What speeds does your bike see?

Just curious what you guys generally do/how you ride. Anyone do any track days? I know I've seen some of you guys that do 90 :twisted: at times. Others that don't seem to trust their bike over 50mph. Everyone has their different style of riding.

 

I mostly just cruise for an hour or seven. I do like to crank the revs and push it over the top of the speedo once in a while just because.

 

For me, I use my XJs for both commuting and pleasure riding/touring, etc.

When commuting, I generally ride "5-over" (Michigan tradition) except when rolling with traffic on the freeway in which case it's generally 80-ish.

When out for a romp in the country, where I live, I generally cruise at around 75~80mph "out in the open" or around 60~62mph in more populated areas. I've been known to break 90+ passing a car...

 

Keep the answers coming! Anyone topped their bike out? Any track guys?

 

I have been known to travel south in Rte. 81 for twenty or thirty miles,looking for the armed tax collectors (with the red light bars on the roof),turn around and cruise back north at or near red line in 5th gear.? mph.
'Course I check tire pressure before going out and know the road well.
I'd swear there was a chart with rpm/mph some where @ XJBikes, must be using the wrong search criteria.
Around town posted speed + 5%. Local drivers are horrible (either retired or college students in expensive cars their parents bought them,or worse yet paid for out of their med school loans).

 

At those types of speeds hows the handling? Still pretty sturdy?

 

I took the Ortega Hwy in Orange County the other day and it takes turns well...50-60 loving all the revs...Did some peg scrapping and had some fun...
On the hwy way I got some issues with bogging so I stick to the
70 mph zone.

 

My bike probably sees 85+ once a day on my way to work. I generally cruise on the freeway around 75-80 and normally 10-15mph over on any "side" roads. In town I play by the rules. In traffic I play by the rules.


Am I the only one that the more I ride the more I hate driving in my car?

 

Nope; I have driven a four wheel vehicle in over a week. The beautiful high-pressure weather over Ohio region has been a blessing

 

I was driving somewhere and had to take my car (guitar equipment with me) and was frustrated that I couln't lean turns. Lol

 

Speedo only goes to 85 but I would imagine in excess of 100.

 

I am thankful mine goes up to 140mph. Normally seeing how fast I am going is what slows me down. :wink:

 

I have hit 80 a few times on the highway, but i don't really enjoy going that fast. 5 over is the norm here in Ohio too, so I stick to that, and just enjoy the ride.

 

By no means is 100mph the norm, just how fast I believe the bike has gone. My norm is 5-10 over depending on the road and traffic conditions.

 

I normally cruise at ~5 over and just enjoy the ride..

But my brother on his 83 midnight maxim can coax me into twisting the throttle a bit more from time to time out on some country roads we grew up on and know like the back of our hands.

He got an '03 cbr1100xx ( 8O ) a few months ago and when i was probably around 7k rpm in 5th gear he said we were going 135 on his speedo. Pretty sure that's the fastest my bike has gone, at least as long as I have been the owner.

 

Generally I go 5 to 10 mph over the speed limit. Occasionally I have pushed the bike to its limit (about 130 ish) on a road I know really well with little to no traffic.(that was on my wife'a XJ1100)

 

Pretty close to the speed limit. Or with traffic. Been up in triple digits. No desire anymore. Ps I did get a speeding ticket in my car for 135 in a 55. No fun

 

The roads here in NZ have a limit of 100kph (roughly 62 mph) but I've had the old boy up at 150kph (93 mph) on a quiet straight road, haven't dared push him more than this! Round town I do the speed limit and generally out on the highway (100kph) I'll do about 110kph

 

Certainly not. I've been at this (street riding) for more than twice as long as you've been on the planet, and I still feel that way. Every day.

The ONLY solace is a car that's fun to drive all the time.

I've actually been known to sit on my bike and make vroom-vroom sounds when it gets too much to bear (like in mid-February.)

