World's fastest 'streetbike' clocks 278mph
186mph not fast enough for you? Well it's not for these guys either..
THE WORLD'S FASTEST streetbike record was broken last week, at the Texas Mile, with a new top speed of 278.6mph.
The bike, 1299cc tubro-charged Suzuki Hayabusa making 650bhp and 347lbft of torque, beat the previous record by 5.3mph.
Out of 76 motorcycless and 173 cars, this was easily the fastest vehicle at the Texas Mile, an annual event which is held at an industrial airport in Goliad, Texas. Competitors leave from a standing start, have a mile to reach terminal velocity and another half mile of tarmac to get their machines stopped.
Ridden by Bill Warner, a mild-mannered tropical fish farmer and marine biologist during the week, he went progressively faster during the three-day festival of speed, posting a 255.1 mph run on Friday, 270.7 mph on Saturday--beating the old motorcycle record of 261.5 mph, set in March, 2010--and 278.6 mph on Sunday. Very modestly, he said, "I gradually made changes to the bike's existing setup to maximize the acceleration in each gear, trying to utilize all of the available horsepower. More than once, I took a wild ride off the end of the track trying to get the bike stopped."
SPECIFICATIONS, PARTS AND SUPPLIERS
Wild Brothers Racing 1299cc, Turbocharged,
2005 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
Top Speed: 278.6 mph
Estimated Worth: $90,000
Power: 650 hp
Torque: 314 lbs.-ft.
