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Top speed for 300?

23K views 47 replies 24 participants last post by  JFMNINJA300 
#1 ·
Okay i had heard that 118 was top speed and 106 as well....
But im hitting 108 on flat, and 116 downhill.
Whats the most you guys have been too?

And how accurate is my speedometer?
Also i have a 2016 300 abs,with 650 miles on it, use 93 octane, and weigh 160 with gear and backpack
 
#9 ·
I've seen 118MPH on the speedo one time on a long downhill stretch. (On a closed road in Mexico of course) I weigh 130lbs with all of my gear on, I was in a full tuck and it was nice and cool out. However, I've had it reach 107 MPH before completely running out of steam too, so I think it's circumstantial. Need perfect conditions to see the magic 118. Even at that, it's likely closer to 106 MPH actual speed when it's indicating 118 MPH.
 
#14 ·
I had put together a spreadsheet to calculate speeds at varying RPM in each gear using data from the Kawi site to get the ratios. I don't remember exactly what the top speed worked out to be, but it was somewhere in the range of 180-190 km/h (112-118 mph) in 6th at redline. Unless you blast past redline (disable limiter) or change the stock gearing for more speed and less pull, you cannot exceed that speed, and reaching it even assumes you still have 'go' left in there to even get there. I haven't tried on my Ninja, but I know my Honda runs out of steam a few kPRM shy of redline in top gear, and I would expect similar results from the Ninja. I'd say you'd be hard pressed to get higher than 160 km/h (100 mph) without a tailwind downhill.

My math lines up what @Yoermane has posted above. I'd trust my math before I'd trust the speedo, I know for a fact my Honda is about 10% high on the dial (GPS and radar checked).
 
#21 · (Edited)
I don't remember exactly what the top speed worked out to be, but it was somewhere in the range of 180-190 km/h (112-118 mph) in 6th at redline.
Rechecked the numbers:
Primary Drive Ratio = 71/23 (~3.09)
6th Gear Ratio = 24/28 (~0.86)
Final Drive Ratio = 42/14 (~3)
Redline = 13500 RPM
Rear Wheel Circumference = 1.972 meters (taken from https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=140-70r17)

Now for the math:
13500 * 3.09 * 0.86 * 3 = 1700 wheel RPM
1700 * 1.972 = 3354 m/min
60 min / 1 hr and 1 km / 1000m, therefore
3354 * 60 / 1000 = 201.2 km/h, or 125 mph

A bike with stock gearing and tire size cannot exceed 200 km/hr (125 mph) without exceeding the redline.

Please feel free to check the math, I will then consider it 'peer reviewed' :p

I cannot say for sure whether to expect this as a reasonable max for the average rider, seeing as you are likely to run out of steam before reaching it (again, on a stock bike). The data posted by @vulgr shows that skilled folk are able to really squeeze every last little bit of juice out of the little Ninja, which I consider a testament to their skills. They are really riding to the limits of this machine.
 
#16 ·
@el_dino
My advice is invest in a very good quality helmet or ear buds to save your hearing.
And i tuck anything faster than 70mph.
Also... semi trucks are a pain to be behind, get in front at any chance you get or the wind throws you.

I drive super aggressive. Avg commute to and from is like 45 minutes but i do it in 30, ducking and weaving through traffic.

Also did a gps recorded trip and my speedo hit 113. Max registered is 110.2 woot
 

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#20 ·
While i can see your concern. The totalled 650 was because i was braking after coming out of a corner with a construction worker holding a stop sign.
I was actually only going 30-35 around the corner.

And i was almost driven off the road a moment ago while getting off my lunch break. People around here are stupid and most of them drive under the speed limit by significant amounts.

Tl;dr
Wasnt my fault for totalling the 650

People driving around here a fking stupid.

P.s. i live in east tennessee. Hillbilly territory, and home of old people galore
 
#24 ·
Then you were still going too fast for the conditions and your skill level. If what you said was true, then 30-35 mph was too fast for your ability/conditions present. You went faster than your vision and ability could handle and paid for it. Before this, you admitted to very overly aggressive riding, suggesting it as a perfectly okay thing to do to a brand new rider.


I only commented because it seemed it was fairly obvious what now went wrong on the 650 and that seemingly you didn't quite learn the lesson and instead passed blame off on the construction worker who was established at that spot long well before you go there. You should be taking blind corners at a speed that allows you to react and stop the moment you spot trouble because you never know what could be around the bend. There can be all kinds of crazy shit just waiting for you around the bend so you really need to get good or slow down or do both. You need to accept the fact that you were going too fast for the conditions of that turn and were above your head to react to it.

As far as getting ran off the road, happens to many of us all the time and it's not just a TN thing. People drive like idiots everywhere and it's not just confined to the South or even to just American but is a world-wide pandemic. The best thing to do when you're on the road is to have an escape plan in mind and be really good at braking. You can't outrun stupid as what happens many times is you end up escaping one group of idiots just to be now going too fast as you charge right into the next cluster of stupid. I've never been a fan of throttling your way out of all trouble as it seems to just propel you quicker into the next bit of it and now with a lot less reaction time and a lot more energy involved.

