Got smoked by a CBR Bike last Saturday morning

I just have to share that I got torn a new one by a CBR bike on the Southern State Pkwy last Saturday in my 996. I took the head start taking off first from about 60MPH and mashed the pedal. He popped the front wheel off the ground and passed me like I wasn't even moving. I know beating a bike is tough to do but at least I took a shot.

Its not you fault Sicaone, its imposible to do in a straight line unless the guy on the bike screws it up pretty bad, their power to weight ratio is unfair, even if its a small 600cc CBR. To get an idea my GSX-R1000 (fastest of the 1000cc's) will do 100-200Km/h quicker than what my 996C4 will do 0-100km/h, or 0-200km/h a whole second quicker than an Enzo. So if I were racing myself on a rolling start, I pretty much just have to open the throttle in whatever gear I'm in and the car is left standing. But don't worry, the table turns when you hit the twisties or at a track, the higher braking and curve speed of your 996 would have "torn him a new one"

I raced a zx-7R and GSXR 600, starting at 90mph. You shouldnt lose. The bikes weight advantage is minimalized at speed b/c once an object is in motion it does not take much energy to keep it in motion or increase its velocity. Since you have 300HP vs 150HP on the bike,the bike wont catch you until top speed if even that.

Carlos, I actually was running on a curvy 2-lane road in the 996 a few months back with a bike right on my tail. On the straights, he was on my bumper but I did in fact get way ahead of him through the turns. On one turn, I noticed that the guy almost lost it from leaning the bike too much because he jerked it back upright mid-turn and veered out way into the other lane. Then I decided to slow down because I didn't want the guy to kill himself trying to keep up. Don't know what bike it was though. RR, It happened and I lost in reality, not theory. It also does take more energy to overcome the greater wind resistance at higher speeds so I don't think it gets easier unless the wind is at your back. Can anybody else comment on this topic?

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by RR: <strong>I raced a zx-7R and GSXR 600, starting at 90mph. You shouldnt lose. The bikes weight advantage is minimalized at speed b/c once an object is in motion it does not take much energy to keep it in motion or increase its velocity. Since you have 300HP vs 150HP on the bike,the bike wont catch you until top speed if even that.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Thats not correct, in fact the greater the speed the greater the horsepower you need to increase anymore speed due to the drag, since it increases at a rate of velocity squared. And on top of that, like sicaone said, a bike has much much less overall drag because the drag is also dependant on the frontal surface area. But its gets to a point as you reach very high speed that because the drag is "squared" by the speed were the bike cannot overcome the drag due to its overall less HP, and the car given enough horsepower, like a 996TT, can beat a bike in overall top speed but will take a much longer time to get there (due to the initial greater drag at lower speeds and much lowerr power-weight). Thats why Capirossi's MotoGP Ducati with only 240HP can beat the top speed of Scumachers F1 Ferrari by a few Km/h before the braking for the curve at Mugello's 1.1Km straight while coming out of the corner that leads to the straight at only half the speed of the F1! Now my bike has 160HP (a 600cc bike has about 110HP) and it can reach 270Km/h in just 1000m (in 18,8secs) while a 360HP GT3 for example needs 2000m to reach 265Km/h and at 1000m is not even at 230km/h. I think that puts things into perspective. So if you beat, even a 600cc, with any 996 model in a straight line, the guy in the bike wasn't even trying or messed up really bad. The only time you are going to beat a bike in a straight line is if you go above the bikes top speed, in my case 285km/h (a 600cc around 250km/h), and you get a really head start like a mile or so. Believe me I drive both and the difference in acceleration at ANY speed is unreal, but throw in a few corners and its 911 territory Sicaone, I agree its dangerous to race some bikers because sometimes its really young inexperienced kids that can really hurt themselves trying to follow, its a big responsibility.

i lost you in all the scientific theory stuff you posted, and I know you went 180mph several times so you're speaking from experience, but i do know that 3 times i raced different racing bikes with my 996 on the freeway, and never did I get smoked. As a matter of fact twice, I was pulling up on them so bad at 120 I almost ran them over from the rear and learned never to do it again as I don't want to get anyone hurt.

