You have to ask yourself, why is the speedo off but the tach is said to be right on ?
That was true in many cases, but not so much anymore.
When doing many magazine tests, it was proven time and again that the bike that had the greatest sensation of speed was not very often the fastest , but just handled bad.
The OEM people build that little bit of extra excitement into the product so to preserve the thrill without the price of reality.
At traffic speeds, it keeps your tickets down, at speed speeds , it bolsters bragging rights.
Both degrees of error help to sell more UJM products.
On the salt, riding skills and applied technique will get that little bit extra that some never will.
Their is a lot more to it than tire and gear selection.