Network’s scribe, the late Ken Wootton, was scuppered by what he described as his “ample carriage”.
Then at the other end of the scale was the Kawasaki ZX-14R launch, held at the Western Sydney International Dragway in Eastern Creek (NSW) on January 18, 2012.
Click
here to read the launch report of the updated hypersport mean machine from Martin Child, who fell agonisingly short of breaking the 10-second quarter mile.
Martin’s best pass was 10.066 at 144.26mph (232.16km/h), while three riders snuck under the arbitrary – but magical all the same – benchmark.
Again, AMCN continued its hot drag streak, with its editor Sam Maclachlan recording the day’s best pass of 9.950 at 146.15mph (235.21km/h).
The fastest speed was recorded by Kawasaki’s marketing man, Nick Marshall at 147.81mph (237.88km/h).