I swear it (motorcycling) really does get into your blood and won't go away. Ever (if you're lucky.)

 

i stick to the limit here most of the time, im sure cops have a quota to fill each day and i only ever see them on the bike,but i have a couple of spots where i like to give it a serve to blow out the cobwabs, as fitz said if it gets in your blood its all you want to do, a friend of mine has 6 bikes and hes lucky to go riding once a month, its not in his blood, hes just as content to go shopping, one thing ive found ,have a good supply of consumables, gaskets etc, nothing worse than no riding because your waiting for something in the mail, make sure they are all the correct ones, missed out on a ride once for 3 weeks waiting for a replacement gasket after the wrong one sent. it was pure misery,good to have a good spare bike aswell, time for a ride, bye

 

I have got up to 75mph and it was screaming in 5th I am so new I don't know if that's normal or in my head but I was pulling the throttle on a nice flat straight and let up in fear of the revs .... shouldn't be going that fast anyways but what revs do you run in or up to in any gear?

 

The limit here I've been pulled over so many times I'm on a first name basis with some of the local law here. I've actually been pulled over 100 yards from my driveway! Don't know if it's how I look or they just don't like me. SO I stick to the limit so I don't give em an excuse.

 

If there gunna bitch give em a reason my 2c

 

As for speed, all I'm going to say is that it's faster than the CB750F that I had 20 years ago, and I had that one all the way to a buck five.

And I still had a gear left in the Seca.

As for the not liking driving cars thing, I haven't driven a four wheeled vehicle since March. Unfortunately looks like I might have to park the Yammie for a few days after Friday. I'll ride in heat, cold, rain, just about anything, but I try to stay away from ice and lightning.

 

10,000 yikes lol I cringed at 7,000 for 4 strokes sake is that ok?

 

Pit you'll get used to it the XJ's like their revs. Your missing out if you don't crank on it once in a while, the real fun starts at about 6k and runs right up to the redline.

 

Back when I was a damn sight younger and living in the Northern Territory, Australia, I owned an 87 model XJ900.
Back then we had no open road speed limits up there. I tapped the 900 out at 225km/h (140mph)(indicated) at 9500rpm (redline).
My GPz900R topped out at 270 km/h (167mph) indicated .....

These days... max 110km/h (68mph) depending on the state as speeding is sooooo dangerous .... especially if you are 5km/h (3mph) over the limit.

 

It has seen some serious speeds I thought, but with a speedo that only goes up to eighty, I have to guess with the tach.

 

Seven grand is only just getting going.

ONCE THE MOTOR is properly tuned, running an XJ to redline doesn't hurt it one bit. The 550s make peak HP AT their redline, 10K rpm. As is the case with virtually all models of XJs, the serious power starts at 6K.

The 650 peaks a tad earlier, but you can romp it to 9K with great regularity and it will love you for it once the motor is properly tuned. You DO NOT want to be winding it up if your valves aren't in spec or your carbs properly set up.

There's a solution to the 85mph speedo thing too; just substitute an earlier or later-model instrument. In the case of cluster-mounted instruments, it's a relatively simple "guts swap."

 

so Ya there is a whole other side of that bike! I just went for a quick ride before we go do thanksgiving. we have a steep 1/2 mile long hill and I found the other half of the throttle.....WOW! that 1/2 will be left for next summer till I get use to everything! you were not kidding that thing is not even awake the way I have been riding it but she sure woke up today that's for sure! I am going to have a perma-grin for the rest of the week! what a symphony

 

You're hooked. :wink:

 

When on the highway I tend to run it about 75-80, back roads usually cruise 65-70. Every so often the bike sees 90-95 when passing or when i get bored for a moment.

 

I did not get out of the driveway and I was hooked .... don't take much for me! I have been getting my rocks off in dirt with 1cyl & 10hp if that for the last 5 years!

