[JimmyD]

Originally Posted by hordak

The ninja 250 (yes it is 248 cc) has 36 hp(or up to 40 depending on where you get your info) and would be too much bike for a beginner if we followed that system. I can only think of 2 bikes that would be weak enough for that requierment.
The Honda Rebel 250 and the Kawasaki eliminator 125.

Again, that's fine and dandy, but tiered countries have horsepower restrictors for every major bike model. If the 250 is making 36 hp, 40 hp, whatever, the bike has to be restricted to 33hp, and IS by manufacturers. For that matter, if certain bikes are popular, there are kits made to restrict them to 33hp. I'm no expert at all, but ask anyone from england, and they'll tell you it's nothing to get a GSX-R 750 restricted from 125hp to 33 hp, if you want it bad enough and are willing to pay for the kit.

101-250 cc bikes account for 9% of bikes on the road yet are involved in 13% of accidents
751 and up account for 23 % of the bikes on the road and only account for 16% of accidents. So based on the number of bikes statistically speaking the 751 cc and up bikes are safer then 101-250 cc group.

Yes and no. It depends on the type of bike. You might not know it but a Honda ACE 750 is putting out about 45HP at the crank. My EX eats them for breakfast. A Vulcan 900 puts out about 60HP. Again, my EX will eat them for lunch. What's your point? A ZX7 (749cc) puts out about 120 HP and eats my EX in its sleep.

What's my point? CC's mean nothing. Horsepower is the only RELATIVE measurement, because a ZX-6 puts out MORE horsepower than the Vulcan 2000 does, a bike with over 3 times the displacement.

What does this prove? Statistics are fine and dandy and can really help you prove a point if you throw a bunch of numbers at someone who doesn't know what he's talking about.

But I'm not an idiot and I realize that you didn't even reply to my first rebuttal. I can google too, you know.

You made a point. 251-500cc are yadda yadda yadda. What is your point again? Why are you even against tiered licensing? Are you one of those "blah blah blah my freedom to drive an overpowered sportbike, my freedom to kill myself as I see fit is being endangered" right wingers?

These stats are taken from the Hurt report via Proficient Motorcycling by David L Hough.

I might remind you this report was concluded in 1981. That's over 25 years ago. Are you daft? Because EVERYTHING has remained UNCHANGED in EVERY WAY since 1981.

Were you even alive at that point? I know I wasn't!

Have you looked at the differences in the motorcycle industry as far as sales figures, as well as models sold in CC's? An 883 harley was considered a GIRL'S BIKE, but a 750 (749cc) Honda was one of the most powerful bikes on the planet and easily made twice the horses of a sportster.

Read the MAIDS report and come back to me with a real response. It was published in 1999. Then you might actually have an argument.

Isn't it amazing what a few google searches will do?