Topic: Used Vehicle Review: Smart Fortwo, 2005-2010

[bikenut]

rrocket that was terrific !   what fun ! 

 - that busa motor sure sounded great .
 but i'd go with the gsxr 1000 motor in the you tube video -- it  truely is one of the greatest engines of all time -- so the busa motor , but if was to choose a gsxr gets my vote



you're welcome winterpeg

[sacrat]

Still wouldn't make it a practical choice, but I imagine it would be a whole pile of fun. And, if it can't be sensible, it might as well be fun

Especially the $18,000 !! US cost for the conversion...

[bikenut]

sacrat , just another expensive toy

[rrocket]

rrocket that was terrific !   what fun ! 

 - that busa motor sure sounded great .
 but i'd go with the gsxr 1000 motor in the you tube video -- it  truely is one of the greatest engines of all time -- so the busa motor , but if was to choose a gsxr gets my vote



you're welcome winterpeg

I'll take the extra TQ...not to mention durability...of the Busa engine anyday....

[bikenut]

 you also have all that extra weight of the engine and i'm pretty sure the gearing is still taller too
since its original mission was to be the fastest motorcycle 

so i think the the smart would perform better with the much lighter, freer reving , lower geared gsxr 1000

  besides gsxr motor is only down about 12 hp to the busa but is 125 lbs lighter

but i realize you would prefer all that extra weight and a dozen extra ponies , to each his own - but to be fair rrocket its the torque , over 100 ft lbs ( 14 ft lbs more than the 1000) thats the major appeal .

 top ends are fairly similar

 gsxr weighs 448 lbs ,wet weight
 hayabusa weighs 573 lbs ,wet weight
based on 2009 stats

both hit their limiters at 186 mph , but the busa could go into the 190's
 
 for a 340 cc disadvantage over the hayabusa , the gsxr 1000 shines

[johngenx]

Have you ridden them both?  The gixxer and 'busa are completely different bikes with completely different missions.  The Hayabusa engine uses the extra displacement for a lower engaging power curve, making the engine much more suitable to use in a car.

Also, the GSX is a smaller bike, and there is no way that I could use it as a touring bike.  The Hayabusa has a less aggressive riding position and room to "stretch out" a bit, take a passenger if you must, and mount/carry luggage.  I had added a 1" riser to the bars, and it turned the bike into a superb, ridiculously fast, sport-touring machine.

For a bikenut, you don't have much of a grasp of the difference between a sport and a GT bike...

[Truth be told]

...smart Kar...............then there is the "Clown " factor.......they still make me laugh.........

[bikenut]

johnny x  i know exactly what each bike is !   i was saying WHICH  WOULD BE BETTER IN THE SMART CAR !!!!   which is the gsxr motor , the motor is lighter and its geared better for the street

i always forget -- somebody is going to remark on my posts , so this is late

[rrocket]

johnny x  i know exactly what each bike is !   i was saying WHICH  WOULD BE BETTER IN THE SMART CAR !!!!   which is the gsxr motor , the motor is lighter and its geared better for the street

i always forget -- somebody is going to remark on my posts , so this is late

The GSXR1000 engine and tranny is only 25 lbs less than the Busa engine.

GSXR1000 ~150 lbs
'Busa  ~175 lbs


As John said, the extra TQ of the Busa engine would be better in automotive applications.

[johngenx]

johnny x  i know exactly what each bike is !   i was saying WHICH  WOULD BE BETTER IN THE SMART CAR !!!!   which is the gsxr motor , the motor is lighter and its geared better for the street

You can stop PM'ing me copies of all your posts.

The GSXR engine is actually much better suited to track use.  The higher rpm power curve and slightly tighter gearing means keeping the engine "on the boil" provides better lap times.  The 'busa engine feels lazy compared to the gixxer engine, until you look at the speedo and realize that you're about to blast through 250.

The Smart car chassis is considerably heavier than the motorcycle, and therefore the lower rpm power curve and greater torque of the larger 'busa engine works better.  As rrocket said, the weight difference between the two engines is negligible, especially when considering the total weight of the car/engine combination.

