difference between US and europe

VMAX  Forum

Help Support VMAX Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

gamorg02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
12,338
Reaction score
13
Location
cny
just looking at folks pics, it seems that us US folks usually go for the full exhaust/jet kit options first. then start looking at styling. The european folks from what i see most of them have stock headers, so the power isn't the big concern, they do the awesome styling/handling mods whether it be radials or USD front ends or just gorgeous machine work stuff.

any thoughts on why that is? or am i way off on that..
 
muscle bike... muscle cars.... its an American thing i guess, i dont think Europe really had "muscle" cars so to speak like we did, but some of their cars looked really cool...
 
Europe does a lot more touring than U.S. does . We like to go fast , right now. They like to take the kitchen sink with 'em when they go , and aren't in so much of a hurry. IMHO
 
The huge difference is EU policies in term in security and HP limitation.
So no surprise why they like to focus on cosmetic rather putting a nitro or a supercharger :p
 
I would say the main thing why you see many stock exhausts or close to is that most aftermarket systems will not attempt to pass the homologous process required to get allowance to be installed. It's not like the U.S. where we tend to ignore the "for offroad use only" warning label on the box.

Sean
 
Dual sport or supermoto is very popular in Europe. BMW, KTM, Ducati have been selling bikes like this in Europe for years. The Asian market is offering the Yamaha Super Tenere, Honda Varadero, Kawi Versys, VStroms, to cash in on this popularity.

Like Sean said, there may be strict limits on horsepower (and even noise) in Europe. Maybe this accounts for the trend of style over HP.

Blaine
 
interesting thoughts guys. i love a lot of the work the european folks do, so just curious on it.
 
A lot of places have there diffrent ways. I know when I send the Harleys to Australia they have to put stock pipes on them for compliance & then they switch them back after compliance is done.
 
Dual sport or supermoto is very popular in Europe. BMW, KTM, Ducati have been selling bikes like this in Europe for years. The Asian market is offering the Yamaha Super Tenere, Honda Varadero, Kawi Versys, VStroms, to cash in on this popularity.
+1

Like Sean said, there may be strict limits on horsepower (and even noise) in Europe. Maybe this accounts for the trend of style over HP.

Blaine

Mandatory HP limitation happens only in France(100HP to all motorcycles) but, EU department said to france "no more". Im not sure how much time they have left?

Germany also use to had HP limitation but it was not mandatory. Only for having cheaper insurance.

No more countries with power limitation as far I know.
 
Facts that may be interesting about PL...

From this year PL has the highest speed limit on high speed roads over the whole EU - 140 km/h on highways.

Also from this year you can ride on BIGGER bikes only if yar 24 or older.
Under 24 but no under 18 you can ride on max 48HP bikes and no more then 0,27 HP/kg power to weight ratio.
 
muscle bike... muscle cars.... its an American thing i guess, i dont think Europe really had "muscle" cars so to speak like we did, but some of their cars looked really cool...
there are no muscle cars in europe. all my life in greece 34 years...i have only seen in my life 3 cars 2 mustangs with foreign plates and one charger. i LOVE MUSLCE CARS.
 
Quote: "the 'kitchen sink' is an English phrase for like 'everything possible"

The full saying is "Everything bar the kitchen sink" which means one takes everything along on their travels.

Quote "Dual sport or supermoto is very popular in Europe"

This may be true in mainland Europe but in the UK it has been the 600cc & 1000cc Sports bikes have been the weapon of choice. The Super Nakeds are gaining in popularity in recent years.

There are no real restrictions in terms of modifications that can be undertaken. Provided end cans aren't marked 'Not for road use' or make ears bleed then you can normally get away with most silencers.

Engine tuning tends to be limited to bolt-on modifications with few bigger bore Maxii.
As the headers tend to corrode from the inside this is when they get replaced. Many bikes in the UK have had the end cans replaced but this is often for cosmetic or 'sound' reasons rather than chasing HP.

Braking ,handling and cosmetic modifications are very popular - you won't find many completely original examples.

In terms of use you will find a broad spectrum of riders from the 'sunny days only' rider, through those who use their bikes all year round to those that use it to who travel thousands of miles.
 
Over the past couple of years ( re:current recession here ) more and more of our muscle cars are being shipped to Europe . Mentioned time and again on Barrett-Jackson auctions . Saw a few of them myself in Munich last Oktoberfest...seem a little out of place , surrounded by those stupid looking ' Smart Cars '...:ummm:
 
I guess one day when it will be possible I will get one :p
I saw few muscle cars here, I'm always pretty amazed and damned it will look perfect beside the v-max :p
 

Latest posts

Back
Top