Your average speed on a trip or local cruising around?

[Freebooter]

Hello all,
I was wondering, what is your preferred or average speed when you are on a trip across country or just riding the countryside locally? Mine on interstate is 65-70 on local country roads slower of course. The reason I ask this is back when I had my last bike, a buddy and I who had a bike and used to tool around with me, were riding around on country roads and ran into three other guys we knew who had bikes. So we started all just tooling around out in the country. Man, those other three guys went like 80 miles per hour or better everywhere they went. I was not enjoying the ride trying while keeping up with them. We finally just dropped back and let them go on.


To me, I can't enjoy a ride if I am hauling ass constantly and having to keep my eyes dead on the road, you can barely focus your eyes and the wind pulls my cheeks to my ears, etc. I like to just tool around at a moderate speed so I can glance and see the beauty of nature, my surroundings, enjoy the fresh air. Even on the Interstate on a trip I still like to enjoy my ride, not be blown back by wind and going so fast I can barely focus my eyes!! LOL! I go slower than if I were in a car, seldom over 70 (in a dependable car I am going 80-85).

So, I was just wondering what others think of this, what your preferred speed is while riding a highway. Just curious.
Freebooter
Alabama

 

[Rocky]

I'm 100% with you on that subject.
I like to enjoy my ride and not simply blitz the roads and blast around. Law enforcement is pretty strict around here anyway. You lose your licence for a week in addition to a heavy fine.
For the most part I stick fairly close to the speed limits which is 100 - 110 kph (60 -69 mph) on the super slab. I only use the slab to get to and from certain points on my modern bikes, otherwise I tend to enjoy the curvy country and coastal roads and scenery with a speed limit of around 70 -90 kph (42 -54 mph).
I don't thrash my vintage bikes and ride them only on country roads.
But that's not to say that I don't enjoy a burst of speed once in a while

 

[DaveM]

Well for me when doing a trip I would run at around 140 kilometer/hour = 86.991 966 914 mile/hour (mph) to 150 kilometer/hour = 93.205 678 836 mile/hour (mph) at this speed I find that I am still able to enjoy the ride and get where I want to in a decent time frame with stops. However if it is just a normal ride I would then tend to run at around 120 kilometer/hour = 74.564 543 069 mile/hour (mph). The funny thing is when I am in my car that is when I really struggle with my speed as I just cannot feel it so when I do loo down at the speedo it is one of those moments

I tend to stay away from those group rides where the average speed sits around 180 kilometer/hour = 111.846 814 6 mile/hour (mph)

 

[CarlS]

I avoid the slab whenever possible. However, when I ride up to the ranch in north Florida or ride to NC, I do use the interstate in the interest of time. I ride 75 to 80 miles per hour on the interstate, whatever it takes to stay in the left lane. On a trip where I don't have a time crunch, I ride the back roads. I ride 5 to 10 mph over whatever the speed limit is depending on road conditions. Off the paved roads I ride slowly and conservatively to enjoy the country I'm riding through.

The speeds I listed above are GPS derived speeds. My Bonneville's speedometer is 9% optimistic. I have verified this with radar. My Tiger XC's speedometer is a little less than 5% optimistic.

 

[Rocky]

Oddly enough the speedo on my Bonneville is only 2% optimistic at 100 kph according to my Garmin GPS.
My H***a is 9%.
I don't know how accurate the Smiths speedo's on the vintage bikes are. I just ride by what they read.
Riding at 140-150 kph is too unpleasant for me, plus that's in heavy speeding ticket country around here.

 

[keystiger]

Sometimes (I have to be honest) I really like to leave the saddlebags at home find a favorite twisty isolated road and see just how far/fast I can push it....total focus, I find it "blows out the cobwebs" in my brain....but those are 5-10 min little "jaunts" not all day.
The other 98% of the time, I ride whatever the speed needed to keep the cagers at bay. If on the slab and everyone is running 85-90 thats where I am at. I like to find a "pocket" where I have ample room fore and aft between myself and the cagers and "float" in that buffer zone.
Daily commute I run 70 across the Bay as thats what the cagers seem to like (even though the limit is 55 everyone runs 65-70 and the cops just sit and watch us all pass) Sunday pleasure rides. 5-10 over the limit depending on conditions traffic etc.

So I guess I don't have a "set speed" I am comfortable on the bike at any speed so i just "adapt and overcome".

But I must say Freebooter, good on ya'll for backing off, I would have done the same everyone rides their own way, thats one of the BEST things about bikes. I don't do group rides at all for various reasons, but the main one is my bike time is MY TIME and I'm not binning my bike to keep up with some nut, nor do I feel like spending my ride time picking up pieces of his bike and waiting on the Ambulance.........did enough of that as a kid, not a kid anymore.

 

[CarlS]

Rocky, I have a slightly taller tire on the rear of my T100 which added to the built in error. I ride my vintage bike mostly at the speed limit and rarely ride it on the super slab.

 

[Rocky]

Rocky, I have a slightly taller tire on the rear of my T100 which added to the built in error. I ride my vintage bike mostly at the speed limit and rarely ride it on the super slab.

10-4, now I get it
I was quite surprised at how close to correct the T100 speedo was compared to the H***a.

 

[CarlS]

I set my T100 up for cruising and traveling. I went up one tooth on the front sprocket also.

 

[donroger1]

On the Interstate highways and near the city I tend to ride at traffic speed +3 to 5 mph. I am not comfortable just finding a place in traffic. Unless I am moving through, I fear that I will become invisible.