As for your comparison of the gixxer and 'busa stating that the liter bike is so much better because it achieves the same (or better) performance despite a 300cc+ disadvantage and has a much lighter chassis, I was pointing out that these two bikes are not alternatives.  They are completely different machines with different purposes.  The GSXR-1000 is a track bike.  The engine revs insanely, the chassis is light and the steering is hair-trigger compared to the larger, heavier Hayabusa.  The Hayabusa would be slaughtered on the track, as it is really a street-bike.  I like to get out of town on my bikes, and the 1000 is too small and has too aggressive of a riding position for me to spend the day hunting roads with it.

Oh, and don't PM copies of all your posts.

[bikenut]

if you had looked at the video of the smart car with the bike engines it is obvious which one of the 2 videos of the smart car is more fun to drive - the one with the gsxr motor !
secondly you insult my intelligence as if i don't know the difference between the a gt and sport bike  or in this case as well between a superbike and hyperbike - which ticks me off , to me you are simply being argumentive for the sake of it
lastly i had finished with this car - and had gone onto the next review  but forgot that someone like you would comment on my post way after i've gone onto the next car review, and only spotted your post by accident because i was bored , so to make you aware of me noticing your post i pmed  you or whatever 

its like the rust comments on the mazda 3 ,i was long gone onto the next car by then ,but did post a comment  ( spotted that as well ) - but yours ticked me because you think i don't know bikes as well as i do . i think you are wrong about which would make a better engine in the smart -- take a look at the videos again and you can tell which is more fun .
your entitled to your opinion but when you try to give me the abcs of bikes regarding gts and sportbikes you simply annoy me

[johngenx]

gsxr weighs 448 lbs ,wet weight
 hayabusa weighs 573 lbs ,wet weight
based on 2009 stats

both hit their limiters at 186 mph , but the busa could go into the 190's
 
 for a 340 cc disadvantage over the hayabusa , the gsxr 1000 shines

This seems like you're comparing the two bikes, and that the 1000 is superior thanks to its lighter weight and similar performance despite the smaller displacement.  I pointed out that they are not comparable motorcycles.

Comments on Mazda 3?  WTF?

Oh, and can you get your shift key repaired?  Your "return" key also seems to have problems, as your posts are filled with oddly placed hard returns.  It's tough to take you seriously when your post appears to have been composed by a 10 year old.  Actually, as I read it, I appear to be wrong about the hard returns.  It's the lack of capitalization that makes it appear odd.

Glad to hear you're going to stop pm'ing me copies of your posts.

[bikenut]

johnny you waste my time

[Arthur Dent]

If the transmission wasn't such trash it would be a lot more interesting to me as a novelty vehicle.

[johngenx]

If the transmission wasn't such trash it would be a lot more interesting to me as a novelty vehicle.

Oh, the semi auto sequential I drove (have they changed it?) was terrible.  It made the 40hp feel like 4hp.

[PJungnitsch]

If the transmission wasn't such trash it would be a lot more interesting to me as a novelty vehicle.

Oh, the semi auto sequential I drove (have they changed it?) was terrible.  It made the 40hp feel like 4hp.

No problem here, takes some involvement but was surprised at how easy it was after all the bad press. But I have a lot of hours running industrial machines with 'different' drive systems. The biggest problem with the smart for me is, as noted, Mercedes builds them. Expensive parts and service, lack of dealers, etc.

It will be interesting how well the iQ does.

[johngenx]

No problem here, takes some involvement but was surprised at how easy it was after all the bad press.

I didn't find it difficult to use.  I found the ratios mis-matched to the engine and the shifter action terrible.  When I heard sequential, I expected motorcycle "snick-snick" as I went up and down, but instead found "oh, sorry, out of the power band, try again" and "sorry to be so unsatisfying when moving the lever..."

I immediately realized why all Smart drivers act like the car is stolen and drive with their foot to the floor.  If you're not thrashing the crap out it, the car falls flat on its face.  Unfortunately, the diesel engine isn't a v-tec style screamer...