Well since I believe what you say Ruey, then it must have the bike, only way you could have done that is if they were smaller less powerfull sportbikes with low top speed or were the sport-touring type bikes. Since with my bike, at 120mph I'm just then switching to 3rd gear only, and the acceleration is so hard up until that point that you can't even keep the front wheel on the ground at WOT, compared to that, my carrera feels like a Hyundai, since its power-weight ratio would be equal to a 1200HP 996TT Like I mentioned before, from 60mph to 120mph my bike accelerates even faster than what a C2 can do 0-60mph so my C4 going 60-120mph is going to be left standing cause my bike or similar is going to do it in just 4,4secs or similar. So I guess it depends on the bike, 1000cc (GSX-R1000, Yamaha R1, Kawa ZX-9R & CBR900...), 1200cc (Hayabusa, ZX-12R...), and 750cc inline-4's (GSX-R750) or 1000ccc V-Twins (Ducatis, Aprilias, etc) should have no trouble and you may have more chances against a 600cc the higher the speed is the roll on start at, as long as its not modded cause most are riced up too <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

The only place a 996 MIGHT be able to stay with a 750cc to liter-class sportbike is in tight twisties. That will only happen because 98% of street riders don't have the confidence to push the bike to anywhere close to its potential. If one of the 2% is riding, we don't stand a chance in the car under any circumstances. And not only in the go-fast deprtment...5 years ago a "street" road test on Carl Fogarty's WSB Ducati showed a 60-0 stopping distance of 87 feet!!! And c'mon, there's nothing in cardom that looks 1/10 as cool as some guy doing a wheelie for two blocks! So the next time you tangle with a bike, just give them a thumbs up - it avoids a lot of embarassment!

My situation is exactly like Ruey's. I raced 2 bikes twice on different days. ZX7 and GSXR 600. In both cases we were going along at around 140km. In both cases I pulled away from them especially at 200km/hr.

Then it was the drivers of the bikes that didn't use WOT or used long gears and weren't trying, especially the ZX-7R. I have raced 600cc bikes with my car and if they use the correct gears and powerband, they pulled away always up until 220km/h or so when slowly I have the advantage as speed futher increases and at around 250km/h they can go no further. Now, as soon as the curve came I would catch up on the braking and cornering speed but I would have to reach the cornering limits of the 996. Now, a 1000cc doesn't even need to reduce gears and the advantage would too great to make it up on the curves, even on a place with lots of curvers like nurburgring, any 1000cc can lap under 8mins, but on a slower twisty track such as Hockenheim the 996 would win. So it was driver factor if you beat any 600cc and up RR, the driver in the car was better then <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

I do have a few posts on bikes vs 996 as i do have quite a hefty experience with bikes.. my only competitors in Nigeria were bikes, for the lack of supercars *or the waste of carreras and the like driven by show off yuppies* Anyway, fact is there is no way you can win 0-60 with a 750cc or more.. Otherwise, if you do catch them at +140km, you can go along head to head till 250 after which the carrera's aerodynamics take over.. I've raced two 750's up to 250km/hr and then overtook them after 270km/hr.. Talking about twisties, the carrera will surely control the situation since no bike can take lateral g's the way a carrera can handle +0.80g Now Carlos, i did race a GSX1000R like yours.. Carrera loses on all counts.. the 1000R takes advantage of the straights and loses some time on the twisties but not to let me even get close.. He was just too fast. Last impression is that if ever one should race with a bike, never do it behind the biker.. From experience point of view, I almost ran one of the bikes in an emergency braking maneouver.. I still shiver! Waz

Carlos, I know the bikes that I raced were definately sportbikes as I had a group of friends that were into this and had even GSX-R's like a 1000 i think. One I know did 1/4 at 12, but he told me himself it would be a tough match to blow away a 13 second car after 120mph. You probably are right that the driver must be really good to take it to the limit, but then again I clearly recall hearing the exhaust on those bikes I raced seemingly at full throttle because prior to 100mph it almost seemed like his bike was squatting and screaming from all the power being applied. It seemed as though he was already peaking at 120-130mph. How fast do these go anyway?

