Speed - what slows you down?

[AllanB]

125 would increase the people doing runners to avoid loss of licence.

Good point and maybe considered when they set the 40. It would possibly be worth the run if set at 125 ....

[AllanB]

So ... you prefer a Percentage of the posted speed limit over the posted speed limit for loss of license ... rather than a defined number over EACH/ALL speed limit ... ???

Maybe .......

Like I said a set 40 above is madness in a built up 50 zone (seen plenty knobs in Skylines around CHCH doing 90 through 50 zones). I'd understand a 'passing buffer' on the open road.

Who knows just a though I had today, It's probably set in the same manner as half our laws - over too many drinks late at night.

[bluninja]

But rain spots on black paint make such a mess, or so I am told

LOL I hate my bike getting wet cos all the dried dirt streaks and it looks like it needs a wash.

[Metastable]

It depends. I've seen roads in NZ where you'd have to be a great driver/rider to keep up to the posted 100kph speed limit. Conversely you get a multilane motorway that carries the same speed, yet would be very safe at 120kph. It's sad you guys now have a 40 over licence suspension, various provinces in Canada do too. Hopefully you have a court date first.

I have a track bike and a dirt bike, but no street bike.

For the most part I buy a car with the smallest, slowest engine I can find in the model I want. I have a Ute these days, so I can haul my bikes around and ... it is sort of quick off the line, but the top speed is only 160kph. It is a lot easier to drive the ute at a reasonable speed than a Golf GTI or AMG Benz or something along those lines...... I remember driving my GTI many moons ago and looking down at the speedometer and literally blurting out loud "H@!!Y $#!T I need to slow down".

EDIT:
(I have to give the American's credit with regards to how they often set speeds using an engineering study. Sometimes it shows a reduction is speed is appropriate, however the opposite often occurs and they increase the limits. IMO, that is how it should be done, as opposed to having some town councilors without proper training, being the individuals who pick arbitrary speed limits that don't make sense. Various states have 80 mph sections on the interstates and a stretch in Texas is actually 85mph = 137kph.)

[Swoop]

(I have to give the American's credit with regards to how they often set speeds using an engineering study. Sometimes it shows a reduction is speed is appropriate, however the opposite often occurs and they increase the limits. IMO, that is how it should be done, as opposed to having some town councilors without proper training, being the individuals who pick arbitrary speed limits that don't make sense.

That sort of logical approach is like kryptonite to our idiots.
We are dealing with morons who spout propaganda like "when the conditions change, reduce your speed". Road goes from wet to dry = slow down.

Then we have the AA pushing for higher motorway speeds, BUT as a trade off for having point-to-point taxation cameras...

[Scuba_Steve]

Wife on the back of the bike slows me down, go too fast with her on the back & I hear about it

[FJRider]

It depends. I've seen roads in NZ where you'd have to be a great driver/rider to keep up to the posted 100kph speed limit. Conversely you get a multilane motorway that carries the same speed, yet would be very safe at 120kph.

Many vehicles (or drivers) on the NZ roads are not safe at 100 km/hr. Regardless of how good the roads are. Less so on multi-lane highways ...

It's sad you guys now have a 40 over licence suspension, various provinces in Canada do too. Hopefully you have a court date first.

40 over a posted speed limit (this includes temporary [roadworks] speed zones and passing stopped school buses [20 km/hr] ) and you get an automatic 28 days suspension of your license. Plus the (minimum) 3 months loss of license after your court case.

[R650R]

Maybe .......

Like I said a set 40 above is madness in a built up 50 zone (seen plenty knobs in Skylines around CHCH doing 90 through 50 zones). I'd understand a 'passing buffer' on the open road.

Who knows just a though I had today, It's probably set in the same manner as half our laws - over too many drinks late at night.

I like to go a bit fast sometimes too but accept the danger...

Can you please explain your logic behind accepting 90 in a 50 zone is madness but 140 in a 100 is somehow ok???
Just that it will be a bit difficult to ask you at your funeral...

[AllanB]

I like to go a bit fast sometimes too but accept the danger...

Can you please explain your logic behind accepting 90 in a 50 zone is madness but 140 in a 100 is somehow ok???
Just that it will be a bit difficult to ask you at your funeral...

Ah - it's good logic is mine. 50 zones are residential as a rule so highly likely cars will pull out of drives, kids run after balls etc etc. Slower is better.

[Berries]

We are dealing with morons who spout propaganda like "when the conditions change, reduce your speed". Road goes from wet to dry = slow down.

But I do. Well I don't. Or do I? I understand how my tyres work in the wet, I understand increased braking distances, reduced visibility blah blah blah. So in the rain I am happy to do the standard 110 to 120 on my ride home*. I am slowing down from my desired dry road speed (handicapped by the 40km/h instant ban scenarios as it is) but in the end travel at the same speed as I do in the dry - speed limit plus my speedo tolerance plus my internal 'right time right place' tolerance. Others however have been so indoctrinated that there is so little thought and they do 80 on the open road just because it is raining. The speed differential caused by these arseholes is what causes the problem. Slow down in the wet is a fine message, and you should. But FFS, too many people just going from A to B in/on a mode of transport who don't give a shit.


* Hypothetically, obviously.

[Gremlin]

My interpretation of speed limits were mere "guides" a few years ago (circa 07-08). Almost any ride would see a speed of 2xx, sometimes purely because I could, and it literally took seconds. Then I lost my licence due to 120 demerits in about 20 months.

Found out I really need my licence (I travel from client to client for work). Very stressful long days leading up to the loss, then 2 weeks of my boss moving me around the city before I gained a work licence (commented as one of the most lenient seen allowing travel 6 days a week across Auckland for 15 hours a day) for the last 10 weeks of suspension.

Got my licence back, sold the sportsbike, spent months working really hard to re-adjust my perceptions of speed back to law abiding and now I only speed (by a little) to complete an overtake. I've also found removing temptation to be a good idea. Anything more than around 100hp makes speed too easy. Fast forward to this year, still trying to maintain good discipline and keep demerits at 0.

Excitement in riding no longer comes from speed, now it's the riding itself and executing a nice smooth and safe ride. Plenty of enjoyment to be had within speed limits in the back roads. Anyone can twist the throttle on a straight stretch...

[jasonu]

Hasn't the limit been reduced to 30 over?

Only for bible bashers

[WNJ]

I do not exceed 140.….

MY BIKE NEVER EVEN BEEN THAT FAST

[caspernz]

Excitement in riding no longer comes from speed, now it's the riding itself and executing a nice smooth and safe ride. Plenty of enjoyment to be had within speed limits in the back roads. Anyone can twist the throttle on a straight stretch...

You're not the only one thinking like that.

[Voltaire]

Slow bikes work for me, the going fast feeling at legal speeds.
I had a 100 HP bike last year and sold it as got tired of looking in mirrors.