How fast have you ridden a motorcycle?

[NorCalToy]

I had the NH to 100 earlier today getting on the freeway...up a hill. Then had to let up as I nearly went down when the front tire decided to stay in the grooves of the pavement...

Yikes...glad you had the good sense to avoid disaster

I try to stay in the double digits but it's just soooo hard.

All too often Ill be cruising along the fwy at 70-75 which is my usual pace as I like to move through traffic instead of risking cars not seeing me as they pass etc. and i start to feel more wind than normal and I look down and Im up to 85 or 90 somehow 

[jrj_51]

For the life of me, I can only seem to get my '91 750 up to about 120. I've tried tucking down with a tail wind going downhill.  I'm slightly broad shouldered and 200 lbs+ in full gear...  What I'd like to know is when my buddy's  Rune stops accelerating.  Rolling on in top gear it only takes about 5-7 sec to go from 80 to 110.  If it wasn't someone else's $18,000, 600 mile just-got-back-from-the-shop-after-laying-it-down-at-the-450mi-mark piece of art on wheels, I'd already have an idea...   

[mikem1968]

Keep in mind that your bike loves to rev. At 65mph in 5th or 6th, you're a long ways from the powerband. Drop it to third and see what happens (hint: no longer struggling).

So far my shifting has been corresponding to road speed, while I know I should be paying attention to RPM's - I just don't for some reason. Maybe I just haven't pushed it hard enough in the lower gears to see the difference.

I've been shifting through at this kind of sequence

1st gear 0-15 or 20 mph
2nd gear 15-25 or 30 mph
3rd gear 25-35 or 40 mph
4th gear 35-45 or 50 mph
5th gear 45-55 or 60 mph
O D (6th gear) 55 and up

It seems that at those top speeds each gear is revving at it's max - at least it feels that way, I have noted some variation at times, but this has been how I've been shifting. Perhaps I need to push it further in 3rd and up ??? 

[Laminar]

Keep in mind that your bike loves to rev. At 65mph in 5th or 6th, you're a long ways from the powerband. Drop it to third and see what happens (hint: no longer struggling).

So far my shifting has been corresponding to road speed, while I know I should be paying attention to RPM's - I just don't for some reason. Maybe I just haven't pushed it hard enough in the lower gears to see the difference.

I've been shifting through at this kind of sequence

1st gear 0-15 or 20 mph
2nd gear 15-25 or 30 mph
3rd gear 25-35 or 40 mph
4th gear 35-45 or 50 mph
5th gear 45-55 or 60 mph
O D (6th gear) 55 and up

It seems that at those top speeds each gear is revving at it's max - at least it feels that way, I have noted some variation at times, but this has been how I've been shifting. Perhaps I need to push it further in 3rd and up ??? 

Yes. Look at your RPMs. Don't shift under 4000. Your bike is more than comfortable doing 9000rpm.

[Snoopy]

I hit redline on mine..she loved it and wanted more!!

[chas550sc]

'83 550  in 1985..... 117 on Speedo with plenty of visability - Eastern Shore of MD. Worried about a damn bird though.

[thepeople1oo]

got a speeding ticket umm bout two years ago 127  on my 85 700s was racing a mustang

[hppants]

thepeople100 - Forgive my curiosity, but how much did that ticket cost you?  Were you brought in immediately to face a magestrate?

[JB1290]

The fastest I've gone on 2 wheels was 130MPH on a friends VFR when I was a young lad. I did it once and never went that fast again unless I was in a car. Just the thought of a catastrophic failure of any kind on a bike at that speed makes me cringe. 

[noahnsteph]

I  hit 110mph today on our ride. It seemed to sputter a bit if I tried any more than that but I haven't balanced the carbs or done any tuning on this bike yet. Hell it's running without a charging system currently due to a dead short in the rectifier. We just swapped batteries half way through the ride and kept on goin.

[thepeople1oo]

hpplants, got put in cuffs stayed in jail till morning cuz i got pulled over around 8 at night had to wait for the magestrate to open went in front of him got a 275 dollar speeding ticket and lost my licence for 6 months cuz i was doing 127 in a 55 i guess anything 30 over u lose it..

[gammer]

got a speeding ticket umm bout two years ago 127  on my 85 700s was racing a mustang

Yeah, but did you beat the 'stang?
 

[thepeople1oo]

Yes sir I had just got infront of em came up over a knoll n there sat the cop we both pulled over but I was infront so u might kno it I was the one he got on radar

[hppants]

Wow - IMO, either:

1.  Penn. has the cheapest speeding fines.
2.  That was a very long time ago.
3.  You sweet talked your fine way down.

That violation today in Louisiana would have cost you at least $1,500.00.

[Laminar]

My ticket for 96 in a 55 in Iowa was $123. I drove myself home but ended up losing my license for 8 months.

[OhCrap]

Wow - IMO, either:

1.  Penn. has the cheapest speeding fines.
2.  That was a very long time ago.
3.  You sweet talked your fine way down.

That violation today in Louisiana would have cost you at least $1,500.00.

Over here that would cost you your driving license, the bike, and you'd probably get a fine somewhere around 2.000 euro's or higher.

I should be more careful.. 