The tough part about bikes is getting them rolling from stop start, since they can flip up on you, but as soon as they are moving or from a rolling start its very easy to accelerate them. I guess it depends on the bike but I know in my bike which is the fastest production bike, at 120mph the acceleration is much higher than my 996, actually its not even close. And also I have seen small 600cc bikes out accelerate my 996 at speeds between 60-120mph while I was at WOT. As how fast? which size bike? My 2003 GSX-R1000 will do 0-120mph in 7,7 secs officially, thats faster than a McLaren F1 or an Enzo. Those are the facts (A 600cc needs around 10secs) Now, top speed generally favors the cars due to HP needen to overcome the drag at those speeds, mine does 175mph (still marginally faster than my 996) but a 600cc will do only 160mph. You are right about the exaust sound of these bikes, but even at low rev's like 6000RPM they are screaming. Its because the engines are so tight (mine pumps 160HP from just 1000cc) and rev up to 12000RPM. If you go to my web page under my signature, there is a video of my GSX-R1000, the bike is screaming but actually I'm only using half of the powerband up to only 6000RPM since I was still on the break-in on this one. Believe me, driver factor aside, any 600cc spotbike bike and up will out drag any Porsche on a rolling starts up to starting at speeds above 120mph. And its very easy to do rolling starts on a bike, the tricky part is standing starts. And 1000cc sportbikes are in another league alltogether, imagine a 1200HP Porsche's acceleration? thats about it up to 175mph

OK I found some info on the subject which leaves it pretty clear and are also some fun readings <a href="http://www.pro-libertate.com/gsxr1000/Magazine_Articles/bike-car/bike-car.html" target="_blank">2001 GSX-R1000 vs Vette Z06 article</a> <a href="http://solo2.abac.com/avigdor/mags/caranddriver%20dec1996/Page.html" target="_blank">Viper vs 1000cc sport-touring bike (not the fastest 1000cc but still blows the Viper)</a> <a href="http://solo2.abac.com/avigdor/mags/roadandtrack%20june2000/Page.html" target="_blank">R&T shootout b/w race cars, modded cars and a ZX-12R too</a>

i agree with carlos-a competent motorcycle rider could take a 996 thru the straights up to 120 mph time after time-and he doesn't necessarily need a sportbike. a honda goldwing or a bmw k1200lt will probably do the job. they just have too much power for their weight.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Waz996: <strong>I do have a few posts on bikes vs 996 as i do have quite a hefty experience with bikes.. my only competitors in Nigeria were bikes, for the lack of supercars *or the waste of carreras and the like driven by show off yuppies* Anyway, fact is there is no way you can win 0-60 with a 750cc or more.. Otherwise, if you do catch them at +140km, you can go along head to head till 250 after which the carrera's aerodynamics take over.. I've raced two 750's up to 250km/hr and then overtook them after 270km/hr.. Talking about twisties, the carrera will surely control the situation since no bike can take lateral g's the way a carrera can handle +0.80g Now Carlos, i did race a GSX1000R like yours.. Carrera loses on all counts.. the 1000R takes advantage of the straights and loses some time on the twisties but not to let me even get close.. He was just too fast. Last impression is that if ever one should race with a bike, never do it behind the biker.. From experience point of view, I almost ran one of the bikes in an emergency braking maneouver.. I still shiver! Waz</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">I experienced the same thing too staright-line vs twisties from both points of view But todays 1000cc bikes are just crazy, they are just race bikes with a licence plate on them, their acceleration, their brakes, their tires, their riding position, etc. Its an experience that shouldn't be missed, even if its just a test ride. Especcially the GSX-R1000, after riding the 2002 model and now the 2003, if I encounter one with my car, I'll just salute with the fellow biker "V" sign and proceed my own way

Carlos, Before leaving lagos, i drove the Yamaha R1 for a couple of minutes and it just left me thinking that any car is just not worthy in respect of performance, pick-up and most important feeling the power surge.. Bikes of that sort and yours are just another dimension that need not compared to the carreras and the like.. Waz

Waz, I knew you coulnd't resist trying the R1 They are very dangerous though as you now ... I'm taking advantage of them as much as I can now because when I have kids soon I will probably have to let go <img border="0" alt="[crying]" title="" src="graemlins/crying.gif" />

Got smoked... Well, duh!

