Asphalt & Rubber
05-07-2009, 09:37 PM
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This article comes from AsphaltandRubber.com
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http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-560x420.jpg
Take one British stunt rider (Craig Jones), one American sport bike (Buell 1125R), and one frozen Swedish lake bed (Lake Dellen), and what do you have? A 148 mph PR stunt that would be a record if there was a category for such a thing.
With ice only a few centimeters thick separating man and machine from 1.2 billion cubic meteres of freezing cold water, Craig Jones took his*specially prepared*Buell 1125R*to a top speed of 238kmph (148mph for us Americans) on the frozen and groomed surface of Lake Dellen, in Sweden.*
To accomplish this feat, Buell plowed a path down the snow covered lake, exposing the bare ice. Then they studded the bike’s standard street tires with ice piercing tacs, which can achieve a tremendous amount of grip (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/banter/photos-franky-zorn-ice/). Lastly, to boost the power of the bike (because Buell needs all the help it can get (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/ama-checks-powertoweight-ratio-pro-daytona-sportbikes/)), a nitrous rig was added to the machine. While we here at A&R love to give Buell and parent company Harley-Davidson a hard time of things (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/harleydavidson-responds-ny-times-article/), this is one of the cooler (*sigh* no pun intended) PR stunts we’ve seen a while. Kudos.
Speaking to how nutso this feat is, Jones said, “I*firmly believe that your head is the biggest limiting factor in pushing to the edge. The less you think about the risks, the further you can push yourself. So I kept it simple. I just put the bike into gear, tucked down and went as fast as I could.” This is from a man who, among other things, has pulled the world’s longest rolling stoppie (with a passenger on board). We’re also pretty sure this philosophy is a one-way ticket to Darwin Award stardom.
Still, Merriam-Webster has recently considered replacing the word “cojones” with “Craig Jones.” So would you want top out on ice?
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-1.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-1.jpg)
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-2.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-2.jpg)
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-3.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-3.jpg)
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-4.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-4.jpg)
Source: Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/07/video-buell-goes-for-fastest-bike-on-ice-title/)
Visit Asphalt & Rubber for more articles like this one (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com)
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*
This article comes from AsphaltandRubber.com
*
*
*
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-560x420.jpg
Take one British stunt rider (Craig Jones), one American sport bike (Buell 1125R), and one frozen Swedish lake bed (Lake Dellen), and what do you have? A 148 mph PR stunt that would be a record if there was a category for such a thing.
With ice only a few centimeters thick separating man and machine from 1.2 billion cubic meteres of freezing cold water, Craig Jones took his*specially prepared*Buell 1125R*to a top speed of 238kmph (148mph for us Americans) on the frozen and groomed surface of Lake Dellen, in Sweden.*
To accomplish this feat, Buell plowed a path down the snow covered lake, exposing the bare ice. Then they studded the bike’s standard street tires with ice piercing tacs, which can achieve a tremendous amount of grip (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/banter/photos-franky-zorn-ice/). Lastly, to boost the power of the bike (because Buell needs all the help it can get (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/ama-checks-powertoweight-ratio-pro-daytona-sportbikes/)), a nitrous rig was added to the machine. While we here at A&R love to give Buell and parent company Harley-Davidson a hard time of things (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/harleydavidson-responds-ny-times-article/), this is one of the cooler (*sigh* no pun intended) PR stunts we’ve seen a while. Kudos.
Speaking to how nutso this feat is, Jones said, “I*firmly believe that your head is the biggest limiting factor in pushing to the edge. The less you think about the risks, the further you can push yourself. So I kept it simple. I just put the bike into gear, tucked down and went as fast as I could.” This is from a man who, among other things, has pulled the world’s longest rolling stoppie (with a passenger on board). We’re also pretty sure this philosophy is a one-way ticket to Darwin Award stardom.
Still, Merriam-Webster has recently considered replacing the word “cojones” with “Craig Jones.” So would you want top out on ice?
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-1.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-1.jpg)
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-2.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-2.jpg)
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-3.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-3.jpg)
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/thumbs/thumbs_buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-4.jpg (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/gallery/buell-top-speed-on-ice-attempt/buell-ice-sweden-lake-148-mph-4.jpg)
Source: Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/07/video-buell-goes-for-fastest-bike-on-ice-title/)
Visit Asphalt & Rubber for more articles like this one (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com)