Highway Riding on the GZ

[Nutterhead]

So I was trying to look and see if there were any threads about riding the GZ on the Highways. I know it is a smaller bike CC wise but I've seen smaller bikes in actually size on the highways. Can anyone share their highway thoughts and tips?

[Easy Rider]

Can anyone share their highway thoughts and tips?

What exactly do you mean when you say "highway" ??

If you mean a 2-lane state or federal highway with a speed limit of 55 or 60.......then it does just fine. Several people on here have taken them on LONG trips; mine was 1,200 miles.

If you mean freeway or interstate......then not really a good idea. YOu have to push the little beast to it's limits to keep up and with a little hill or head wind, you can't EVEN keep up.
For a couple of miles between interchanges it would be OK but othewise probably not.

[dhgeyer]

What he said.

[frempath]

The GZ250 will do highway speeds, but does not really like it much. It shines as an urban commuter where your sustained speed is less than 55. I am really not all that comfortable with it at higher speeds because there is no reserve throttle left to get you out of a tight spot, if need be. Also it is a thumper, so for me the high vibration at highway speed numbs my right hand very quickly due to an old wrist injury.

I think that it really depends what type of riding you do. If you do urban riding with only occasional highway use and little freeway use, this is an excellent bike. For extended highway or freeway use, there are better choices. I always likes the half liter to 650 for a nice utility bike that won't be best at anything, but will be acceptable for everything. One lady I used to work with loved her Vulcan 500 for the ergonomics and the ability to due freeway speeds all day.

As for tips,
Keep you head on a swivel,
Watch out for large trucks as they can have a nasty bow wave that will try to push you away and then suck you in as they pass,
Be ready for rain,
If it will get dark, take more jacket then you think you will need, dips in the road can have damp cold spots that make the ride really uncomfortable,
Wear all the safety gear you are comfortable with, but remember you are more likely to loose any parts that are not protected,
County roads can be the most fun to ride, but can have the least maintenance so ride with care,
Have fun and let the road wash the stress of the day away.

frempath

[alanmcorcoran]

In general what easy said. One exception: if you are commuting on Ca freeways you can split lanes nicely with the geezer and you can also use the carpool lane. But outside of commuter time you have to really flog it to keep up.

[UH40]

Hello Nutterhead,

I just recently (a few days ago) took a trip 1,200 miles using the Florida Turnpike to 75 to 10 to 49 to 20 and continued on westward. I kept in the right hand lane contstantly scanned my surroundings and pushed the bike a little hard. It was not at all an easy ride, and the bike will shake you up a little, but it is possible to do. The highest speed I attained was 70mph and that was really when I was descending small hills. I backed off the throttle if the speed started to go over 70. I also would move my seating position to the rear seat to stretch out a bit while riding and this caused the front of the bike to "shimmy" or want to "float" and wander.

I would not suggest a trip like this unless you have lots of saddle time or bike experience because you truly have to be very aware of what is around you at all times and try to position yourself accordingly because as stated by the other members above there is absoutly no throttle room left and you could get into some trouble if you are not careful.

Ride Safe
-=UH40=-

[Easy Rider]

I would not suggest a trip like this unless you have lots of saddle time or bike experience

OTOH, I would absolutely suggest a trip like that if you have the time to do it OFF the Interstates.......especially if you can find a US highway that roughly parallels a major Interstate......like US 41 north and south or US 40 or 50 east and west.

The little beast will run 55-60 all day long and if you have a lot of vibration at that speed, you need a valve check or a carb cleaning or chain maintenance.

[Nutterhead]

Thanks for all of the advice. I do not plan on taking a long trip on such a small bike on the interstates. I probably will on back roads. If anything the only time I would ride it on the interstate is to work and that would be a 30 to 40 minute ride and our speed limit around here is only 65. So it sounds like that would be possible according to what most of you are saying. Thanks for all the help.

[Easy Rider]

our speed limit around here is only 65. So it sounds like that would be possible according to what most of you are saying. Thanks for all the help.

Yes, if.....BIG IF.....drivers generally obey the limit during rush times.

Some places around the country, you are going slow if you are 15 over......right up to the dead stop crawl......and then people wonder why there are traffic jams. :roll:

[alanmcorcoran]

There's still the ass factor. Even at 55 not sure you want to have your behind in the Geezer stock seat for any length of time.

[emory70]

i ride a hundred miles a day, weather permitting. half of it is city traffic and half is rural highway. on the highway, i run 60, and if there is even a moderate headwind, that is all the geezer will do. the bike runs fine at that speed, but crosswinds are a bummer.

[UH40]

I agree with you Easy on your comment - I meant to say that I would not suggest a long trip on the Freeway where the speed limit is 70 :) When I travel back I am going to take 2 weeks and parallel the freeway route and camp out. That will be a great trip for this bike :) and also my GZ250 settled in to 60MPH quite nicely - I love the bike even though I am a little tall for it at a height of 6'4 :)

-=UH40=-

[cspan37421]

I ride mine on the highway - as I did my previous bikes. It is not uncommon for me to find the throttle stop before I find 70 mph. However, there's one free mod can help your top end speed. But you won't like it. Crouch down - way down. Wind resistance at that speed and with the profile you present to the road is a HUGE factor in knocking down your progress. It may not be safe to draft a truck, but if you happen to get behind one, you'll see why it's the wind holding you back. Anything you can do to cut wind resistance helps.