 

0~60 in 1/2 a city block. Everything after that is all throttle. My normal travel is 5>Speed Limit.

Gary

 

Normal use is 50-60mph on open roads. Highways typically see 75-80 (the sweet spot) and there is the occasional 90-100.

Once I did take the bike out on the highway when there was no traffic and clear weather and attempt to top her out. I did some 10 miles in 5th gear WOT. Not sure what my speed was but the tach was up there at the top of the power band.

Acceleration and turns are more fun for me, so I can have just as much fun at 35mph as I can at 80mph depending on the roads.

 

I expect to use my bike for commuting come spring, and for some reason twin cities freeway traffic often drops to below 50 even when not all that busy.

For late night / touring rides, I used to get my kz650 up to 85 for moderate periods. The XJ750 has almost double the horsepower, and is heavier / more stable, so I could see pulling a ton occasionally.

What's scary is I'm looking at building a custom front end. At those speeds, I guess I really need to trust my build skills. Of course, I'll be doing a lot of load testing before I hit the road, and would prefer to take it to a track for initial rolling trials. I can't see doing "track days" per se, but I'd love to get some advanced rider training in a track setting.

 

Ozroadbandit - I found mine to be a bit hairy around 200 kph. Obviously mine is not set up properly

 

My 1983 former Midnight Maxim cruises at 70mph with ease.

When I shift to "Forth-and-a-half" she'll wind-up pinning the Speedo Needle which pegs at 85mph.

The 900 pulls 80mph effortlessly.
Pushing it into 3-figures is easy to do, but unwise.
The 900RK Front Fairing is aerodynamically unstable and insecurely mounted to the Bike.

At 115mph and above, the Fairing begins to react to the Air Stream.
Each side will alternate "Lifting and Stalling"
Causing the Front end to begin Pulling to the Left and Right as the Fairing pulsates to and fro as its aerodynamic profile changes do to varying pressures forming and collapsing as the Fairing reacts to the air streams forces upon it.

It starts to wobble real bad.

 

If you don't trust it to go fast, then you probably shouldn't trust it to go at all. If you've done all the maintenance that wasn't done by previous owners then there's nothing to worry about (aside from the usual risks involved with riding).

 

I cruised most of my Mexico trip ont he 650 around 95 or so, guessing, maybe as much as 105. It was 7800-8400 in 5th, whatever that is.

On my last trip on the FJ, doing the IronButt 1k/24hours and 1.5k/36 hours in the same LA to East Texas run, I was cruising the backroads of Arizona and NM probably around 115 or so for most of it, occasional bursts above for passing. And that was with 50 pounds of luggage...

...I sure am loving this FJ.

In town... I probably speed way too much. I try and manage my risk of being pulled over--speed up hills on the highway, slow before the crest, speed down hills. Look for blind turns a cop could hide behind. Don't drive fast at night when there isn't traffic to divert attention and you're alone, and the cops are testing everyone that passes. I don't go 100 on the highways in town, but I may pull up to 90 for a quick pass on occasion when I'm in a hurry.

It's all about perceived chance of being pulled over. Texas has the third highest speed limits in the world, and the highest in the country... And Austin has the highest in the state. Still not high enough. The whole country is still recovering from the Federal power grab during the oil crisis on the issue of speed limits... Damn Oregon had 55 limits on their back country two lanes where we'd have 80 in Texas. Went the speed limit or a bit over almost all day, then when I got nervous about not making it out of the high desert before nightfall, started speeding. Got clocked at 78, which was still a very reasonable speed for that road. Nasty ticket. One of these days I'll pay it...

 

I usually cruise the limit or max 10 over. I do wind her up every now and then from a stop up to 110km/h or so in the first 3 gears, but i come back down to more sane levels.

I think fastest i've done is 140km/h but I value my life enough to not go faster. Not because i'm scared of the bike, i'm scared of the deer, the racoons, the cagers that come out of nowhere with no time to avoid.