Late nite run in the rain after a pre-ride to be sure the LEOs are not present.

or

Dueling pistols at dawn.

nobody rides half as well as they know how.

I had hoped that a betting line would appear here on this issue.

I would have bet on you as you seem to have the spirit. Your budd doesnt have the huavos to post on this for'm, does he?

Then there is the 'old age & treachery' ploy. Tip off the local police that a hot bike ought to be coming thru. There's winning. And then, there's winning!

You could try the old "Its the rider that makes the difference." ploy. Any bike can be fast for a little while. Any rider on a fast bike can be fast for a little while. Pick a little town on a far coast. Fuel up together and say, "There and back with computer generated fuel reciepts to prove it." When you get back to the fuel stop, let him come in first and start gloating. Meanwhile, you grin and calmly start fueling your bike while congradulating him on his riding. As soon as he picks up the pump to fuel his bike, shut your pump off and get the time stamped computer generated reciept.  Thus proving that you got there first. There is no way his reciept will have a faster time. No matter how he tells the story, your paper wins.

I never understood that "faster" thing. "All round 'useful & fun" is more my preferences. But if faster is all that important, negotiate an advantagous route. Start with a heads-up 'Battletrax" venue. Maybe you can get him to drop it at 20mph and lose all interest for higher speeds. Find a nice track day venue and cut a few hot laps.

I would bail out of the drag strip. If he wants to go fast in a straight line, he can get a cage so he doesnt have to worry about a side stand.

There has got to be magazine tests to determine this stuff.

Worst case scenario: If you have mad dirt skilz with your bike, make sure that there is a lot of dirt road for the ride.

nobody rides half as well as they know how.

Perhaps your friend read somewhere that some VTX ran the quarter a few hundredths of a second faster than a GL1800, and he warms his heart with the knowledge that if you were both out riding and suddenly found yourselves being chased by Godzilla, he would certainly escape, because Godzilla would catch you first, and while you were being eaten, he would make good his escape. My VTX gives me that kind of confidence.

But, if he won't relent and you want to really shut him up, then ask him, in a dead serious way, if he's willing to put his money where his mouth is. If not, then that will be the end of it. If he takes the bait, then tell him you'll race him if you get to pick where to start and where to end. If he balks at that, then say "I knew you weren't serious." If he persists, then tell him you'll meet him for breakfast next Saturday morning, and the race starts when you leave the donut shop. During breakfast, you tell him the finish line is an easy to find location in city a bit over 400 miles away, loser pays for dinner and hotel room for the winner. Give him a map and everything, no tricks are necessary. You will need to stop once, he will need to stop at least 3 times. No way he will beat you and you won't even have to go any faster than you normally would. And you'll be a lot fresher when you get there than he will, guaranteed.

Ask him if speed is so important, how come he didn't he get a Hyabusa?

BTW, I know my VTX is faster than his.

Ed

http://www.mcnews.com/mcnews/depts/Dec03PerfIndexPart2.pdf

TEN BEST REAR-WHEEL TORQUE

1) 2004 Honda Valkyrie Rune 112.1 lb.ft.

2) 2001 Honda GL1800 108.3

3) 2002 Honda VTX 1800 99.4

4) 1999 Honda Valkyrie Interstate 94.9

5) 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa 93.4

6) 1999 Honda Valkyrie Tourer 92.5

7) 2002 Yamaha Road Star Warrior 92.4

8) 1999 Honda GL1500SE 91.2

9) 2002 Kawasaki ZX-12R 91.2

10) 2003 Yamaha FJR1300 87.6

TEN BEST 60–0 STOPS

1) 1999 Triumph Speed Triple 106.7'

2) 1997 Suzuki Marauder 800 107.6'

3) 1997 Yamaha YZF600R 108.2'

4) 1998 Ducati 750 Monster 109.1'

5) 1998 Suzuki TL1000S 109.4'

6) 2002 Honda VTX 1800 109.5'

7) 2002 Harley V-Rod 109.5'

8) 1998 Buell M2 Cyclone 109.6'

9) 2003 Triumph Speed 4 109.7'

10) 2002 Ducati Monster S4 109.8

Gfurlo