[gammer]

Speeding is a funny thing on a bike. Its easy to do...to easy, and sometimes the police even expect it. For example, I was caught doing 82 Km/h in a 60 Km/h zone. Got a ticket for doing 11 Km over the limit. The police officer told me that I can safely to 5 - 10 Km over the limit and not be bothered.
Also, I have two cousins who are police officers. And they both told me that they have strict instructions that if they are pulling over a bike, and the bike decides to give chase...to let the bike go. I would never try to out run a police on my bike. Too dangerous...too stupid.
My practice is to stay within that 5 - 10 Km's over the limit zone, and when its safe I open it up.

[OhCrap]

It's the same over here usually, unless a camera gets you because then they have to stick to the numbers. It's just so easy to go a little to fast on a bike. I remember I was also allowed to go 10kph over the speed limit during my driving exam, while in a car the margin was only 5kph.

[tcoop]

I was on a business trip back in 2001 in North Carolia had a brand new rental car (I think it was an Allegro) was cruising down the interstate nice and smooth ride no one else on the road. Notice the needle was buried excess of 120 mph. Seen the officer on the side of the road. Let my foot of the petal and got it down to where I could safely brake and pulled over. He said he radared me after I slowed down got me for 90+but he knew I was going faster. He wrote the ticket for going 90 cost me $125.

[OhCrap]

One day I was blowing off some steam on my GPX600R a long time ago when I was young, stupid and reckless. Been driving flat out at top speed wherever possible on the motorway for an hour, passing cars left and right, when I pulled in a gas station. After filling the bike up and paying I was about to take off again when a police car pulled up with the sirens on and stopped me. Turns out they'd been trying to catch me for 45 minutes or so, but their unmarked police car would only go a 154kph. I got a ticket for that speed instead of the 240kph I was actually doing because that was the highest speed they could measure me doing, plus another ticket for passing cars on the right side. Cost me over 600 bucks, if I only I hadn't stopped for gas..

The guys that stopped me were really nice though, complimented me on the bike and even acknowledged I had the proper machine to do that stuff with. Looked like they had a huge adrenaline rush from the chase I wasn't even aware off, lol

[gammer]

The guys that stopped me were really nice though, complimented me on the bike and even acknowledged I had the proper machine to do that stuff with. Looked like they had a huge adrenaline rush from the chase I wasn't even aware off, lol

Doesn't it kind of throw you for a loop when you see a police and next thing you know they pull YOU over!!
I bet at first you were confused, but probably only took a second to realize that you were getting pulled over for the speeding.

[RIDERED]

i got 6 tickets one night, youget the same tickets each town you pass, we were well over a 100, when we passed him and never seen him, long dark repaved road with no lines,

by the time i seen him[ remember what your mirrors do at speed i had to look back to confirm] there was a corner when i opened it up figuring if he was shooting radar it doesnt bend, i was approaching top speed when i looked ahead and seen a huge redlight show, i slowed down to a hundred and cruised while he cameup on my ass and stayed there, two guys got away and two stayed to pay lol

[OhCrap]

The guys that stopped me were really nice though, complimented me on the bike and even acknowledged I had the proper machine to do that stuff with. Looked like they had a huge adrenaline rush from the chase I wasn't even aware off, lol

Doesn't it kind of throw you for a loop when you see a police and next thing you know they pull YOU over!!
I bet at first you were confused, but probably only took a second to realize that you were getting pulled over for the speeding.

This was over ten years ago, so I don't remember every detail. But usually when I'm driving like that I know damn well I'm breaking at least a few laws, which means I know there can be serious consequences and I'm prepared to accept them (shouldn't do it if you're not). I think I knew right away those guys were after me when I heard that siren, but I guess I was kinda used to being pulled over after driving a moped that's 3 times faster then legally permitted from my 16th to 18th. The cops over here don't approach us as aggressive as I've seen the US ones do in reality shows though. I think they don't really have to since there's practically no risk they're getting shot at because there aren't a lot of guns in this country. The guy jumped out ready to grab me before the car came to a full stop, but asked me nicely if he could have a word with me when I didn't run off right away.

I didn't even mind the fines to be honest. I was driving like that regularly for 5 or 6 years or so, and this was the first time I got caught. I figured I got away with it cheap. I would've happily payed a few 100 bucks a year if it would mean I could keep making up my own traffic laws back then.

[Ol School]

It was on my bucket list ..after getting a few problems sorted out on my 550 ...new tires , brakes and clean carbs ... I found a long deserted hwy nothing but cotton fields on both sides for as far as the eye could see .
I throttled up from 3rd gear on ...the speedo passed 100 mph before I shifted into 6th with throttle to spare .( never looked down at the speedo again as I shifted into 6th )
I haden`t installed the windshield yet ...the pavement was passing so fast infront of me like a blurrr and the wind on my chest and face was like tornado force ....... I never felt so ALIVE !
I think I`m still grinning months latter ..

 

[geemann]

two week ago I was trying to get on I-85 in front of a long line of trucks, i rolled on the throttle (like I am used to doing in my cage) and got in front of the trucks with more ease than usual.  I glanced down to see ~120mph on my '92 cb750. gasped when i realized just how fast I could loose my license and backed it down.

~G