Two or three years ago I did race a new vette up there, but I was on my 79 Suzuki GS 1000. Lookout Mountain is so steep and the curves so tight, that the wide vette had to steer very precisely or it would rub the guard rail, cross the double yellow, or scrape against the granite rocks. Meanwhile, I could switch tire tracks to help straighten some curves. He finally pulled over to let me pass. On a race track, where the vette can slide and wag it's tail all around, it would be different.ScottSellersUNR said:
Sport bike vs. sports car
We finally got some moisture on Thursday, after a month of drought. Six inches of snow, but it was 60 degreees and dry on Wednesday. That's when I was going to the store on my CBR and decided to ride up Lookout Mt. Not hitting it hard, just enjoying the curves and shifting. I caught up to a car and stayed behind, since there's only one small section to legally pass, and only a few places for a fast bike to safely pass.
All of a sudden there is a white Nissan 300 ZX behind me. Sharp looking car. The vehicle in front of me pulls into a turnout, and the Nissan is right on my rear tire. Now I've seen shootouts in magazines between bikes and cars. On a racetrack with no vehicles coming the other direction, no sand in the curves, no 100-foot drops off one edge, no granite cliffs on the other edge, no blind curves, no deer walking across the road, and not up a steep mountain.
So I downshifted and gunned it. I started to pull away, but a 180 degree switchback was just ahead. I have to do 20 MPH and look for sand, but the ZX goes around just as fast, if not faster. Usually I take it in second gear, but this time I went into first. Wide open, I left the ZX before I had to brake for the next switchback. The ZX started to catch up. Must have been a twin turbo. Two more switchbacks and the ZX is about 200 feet behind.
I come around a blind corner and there is a slow pick-up truck. I pass it in an instant and the ZX gets stuck behind. A mile ahead, I pull into a turnout waiting for the ZX. He doesn't stop. That ZX was quick and maybe he thought the saddlebags on my bike meant an easy mark. Luckily, I've been up and down Lookout Mt. a jillion times. Going down, he would have been right behind me, since all you need going down is good brakes or courage (bicyclists go down faster than most cars). I had my suspension on full soft, but next time, I'll crank it up.
All of a sudden there is a white Nissan 300 ZX behind me. Sharp looking car. The vehicle in front of me pulls into a turnout, and the Nissan is right on my rear tire. Now I've seen shootouts in magazines between bikes and cars. On a racetrack with no vehicles coming the other direction, no sand in the curves, no 100-foot drops off one edge, no granite cliffs on the other edge, no blind curves, no deer walking across the road, and not up a steep mountain.
So I downshifted and gunned it. I started to pull away, but a 180 degree switchback was just ahead. I have to do 20 MPH and look for sand, but the ZX goes around just as fast, if not faster. Usually I take it in second gear, but this time I went into first. Wide open, I left the ZX before I had to brake for the next switchback. The ZX started to catch up. Must have been a twin turbo. Two more switchbacks and the ZX is about 200 feet behind.
I come around a blind corner and there is a slow pick-up truck. I pass it in an instant and the ZX gets stuck behind. A mile ahead, I pull into a turnout waiting for the ZX. He doesn't stop. That ZX was quick and maybe he thought the saddlebags on my bike meant an easy mark. Luckily, I've been up and down Lookout Mt. a jillion times. Going down, he would have been right behind me, since all you need going down is good brakes or courage (bicyclists go down faster than most cars). I had my suspension on full soft, but next time, I'll crank it up.
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