realistic cruising speed?

[birdmove]

What might owners exsperience be on a realistic cruising speed on this bike? Can it run 60mph all day? 70mph, or?

Thanks,

[jonathan180iq]

It can certainly do 70mph, but you have to ride near 3/4-full throttle to maintain that speed and it feels nerveous. I wouldn't want to ride like that all day long.

A 16T front sprocket will help, but it will take the bike longer to reach top speed.

I'd say 60-65 no problem.

[Gadzooks Mike]

Hey, I once bought a car in Puyallup WA! I can even pronounce Puyallup!

[davidc83]

I commute 100 miles round trip to work, mostly 60-65mph (50% with Interstate traffic) with no problem. It can go faster, I have had it to 79mph, but I do not like riding over 65mph on any motorcycle so I dont. I just got back from a 1132 mile road trip, the last half, doing 60+ mph with the last 100 miles at 70-75mph. The only problem I had trying to maintain this speed was the really long, steep hills (in Tennessee and Kentucky), then I drafted either a car or truck to get me to the top.

[jonathan180iq]

I'll agree with David. Long interstate hills, even wide open, will drop your speed. There's really no way around it. This bike doesn't have the grunt needed to carry long hills and still break the speed limit. But, then again, that's not what it was designed for.

[davidc83]

But it drafts really well, which I do not recommend, and if you do, only for a short way and be carefull doing so, sight is limited and you never know when the vehicle in front of you will blow a tire.

[jonathan180iq]

sight is limited and you never know when the vehicle in front of you will blow a tire.

Or slam on the brakes for a squirrel.... :blush:

[Water Warrior 2]

Drafting !!! Yipes, leave that to the race track. You never know when a cage will pass over a piece of blown tire or rusty muffler. You will not see it in time to avoid it.

[davidc83]

That is why I said be careful if doing it and I do not recommend it. I only do it for very short distances and up very steep hills if needed.

[trykemike]

My machine purrs like a kitten at 80-90 kph ( 50-55 mph) . That keeps up with traffic on secondary highways. It is also a comfortable speed. It leaves some reserve if necessary.

[Eeyorebiker]

Well, it isn't exactly "all day", but I have rode mine at about 60- 65 mph for about 4 hours quite comfortably.

What is drafting? I have never heard of it.

[davidc83]

Sorry, if you dont know how to draft, or what it is, I am not going to explain it. Trying to do it and not knowing how could get you into trouble on the freeway. Only hint: watch nascar :-), but not to that extreme..

I communte to work, usually takes about an hour doing around 65mph after I hit the Interstate.

[El_Shorto]

I rode all the way back from Pensacola to Orlando doing 65 (in extreme pain) without any problems.

As far as drafting, unless you're with another bike, you're not really drafting. You're just catching the wind shadow of whatever you are following. Basically, you'll be doing 65 extremely close to the back end of a semi and have the feeling that you're at a dead stop because you get 0 wind. It's a very easy way to wind up a pancake. Also an excellent way to get pulled over.

[Eeyorebiker]

Ah, I see. Yeah, I think I'll leave that off of my to-do list. :)

[Dirt_McGert]

Realistic cruising speed IMHO is 60-65mph.

[Bill]

Certainly comfortable and sustainable at 55 - 60mph although can cruse a little faster all day. But it is a light cruiser and is not meant/designed to be a highway bike or a crotch rocket. It is what it is and a very fine bike at that.

Cheers!

[Gadzooks Mike]

Very well said, Bill. No sense trying to make it what it's not - enjoy what it is.

[davidc83]

I think they are all a little different. I cruised my home the other evening from work (39 miles) between 70-80 mph. At one point, I hit top speed of 80mph for about 3 miles (long flat stretch). My wife was behind me in her car and told me I was crazy going that fast (she had 80 on her digital speed odometer). I told her I wanted to see how fast it could go but I dont normally drive that fast. I normally only do about 65mph cruising the Interstate commuting to work now (78 miles round trip).

On another point, another 208 miles on 2.5 gallon of gas. yippee. It is constant as long as I dont buy gas at wally world.