"... because when I have kids soon I will probably have to let go" Naah!!! I'm 58 years old; been riding bikes all my life. Currently doing it on a Ducati 996. I try to hit at least 130MPH every time I ride. Best speed so far (Yes, deserted road with plenty of visibility on all sides) was an indicated 150MPH. Since bike speedos are not known for accuracy, I'm sure the actual was something below that. I have to admit my wife doesn't like hearing that. Then again, she jumps horses so she knows she has no room to complain about risks! Anyway, my point is DON'T believe you have to give up something just because you are getting "older" from a responsibility point of view. If you give it up for some artificially-imposed outside restriction, you'll just be totally unhappy. Best advice I ever got: "Always drive a fast car (or Motorcycle) and you can't go wrong." That advice was given to me at age 17. It's never been wrong!! Keep riding!

Thanks Mike, I like your spirit <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> Problem is I know myself and I'm the dangerous part with bikes of such potential as the Gixxer or the Duc, and spanish roads are just one big track, even worse, my area has the highest motocycle related deaths in the country (mountanous-winding roads, mediterranean type drivers, ausome highways for all out WOT, good weather, little or very predictable speed traps and deeply rooted sportbike fanatism culture <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> ). I have lost a few friends/riding buddies and family members to motorcycle accidents over then years so make one feel your pushing your luck But I guess you are right, and I will probably never have the will to give them up anyway <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> and my wife knows how I feel about bikes and how I grew up as a child riding them that she would never make me give them up (she is actually incredibly brave to ride as a passenger with me at tripple digit speeds, I know I wouldn't)... but if I have a little kid

Now hear this.... On previous postings, I have said that I don't like to race boy-racers at the lights. But yesterday I snapped and something amazing happened. I was at the stop lights approaching the motorway entrance (Freeway to you guys). They went green and I moved off (at normal speed). Suddenly a Subaru Impreza came shooting thru the lights followed by a BMW M5, followed by a Yamaha bike. All three of them shot the lights at speed and entered the motorway. I had to swerve to miss the bike, the guy next to me slammed on and he got ploughed in his rear. Thankfully I didn't suffer any damage.....except I was soooooo pissed off. I mean I was freakin mad! In a split second I turned into a total monster. I slammed the pedal to the metal and chased after these idiots not realizing I was an idiot for doing so. Well the amazing thing is, I took those bastards out completely. I mean I flew past em...and that was from almost a standstill. I don't know what type of Yamaha it was but it was a mean mother. All done up to do racing. Looked at least 500cc but probably bigger. Big huge fat round tyres on the back. The Impreza was a piece of cake, the M5 was a little harder but I tell you guys, I just flew past them with no effort. The bike obviously was the hardest. But it was absolute no match to my 996.... I even had way more to go as they gradually got smaller and smaller in my rear view. I was doing 140, AND with top down too, and it was sweet. This is the first time I have ever done this speed and after it I had to pull off the motorway to have a cigarette. I was shaking with adrenaline. But I tell you guys, this car is the business. F...g amazing! But it frightened the livin dlight out of me. I mean there I was Jekyl and next moment Hyde. I just did it....and on the straight too.....and I am only driving a C2S....imagine if it was a Turbo. So don't go tell me that you can't take a bike out.

Hi Carlos, not quite. I had this discussion over a few beers (in the evening!) when I did some biking on the Nurburgring with Horst von Saurma and Helmut Daehne. Horst is an ex-racer and editor-in-chief of Sport Auto. He holds most of the Porsche lap records on the Ring. Helmut is an ex-racer and Metzeler representative. He holds the bike record on the Ring and has won the production TT on the Isle of Man. They made the following interesting points: - Both on the Ring and at Hockenheim a performance bike like a Gixxer beats a 996TT at any time in the dry (given a top rider/driver). - Only when you go to 450hp+ and race rubber does the car catch up. - Tyres are the main lever to improving lap times. - The real reason is that a GSX-R1000 and its tyres are much closer to race technology than, say, a 996TT. An easy proof is that teams now use virtually stock Gixxers in 8h and 24h endurance races. - Helmut's Ring record of approx. 7.47 has been done 10 years ago on a Honda RC30. When I asked him if he could beat that today on his R1 or a Gixxer, he said probably not, because even for him it is difficult to use the extra power in all but a few places and in fast flowing sections of the Ring like Kesselchen he struggels with the bike's weight and inertia. Cheers, Uwe

Hi Uwe, I read your post twice but I can't find what you disagree in refference to my post you quoted, since I agree with everything you said in your reply post.