Also, IMHO, divided interstate highway is the safest place to ride, despite the higher speeds. Why? No intersections. No one will turn left in front of you. Everyone is going in the same direction. Limiting factors: deer at night (which is a factor for most roads), and someone coming up on you fast from behind (ditto, but maybe elevated risk on the interstate). Overall though, I think it is safer, and I think the data bear it out.

[Easy Rider]

Overall though, I think it is safer, and I think the data bear it out.

It depends on what you are comparing it against......and exactly what Interstate you are on too.

In general, I suspect you are right .......if you are comparing a non-metro Interstate to a heavily travelled 2-lane........or heavy city traffic.

IF, however, you are talking about a heavily travelled metro Interstate, then you are absolutely wrong. One almost never sees a bike on the "freeways" near Chicago for a very good reason; bikes just don't last long in that environment. :skull:

So.......it depends on speed and traffic density.
Higher speed + higher traffic density = more dangerous.
Lower speed + lower traffic density = safer
......generally.

Just saying "Interstates are safer" in somewhat misleading.

P.S. It depends partly on rider uneasiness too.
In your fair city, you have one of the WORST sections of metro interstate in the country IMHO.
It absolutely scares the CRAP out of me, bike or car.
I won't use it at night anymore; I'll drive throght town instead.

[alanmcorcoran]

I can attest to some of what Easy said. Did a lot of miles on Illinois backroads Saturday pretty much by myself on very straight, practically empty, two laners. Mainly ran into some Very Large Bugs. At one point I had a giant bee on my faceshield right between my eyes. Another rather large buzzing thing hit me right in the jacket gap and I spent a mile or so frantically making sure it wasn't stuck inside my jacket. Other than that, you'd have to get struck by a meteor.

[zenbutcher]

* Disclaimer: I have only been riding a year. The GZ is my first bike. And, I have already been told that what I'm about to say isn't normal and/or good for the bike.

With that said, here's my take: I ride a 4-lane median-separated highway to work everyday (US 27 from Sale Creek, TN to Dayton, TN and back). It's only about 10 miles one-way. But... I can comfortably achieve 70-75 MPH easily. I've had the bike up to 80 MPH or so for a few miles. It's an '02 with about 12k on her (I've put 4k in a year). I don't know if this is atypical because people don't want to push their bikes, are afraid, or what. But, I cruise at 70 quite regularly between Sale Creek, TN and Hixson, TN on US27.

I will say this: I have noticed that the bike performs much better (acceleration-wise) when I dump some fuel system cleaner in the gas tank at every other fill-up and keep fresh oil in it. Also, when I use the 10% ethanol mixture, I notice a drop in performance.

One caveat... I took the bike up on Sale Creek Mountain up HWY 111 last weekend and it had a LOT less power at that elevation. My normal travels are at around 700 FT and the mountain gets to around 1600, I'd guess. I *think* a lot of these varying performance issues may be related to elevation/cleanliness of fuel system/fuel used/etc.

[Easy Rider]

But... I can comfortably achieve 70-75 MPH easily. I've had the bike up to 80 MPH or so for a few miles.

A stock GZ is geared so that it will do 70-75 but at some strain on the engine (lots of RPMs).
You probably shouldn't expect to get 100K miles out of it pushing it that hard.

I had trouble doing 70 because of the higher gearing with the 16T front sprocket and the drag of a big shield. It would get there, it just took a LONG straight to do it. When it did get to 70 though, it wasn't turning quite as fast; slightly less strain on the engine.

[dannylightning]

when i rode min on the highway i would do 55 or 60 or it sounded like it wanted to blow up. highway riding was not fun on the gz... not fun at all. donnt go on any highway with speed limits over 60 mph...

[emory70]

i hear ya. there are roads here in jacksonville that my geezer will never see.

[Viirin]

* Disclaimer: I have only been riding a year. The GZ is my first bike. And, I have already been told that what I'm about to say isn't normal and/or good for the bike.

Hahaha - I like that

[Orpheus]

I use mine to ride to work: 30 miles of 65mph highway. Doesn't like it, but I can keep up with traffic (most of the time). Sometimes the little thing will do 75 - 80 (I've taken it on trips on 75mph highways); other times, it's straining to do 65. I'm sure I'm not doing the engine any favors by running it like that, but I've already more than paid for the thing in the gas money I've saved.

Edit: By the way, I've lost a lot of weight (about 50 lbs) since the last time I really pushed it to the limit; I'd like to get a nice stretch of open road and see if I can go any faster.

[dannylightning]

i would not run it over 65mph for extended periods of time.

[Nutterhead]

Thanks all ... I was abke to take it out on a 65 mph highway and made it fine ...