Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Performance Mods 130 mph. Is it achievable with 800?

Hey everyone. I'm new to the site, but not new to the Bonneville America. Got and 02 back in 04. I now have 21000 miles on it. Anyhow, does anyone know if 130mph+ is achievable on the 800 Bonne America? The reason is that i would like to enter it at the bonneville salt flats to attempt to get into the 130 mph club. Thats 130mph in a mile long course. Any adivice on this matter would be of great help.

i would say lower it, pipes, airbox removal, maybe carbs, a strong grip, and you might be able to. i would say it may be hard unless you do a big bore kit, but its worth a shot

Frank

nitrous or maybe a turbo?

Yes, you can do that easily if you go up to a 19t primary and drop down a few teeth on the rear sprocket. You don't need hole shot. Crank out 4rd to 5th to push max HP and it can do that. You will prolly hit 5th at about 112 to 115.

Lower the bike, lay on the tank and hold on.

oh and make sure you give it some fresh oil

Frank

Like Ron said.

It's all gears and aerodynamics.

you may want to try stripping down to your skivies and holding on to the bars for dear life
seriously, though - good luck and be safe...

yep 130+ it's all in gearing. You could get it to go as fast as the suspension will handle. You could even go as far as needing a push to get it up fast enough to move on it's own.

Be sure to lube your chain

The 650 could be made to do it, and the 800 is a more efficient design. Bone stock, the America is good for about 105 MPH. Since power requirement increases at the square of speed, you will need about 93 crankshaft HP to reach 130 with an otherwise stock bike. While that is doable, you can gain a lot of free power by reducing drag and weight.
You will not want to use stock tires in any condition if possible as street treads don't do well on the salt and are a major source of drag.
While removing weight, don't forget the tank. You will only need 5 miles worth of gas, so a smaller lighter tank would be a good thing.
You may want to make rear peg brackets that will move the pegs back a little and maybe up to make sure your toes don't drag, and change to Speedmaster or similar handlebars so you can lay down on the bike and present a narrower profile to reduce drag.

I disagree with the 93 HP I have had my SM pushing 120 right here on Rt 80.

Air resistance and drag are your biggest problems over 110.

If it wasn't 120 I can tell you it was every bit of 110 probably more the way I was passing cars.But the speedo was reading about 120 maybe 119.

Know what,now you have me wondering. I'll have to have Wendy clock me with the truck.Or next time I put it on the dyno if I do it again.

Maybe you could find a PA trooper to help you out.




Or have someone with a known accurate speedo follow you at different speeds to see how much off you are. They all seem to be different.

I spose you mean the 790. I have an 865 and get to the H in KP/H. Not sure how fast but you have ya mouth shut. If I was you I would have K&N's, Open pipes, Jetted up and a big 19 on the front and a good cam. Ye ha! and Good luck.

I've done 120 (indicated, god knows what the actual was) on my 03 Speedy, and that's with the 16T gearing. The BA's bars are too high, swap for SM's. Once you get to 5th gear, put your feet on the rear pegs. Weight doesn't matter that much in top speed runs, not like quarter mile. Gear up to a 18 or 19T sprocket, and rejet for the elevation. Make sure your leathers fit tight and don't flap, it will slow you down. I wish I could join you. Good luck.

I have buried the speedo on my Speedy. Like mentioned above, our speedometers are optimistic, so unsure of actual speed (plus it was at sea level). I have the 18t front sprocket, nology coils, iridfium spark plugs, AI removed, removed air box snorkel, almost straight pipes.

Soren

I read an article in a car mag about speedo error. Most car makers err on the side of caution, so even the truck will probably be a little off, but much closer than the bike. Try going real fast in front of a school with a speed checker Also, remember the error is a percentage, so it's like 5mph @ 50, and 10@100 etc. I think the general concencus was somewhere around 8 or 9%, but most people round up I suppose.

thanks for all the good tips on getting top speed. to clear it up i ride an 02 which has the 790. Anyhow, i am planning on heading to bonneville in august for the world of speed. (my 2nd year strait) and unfortunately the 130 mph club runs in September, so i will have to push it back to next year. That doesnt mean i cant see what she can do on the salt "unofficially" while i'm there. I defiantely recomend going to the world of speed if at all possible. i was unbelivably affected by it. Its like visiting a holy land

I'm no Rolly Free, but i'l consider it!