On secondary roads I can be very comfortable near or slightly above the speed limit.

On my recent trip to Missouri to check on Mom, I purposely chose the back roads to avoid the Interstates. The "fastest" route to Kansas City is up the Interstate highways, some of which are Toll Roads, with speed limits of 75mph/120kph.

The backroads cut 50 miles off the total trip distance (one-way) and total riding time was a little over 8 hours. (very nearly the same time it takes to travel the interstates)

Mind you, I did squirt on up to some much higher speeds at times when the road became more "enjoyable".

RE: Group Rides. I usually only ride with a few other guys I know who all ride the same pace.
Our local bike shop sponsors group rides often to get new owners involved but I find those rides to be very dangerous. Many of the new riders have difficulty maintaining pace and I am usually surrounded by folks who spend too much time playing with their controls and not focusing on the ride. It feels like rush hour traffic all the way.

 

[Rocky]

Many of you live in very densely populated areas and have to contend with heavy traffic so I understand your concerns.
There are only 900,000 people in this province so we're pretty well spread out. It doesn't take very long to find empty country and coastal roads.
I like riding either alone or with one or two others, but I belong to a vintage motorcycle club that is very active and we have many group rides of 15 - 25 on the old machines. We're all mature riders and ride slow on the backroads so I never feel unsafe.

 

[keystiger]

Agreed on the group ride thoughts. A HUGE group ride is about to occur today here sometimes as many as 2-300 bikes. police escorts et all, but its just insane way to much on and off the brakes wondering what the guy next to you and his "old lady" are pointing at and sight seeing.....have seen to many accidents at the events to be involved. DOn't participate in the "Poker RUns" either. multiple stops usually at bars and most the participants are getting a drink or two at every stop......ridiculous really when you think about it. Amazed the powers that be allow these events really. But hey.....its for "charity"......

 

[donroger1]

"Drinking" and "any" vehicle operation is a recipe for disaster.
I am not opposed to drinking as long as it is at the end of the day when the bikes are stored for the night and the keys are put up.
If you feel compelled to trot out for something you've overlooked when packing, trot, walk, run, stagger. Just do it in a cab or on foot.
Will not ride in a group that involves drinking en route to the finish!!!

 

[Rocky]

"Drinking" and "any" vehicle operation is a recipe for disaster.
I am not opposed to drinking as long as it is at the end of the day when the bikes are stored for the night and the keys are put up.
If you feel compelled to trot out for something you've overlooked when packing, trot, walk, run, stagger. Just do it in a cab or on foot.
Will not ride in a group that involves drinking en route to the finish!!!

I don't drink and never have, but I'm no prude and have no problem at all with those who like pint.
But as stated above, the time for that is at the end of the day when the bikes are parked.

 

[keystiger]

Agreed. I will have a few at the house, after my traveling for the day is through. I live in a reasonably populated area. Mobile has 200,000 roughly and Daphne has a little over 23,000 soles so around 250,000 people in a small area. Driving around here is an adventure. Having a clear head is crucial to making it to your destination in 1 piece.

 

[The Seeker]

I ride whatever the speed limit happens to be. On freeways here if you don't, they'll run you over.

In the many rural twisties I normally take a leasurely pace and enjoy the countryside. If I really know the stretch of road well, I may take a blast at the twisties as fast as I can go for 5-6 miles just for fun, but that's only when I know that stretch like the back of my hand.

I met a guy once who was 80 y/o who invited me for a ride in the mountains. I figured it would be a nice scenic ride but I found myself struggling to keep up as he was scrapping his pegs through the twisties like a superbike racer! This dude was nuts!

I will say however that my tires always wear evenly with no signs of any chickenstrips.

My'96 Trophy's speedo is exactly 2mph below actual speed according to the GSP.


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[Freebooter]

Thanks y'all. I was just curious as to others feelings on the subject. As I was saying I normall just like tooling along, not real fast. But as someone said, I also like "getting on it" once in a while!
FB

 

[Silli]

I enjoy and partake in both types of riding but am happiest when pushing it a little.

One thing that I dislike about riding slowly is that my concentration seems to lapse - I find myself daydreaming which is obviously not clever.

Highways (the slab???) are where most of the speed traps occur so tend to ride at an indicated 15kph over the limit = 135 - 140 kph.

 

[DaveB]

I enjoy and partake in both types of riding but am happiest when pushing it a little.

Uh hum, yes I've noticed .

Our freeway speed limit is 120kph = 75mph. I ride at an indicated 140 which is probably an actual 130 and I seldom get speedtrapped. Some of our rural A & B roads have very few traps and we have been known to go a tad faster
.

My slowest ever trip was 2 years ago: 300km round trip into Lesotho (aka 'The Mountain Kingdom') and back. The blanket speed limit there is 60 kph = 37mph ! I went over 12,000 ft asl several times and did literally thousands of hairpin bends. It took 8 hours to do 187 miles.

 

[DaveM]

This reminds me of our one trip to the Buffalo rally in Mossel Bay. This was from Port Elizabeth to Mossel Bay a distance of 368 kilometer = 228.664 598 74 mile and it took us 9 hours to do. It was one of the most enjoyable trips I have done in a long time. I was riding with the same group of friends that I used to ride with when at school. We stopped for everything and really took in all the sites. When we were riding our average speed was around 150 kilometer/hour = 93.205 678 836 mile/hour (mph)

I would love to take another trip like that with the same group