Hi, OK, you says: "On a slower twisty track such as Hockenheim the 996 would win." I says "No" Hockenheim has two courses, the GP and the sog. "Kleiner Kurs". The "Kleiner Kurs" ist the twisty one, because it hasn't got the remaining parts of the "Waldgerade". On the "Kleiner Kurs", a 996TT does about 1:15, an Gixxer on BT12SS about 1:10. Cheers, Uwe

Ahh, I see Uwe, My mistake then I thought that Kleiner Kurs was twisty enough for the car to win, but I guess its not. I'm very impressed at the GSX-R1000... I didn't know the Gixxer on its stock tires could pull a 1:10 there You need to call in a 996 GT3 Cup to beat that among other things its got slick tures BTW a GSX-R750 ('98) and a Kawa ZX-9R ('00) have done 7:55 already in the 20,832Km standard course at Nurburgring. And if those can do that I can imagine what the current gixxer 1000 will do in the ring given the proper driver.

Carlos and Uwe are right in that if you want the ultimate acceleration superbikes are IT, not even close. As Carlos points out, the negative is your risk profile, ie chance of injury or death, is much much higher on the street on the bike[even if you don't make the mistake]. Be careful Carlos, I am very glad to hear you are thinking of your safety... and your family. I am chased by superbikes frequently in the Santa Monica Mountains where i live. No way i can hold them in a straight even in the gt2, but there are few... straights and one set of 2nd gear esses and i can't even see them any more they're so far behind... and every weekend, the ambulance come to Malibu and takes home the dead and the wounded superbikers, AKA temporary Americans...

Hi Carlos, yes, von Saurma thought that a kilo-gixxer would give a GT2 a run for its money, and he did a sub-7:50 (7:46?) in a GT2 on stock tyres. It is difficult to get accurate times, though, because the proper timing is from T13 to T13 (the old finish line) and you can only do that when the Ring is closed. Otherwise they don't let you nail it down the long straight at Doettinger Hoehe, because it's used as entry and exit. So a lot of times you see posted on the net are approximations. The all-time lap record, however, is an incredible 6:11 in a 956 by the late Stefan Bellof. Cheers, Uwe

uwe, yeah n-ring times for gt2, maybe new gt3 right there with those gix... must be enough corners!! btw, here we are with the temporary americanos....

Yes, I would give anything to know what Helmut Dahne "the king of the ring" would lap in the 2003 GSX-R1000 though the Saurma's GT2's 7:46 is very fast but I think the gixxer on a warm dry day could beat that though not by much. BTW that 6:11 of Bellof is not a real 6:11 because it was done in 2km shorter of the old ring course of 20,832m, rather than the current standard 22,832m lap, but its still amazing, nothing is best suited for the ring as a Porsche

No doubt, no bike is match for you GT2 in the twisties, so I guess it depends in the ratio between straights and curves. BTW Watt, did you recieve yet your GT3 that you ordered? What are the pro's and cons you see compared to your GT2? Nobody better to ask than one who owns both of them

Thank you, Uwe, for the numbers. And thank you, Watt, for the statement about risk profiles. I've been watching this post for a while and kept feeling a bit disturbed. Bikes (at speeds that won't get you instantly thrown in jail) have a huge acceleration advantage. In the twisties, with stock sticky tires that are warmed up, a bike will keep close to a Carerra, faster or slower. This is assuming equally skilled drivers/riders. Once the road straightens out, however, the bike will pull away and continue to do so on every straight. It would be difficult for any car to make that up. Here's my point, most of the fast riders I know NEVER push 100% on the street. There are too many things that can go wrong from gravel to oil to getting your head knocked off from opposing traffic while apexing a turn. Cars can generally recover from these things so there is less penalty for pushing it. These same fast riders hone their skills and play only at the track. I track my bike but will not track the C4S. I come away from the track with melted rubber all the way out to the edges of the tires...I never get this on the streets. When you "beat" a bike on the streets with your car, you have no idea whether the rider was at his limit...he may just be playing it smart or just not playing. As someone stated earlier, certainly don't "push" a bike by following behind them...it's not worth the awful feeling you will have seeing him low side, high side, or just run off the road. Just respect each others machines and move on. Sorry for the reaction. Andy

So true, Andy.