If you want a correct speedometer there's lot of cheap (near $10) bicycle speedo to mount on handlebar. They have a magnet to glue on the rim of the wheel and a sensor on the fork.
Take the right wheel size (outside the rubber) and program the speedo with it.

They're really precise with only 0.2-0.3 percent gain.

for the 130 mile club no nitrous allowed.

This is the advantage of new members. Each new member brings their own unique personal challenge. And now we have our own "fastest triumph" too cheer for.

Yeah Benny I am already aware of the truck it is 6 MHP off. if it reads 50 we are actually going 44. My uncle is a federal marshal and borrowed a speed gun once when we were playing. I was curious about the truck so we shot that a couple times too was 6 MPH every time.

Speaking of speed and fastest. If any of you guys get a chance to watch The Worlds Fastest Indian do so. It was a really good movie and based on a true story. They even have real footage of the real guy at the end in special features on the DVD.

i saw the movie for the first time one week before i attended my first Speed Week at bonneville. They hit it right on the money. i am going to go again this year and next year either run my bonneville america or my 1985 Honda NightHawk 650 in an attempt to get into the 130mph club. The honda could do it quite easily, but it would be way more meaningfull on the Bonne.

I am looking at running the salt flats as well with a 2006 Speedmaster. Brent is helping with better suspension and he will be gaining more of my money soon I am sure. Right now I am scheduled to go for the BUB "run what you brung" but may decide to stay over to attempt the 130mph club. Needless to say I have read the post with interest.
I am looking at installing a set of rear set pegs with controls. My question for someone out there is whether the dollars would be better spent on the big bore kit or the flat side carbs? Tires have also been mentioned - what is perferred by those that have done this?
As for speedo error on my 2000 Speed Triple it was 10% and it looks like the Speedmaster is closer to 5% but someone else decided they liked my GPS more than me so I am not able to confirm this.
It would be great to hear from others that have experience!

In my opinion the big bore kit is a waste as far as the salt flat thing goes. Money would be better spent on carbs, tires, suspension , and sprockets.

That is what I have been thinking but need some knowledge to back it up. Thanks.

I agree, you wouldnt need the big bore kit. the powe is their, you just have to figure out how to harness it. get a good carbkit, suspension and sprokets. do as much as possible to reduce weight and air resistance. For instance, i plan to get really low handlbars, such as harly sportster bars flipped upside down or use clipons to lower my riding poisiton as much as possible, as well as making a simple bracket that would set my rear footpegs back (i'm 6"4) so i could lay down on the bike more once i get it in fifth gear. I am also going with a 19 tooth sprocket up front, and debating running a much lighter gas tank that the 4 gallon tank we currently all have. Most of these modifications would only be for the trials, and would not be permanant.

I have ordered a pair of Ikon 7614 shocks from Brent. They are the lighter more adjustable ones listed on the Thruxton site exept at 12.5". Replaced the front springs with Progressives last Monday. I was thinking of rolling the stock speedy bars downward and use shorter risers. I have a solo seat that I will remove the foam on to get a little lower. As I read the rules they require that your feet stay on the pegs that have the controls. But I don't think it will be too difficult (yea right) to fabricate a set of rear controls. Now, find a lighter gas tank, tires and some carb/engine work.
All this just proves that we all dream about continued modifications to these great bikes for one reason or another.

Speaking of tanks, be careful you don't dent yours with the lowered bars!

I wonder if you could do something with Thruxton controls to set them back where you want for the salt flats.

All you need is to actuate the shifter somehow and move the brake cylinder somehow. Some actual rear sets might be easier to work with for sure.

When I was a youngster, we would just reach down and give the shifter a yank with our hand to shift while drag racing. It shouldn't be too hard to setup pedals for the rear and link them to the normal shift and brake setup. If it reduces your rear braking power a little, so much the better because it will give you an ASB effect. The salt surface is halfway between smooth polished concrete and hardpacked sand, so too much brake can get you into trouble.

You don't need rearset controlls. Use the stock ones and once you get into 5th gear put your feet on the back pegs.