Good gear, highly proficient braking technique, good throttle control/discipline should be at the very top of the list for new riders. You should be worrying a lot less about how fast you can go and more worried about how not to get creamed and throwing more fuel on the fire.
 
#27 ·
@freelancemg
Uhhh, no.
The construction company was at fault even the police said so.
There was a corner and a hill inside this corner. And when i came out of the apex i saw him 30 feet away.
Impossible to brake 30 feet at 30mph i think.

I can go back to where it was.
Take pictures and show everyone the area.

And i havent seen a parked police car for 2 weeks. I see them super often going the other direction, so nothing to worry about. And i know all the police spots which i slow down to 65-75 before passing.

And my insurance atm is 55/mo.
Full coverage $100 deductibles and msf discount
 
#29 ·
That's literally the definition of going faster than your sight and skills. If what you see while going through a corner can't be stopped for, that means you were going too damn fast. That's quite literally the definition of riding past your vision. I also highly doubt the cop would be finding the construction company for being at fault. They need to do work sometime and the job of the guy with the sign is to stop traffic so he needs to be in the road. He was in the road well before you got there and if you hadn't been going faster than what you could see, you would have been able to stop.
If all you can see is 30 feet in front of you at all times as you go through a corner then you need to be going a speed that allows you to stop before 30 feet (not at 30 feet as that still technically means you hit whatever you just spotted.) If 30 feet is your visibility limit in that corner, then you may want to travel at a speed that'll let you stop in around 20 feet. This corner was probably rated at 15 mph and probably had that advisory sign just before it.


Also, you shouldn't only be doing the right thing when you see a cop around. That whole integrity thing says that you should be doing the right thing even when no one is there to watch you. You're getting lucky with the cops as the cops sitting there out in the open are doing so more as a deterrent and they aren't really hunting for tickets. A highway patrolman that's out to bust a ticket quota ( either real or perceived,) wont be easily spotted until you pass him and by the time you see them then, it's too late. You're luck will run out as it's only a matter of time before you find the cop that's had a bad day and just wants to hand out citations and will set themselves up accordingly to do it.

I also don't understand what your insurance rate has to do with anything as that changes wildly with location and person. Although based one what I pay now for full coverage on a GSXR 750 and WR250R combined, your rate seems a bit high relatively to myself in So Cal which should have higher base rates than TN.
 
#33 ·
I don't think that is really relevant. If you live anywhere where there are obstacles preventing you from seeing through the inside of the corner... it is unsafe to drive faster than a speed where you can stop within the distance you can see. It's as simple as that. Same goes for night driving and the distance your lights can illuminate.

While the traction and road conditions will ALLOW you to physically travel faster, it is unwise. Just because you have grip to corner at 80kph doesn't mean that you should. The sad part is that your gamble could cost someone else dearly.

Just my opinion but it is likely shared by most.
 
#38 ·
I'll play. 101 GPS'd at circuits of the Americas. Completely stock bike except tires and rear sets.
 

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#39 ·
I've hit 100mph and the bike still seemed to have plenty room to go faster (speed cameras so i had to slow down). Also i have sat at 90mph with someone on the back, overall weight must have been easily over 150kg and she seemed very comfy, wasn't struggling to speed up to overtake. Does this mean my speedo is way off? I need to check with a gps still.
 
#47 ·
So prior I had hit 110 max on a straightaway and wouldn't budge anymore. Couple of weeks ago, I did an oil change with new filter as well and also replaced the stock air filter with the K&N air filter and took it out for a ride and max I hit was 113.

This is odometer reading, haven't tried it with a GPS yet but will soon and hopefully it can go some more.
 
#43 ·
Based on stock gearing and tire, 115.79mph at 12,500rpm. You mention however that you have a 160/60x17 tire on? Only a small difference, but that puts you at 115.05mph (assuming stock gearing).
Note, tire wear will also (very slightly) affect these numbers. Are you still using stock ratios for the sprockets or have you changed them out?
Sounds like your speedo is freaky accurate, usually you see up to a 10% over-read.
 
#45 ·
Anyone who is reporting numbers should be quoting a GPS and not the speedo. That ensures the tires/sprockets do not play a factor in the reading. It is also much safer because you can record your data and not have to be looking down at the speedo while trying to hold onto a bike doing 100+ mph.
 
#48 ·
I have a 2014 with a full Brock exhaust, after market air filter and ECU FLASHED running on 93 octane. I hit 118mph in the straight away in 6th gear and I saw 116mph very consistently at the track this weekend!!! This bike pulls very strong. I had a 2013 with a slip on, after market air filter and ECU FLASH at this same track in June of this year and I saw 109mph pretty consistently.
 
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