Carlos I hope you are well!!! the ratio between straights and curves at N ring must be absolutely balanced GIXXer: GT2!. my gt3 completed 6/26/3 and i expect it in august. i certainly will report comparing gt2 and gt3. i am hoping someone in europe will do it sooner!!! i am going off to do the high speed road races in Nevada this summer: the altitude starts at 5,000 and runs to 7,000 which i believe will advantage the gt2. Gary/ringmeister, a superior driver, who ran in his gt3 at N ring in June but has not driven a gt2, believes the gt2 will be more fun on the street and gt3 the track..... we shall see.

Watt, How often do you drive around Malibu, and which roads do you take? Do you usually go mornings or afternoons? It looks like you were hanging out at the intersection of stunt and saddlepeak roads in the pic there. I was up there last sunday, driving up Stunt from Mulholland. Some crazy dude in an old red 930 slantnose was mashing the throttle up the hill in front of me... What in your opinion are the best roads (I thought Stunt was pretty sweet ) around there? I usually come up Las Flores from Santa Monica. One time a couple of months ago, the cops were waiting halfway up the hill with the radar guns. Do you see a lot of police up there...? David

Some nice cars in that pic! Not sure about the yellow one though.

how about this one noony??? david, latigo cyn.

Hey Carlos, your thinking right. You don't have to give it up, just slow up. Me, I'm 64 & own a BMW K75 because if I own bigger I'll go too fast. Last year I rented a BMW R1100 out of Milan. Took the ferry north of Rome to southern Sardina, took the bike up through Corsica and across to Verona, solo. 180-190kpm for hours. Ahhhhhh, I really picked my cookies (you can't do that in the US). My wife and I went down at about 60mph in 1971 and I can still remember the roll. Maybe that's why she wouldn't go with me last year.

That must of been a beautiful ride Torags and you sure picked the right bike for the job

Say Carlos, I did Spain into Portugal thru France with my bride in 1971 on a BSA I picked up in London. Took that bike to NY then drove it cross country to San Francisco in 5 days. That was one ugly ride on that shaker. Turned me into a BMW fan.

Wow, you have been to Spain before me BMW's are amongst my favorite touring bikes... in my GSX-R1000 after 1 hour of riding, your hands have already gone completely numb & knees have cramped

Carlos: "in my GSX-R1000 after 1 hour of riding, your hands have already gone completely numb & knees have cramped" I have trouble with my neck with the low bars. I need 3" bars, for fairly good weight distribution. Although after three hours the palms of my hands begin to give me trouble.

A light aerodinamic carbonfiber type helmet (Shoei X-ceed II) helps my neck a lot, no trouble there but then again I never rode for than 2 hours straight without stopping in the gixxer (you would run out of gas soon afterwards too ), but I have in the quad

carlos have you tried a Stand 21 helmet? i just got one --- incredibly light it feels like the box is empty when you pick it up

But thats a racecar helmet, right? does Stand 21 make motorcycle helmets? I never seen or tried one, but I have heard they were excellent quality and very very light. How much does it weight?

they weigh 1300-1100 grammes. M and S helemts are identical in their testing and most fabrications, but S [car] helemts are lined with Nomex. i emailed stand to see which model is best for bikes

About the same weight as the one I use Shoei X-Ceed II, weighs 1280gms(+/-50gms) - carbon fibre shell, hand-laminated construction, racetrack derived ventilation system and racebike's aerodinamics. But its only for bikes, used in racing in MotoGP and SBK.

In the US they should be DOT (Department of Transportation) approved for bikes.

how much are they carlos, the stand 21's are $1,000.

The Shoie X-ceed II is now the Shoei X-Spirit here in Europe, you should be able to get them for $650-800 depending on the color design (solid color, replica, ect). Prices and models may be different in the US than Europe, its Shoie's race helmet. The other good known manufacturer from motorcycle racing is Arai. Are you looking for a bike helmet?

I did some research on the lite weight helmets. The standards agency for helmets is the Snell Memorial Foundation. The lightweight helmets are generally SA90 or SA95 (special applications 1990 or 1995). Schnells motorcycle standard is M2000 which probably is the test required by the DOT (Dept of Transportation). Additionally, the racing helmets have too many vents and this design wouldn't do, when biking in the rain. On some of the bike racing handlebars are so low the weight of you head without a helmet can become tiresome (of course some might say bikers have no brains, so it's no big deal).