top speed around 50mph?

[rockand0rroll]

I've had my GZ250 for about 2 weeks, and so far so good in general. I bought it used, and had a friend who is an excellent mechanic give it a full overhaul before even taking it out. Generally the bike is running great and it's working great as a commuter in the city. Tonight I tried to push it a bit when I went riding with a friend (who was on a much faster bike), and i found that even in 5th gear it was kinda slowly approaching 50mph. I am about 6' and just under 200lbs. From what I've read, it should do another 10-20mph faster, but does it just accelerate to those speeds a bit sluggishly? Does this point to any apparent problems? Is this typical? Does the bike need to warm up for a bit to get to it's higher speeds? Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thanks.

[blaine]

Welcome to the forum.This bike tends to be a little sluggish in 5th gear,but it should accelerate cleanly to 60 mph.Are you shifting into 5th to soon?You can run to 45 in 4th,no problem.Have you tried come Sea Foam or Berrymans B-12 in a tank of fuel to clean the carb? The bike needs to be fully warm to be able to reach it's full potential.
:2tup:

[Rionna]

I have had my bike on the highway and have maintained 60 -65 mph with ease. I have gotten to 70 to pass but didn't maintain that speed for long because it was too much strain on my bike. I ride mostly in 5th gear because more often than not I'm riding over 40 mph. My bike has 1500 miles on it, and I don't know if it matters, but it comes out of the garage rolling strong and doesn't need warming up other than the 30 seconds I leave the choke on when I first start it. I'm by no means a mechanic, but I know that 50 mph top speed is not normal for the GZ.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by rockand0rroll

i found that even in 5th gear it was kinda slowly approaching 50mph.

Hi there,

From this quote, it seems that you've not ridden/driven anything with a manual gearbox before. Am I correct? You need to accelerate in the lower gears, one at a time, getting up to highish revs each time, before you change up. 5th gear is a sort of "overdrive" so don't expect much accelleration in it. It seems like you need someone to explain how to use a manual gearbox, as you ride. :2tup:

[rockand0rroll]

Thanks for the replies. I am new to riding and manual gears, so it sounds like this is just a matter of me learning to operate the bike properly. Thanks again.

[Water Warrior 2]

We all go through a learning curve with our bikes. Keep riding and listen to the bike. Soon you will get a feel for the speeds in every gear .

[alanmcorcoran]

Unless you are riding with a tailwind or slightly downhill, stick to fourth gear for your best speed. If the GZ is presented with any resistance, it will lose velocity in fifth. Also, as your speed increases, most of the work becomes moving the air. If you maintain a more aerodynamic profile you can add 10 mph. Next time you feel a need for speed tuck in your knees and elbows and stick your chin on the speedo.

Finally - the bikes DO benefit from regular riding and will go faster eventually if they've been sitting for a while. The carburetor is very prone to getting gummed up and the longer it sits, the worse it gets. Two weeks is not a problem, but they start to get cranky after that. The good news is that most of the time you can cure this problem by riding a tank of gas or two through it. Many other poster's will sing the praises of Berryman's or Seafoam. Personally I haven't noticed them to be any more effective than just riding it more often.