Speed...

[ching_ching]

Hi folks,

I would like to know what your opinions are on speed with our sickles.

With the advent of a lower speed limit, would owning a sportsbike actually be worth it? I've heard, "course it's worth it just use it on the track". Personally I don't want to spend all my money just to use it on the track on weekends, I want to use it on the road. Or, "just cruise with it" or "change over to cruising". As we all know, sportsbikes seem to idle at 140kph or thereabouts and a lot of the time I like / hit the twisties. I'm not trying to justify my opinion on going fast (I like going fast, WHEN practical) neither am I trying to find a general consensus amongst you all that post, that will find me a member of a majority that allows me to speed. Just interested what your opinions are and your reasons.

Thank you ta.

The chingster

[duckman]

Yea - tricky one, These days the sport bikes are getting bigger and faster. I can't really see the point in owning a bike that could do more 200 kmh but then the same could be said about V8 cars and turbo'd boy racer cages.

Going fast is fun - I think most would agree with that. These statements always require the mandatory... but only when it's safe..blah blah blah.

These days I tend to cruise the open road at about 120 and have short bursts of "waaaahoooo" when I think it's appropriate.

Some people ould find that tame and other might think it's irresponsible

I'd just say, ride within your ability.

[riffer]

Can't say I speak for the majority, but most of the time if I feel comfortable and safe and the taxation officers aren't around, I'll ride a bit above the limit.

I'm not stupid about it, but I'm not going to stick to some arbitrarily imposed national limit if the conditions dictate I can go faster safer.

So changing the speed limit isn't going to make me stop speeding, if that's your question.

Of course, another 35 more demerits might...

[riffer]

Yea - tricky one, These days the sport bikes are getting bigger and faster. I can't really see the point in owning a bike that could do more 200 kmh but then the same could be said about V8 cars and turbo'd boy racer cages.

When I was a teenager (20+ years ago) there was a lot of talk about the hundred horsepower limit. I remember my dad had a GS550, then a GT750, and him lecturing me about how the 750 was so fast I wasn't allowed to ride it - I was allowed the KZ400 to go for rides with him.

Anyway, the concensus of opinion back then was that 100hp was the maximum you ever needed, and if you bike could do the ton then that was fast.

Jeez, now even my 17 year old bike can do ton and a half (imperial) and todays bikes are topping out (gentleman's agreement) at 300kph. Double ton will be the next barrier to be broken.

I say bring it on. You don't have to ride that fast, and if you do you'll probably get either snapped or killed or scare yourself silly.

However you can never have too much power.

I understand the boy racer thing. I have had (in this order) a Valiant Regal 770 308ci V8, Holden Commodore VH SS 4.2, Mitsubishi Galant VR4 4WD turbo, Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T, and a Subaru Legacy GT-B.

[MikeL]

Interesting (subconscious?) equating of "speed limit" with "loss of licence threshhold" - I know I sometimes find myself thinking that way too.
Dangerous tendency!

[Motu]

Speed has never interested me - you could count the number of times I've been over the magic ''ton'' (160kph) in 34 yrs on all my digits - but speed in corners interests me very much.I like just enough power - I'd rather push a bike to it's limits than hold back with something that's got too much power for the conditions.Everything for me happens below 120kph...I am very happy riding like this,pushing my personal envelope rather than others.

[Jackrat]

I like fast,But it is a matter of what is fast to any given person.
It very much depends on the bike and rider.
My current bike is fast at 140kms, Yet my SD900 was just coming on song at 160km.I try to behave myself on the open road but on back roads I like to give it heaps.Basicly I just ride to the conditions at the time.
I've only ever gone over 200kms once and that was plenty for me,I was coming across the Huaraki plains out of Matamata on my GS850G when I decided to see what she could do.At 220km I realised I was only recognising the road signs after I had passed them,This ment if a cow walked out onto the road I would never even know what had killed me.
Iv,e always had a bit of a problem controlling the old throttle hand,But hey I'm a bikie,thats just the way it is.
As to the law,Well I guess thats something to think about.

PS, I don't even know what the top speed of my current ride would be and ain't interested to know.Things change with time huh!!

[wkid_one]

However you can never have too much power.

Gotta disagree with that - there comes a point where the power to weight ratio oversteps the ability of both rider and chassis to control.

Actually - the whole speeding thing was one of the reasons behind why I decided to give it a miss on the road (among others).....the R1 was a menace on the road because it didn't want to stay below the speed limit.

I barely used 6th on the VTR because when I did, it always wanted to cruise at 150-160kph.......this is how I got my infamous '129kph on a bicycle' ticket.

However - it was corners that did it for me rather than straight lines - but I tended to hoon down the straights to get to the corners quicker.

I disagree with the 'going fast is fun' thing - as what is fun about pulling 250kph down a straight bit of road? I can't see anything entertaining about it, other than I get to the next windies a hell of a lot quicker.

I have been to an indicated 299 on the speedo....in a straight line it is boring (and stupid)

[duckman]

I like fast,But it is a matter of what is fast to any given person.
It very much depends on the bike and rider.
My current bike is fast at 140kms, Yet my SD900 was just coming on song at 160km.I try to behave myself on the open road but on back roads I like to give it heaps.Basicly I just ride to the conditions at the time.
I've only ever gone over 200kms once and that was plenty for me,I was coming across the Huaraki plains out of Matamata on my GS850G when I decided to see what she could do.At 220km I realised I was only recognising the road signs after I had passed them,This ment if a cow walked out onto the road I would never even know what had killed me.
Iv,e always had a bit of a problem controlling the old throttle hand,But hey I'm a bikie,thats just the way it is.
As to the law,Well I guess thats something to think about.

Yea ditto - I've done 200kmh once - Just to see what it was like. (Windy and noisey) I think cornering fast and smoothly holds more enjoyment.

[Grumpy]

When I decided it was time to look for a new bike I asked myself the same question. I was riding a TL at the time and the thing only started to get comfortable at 140 Km plus

I settled on a GSX 1400. It'll still do 230 Km's but now I can sit on 120Km's without feeling like I'm doing press up's.

I guess my point is that you don't need a sportbike to get yourself offside with the law these days. They are all so damn fast.

Ride whatever rings your bells. You just have have to do it a little more carefully these days.

[gpercivl]

I'm in mid 40's and have kids, job, etc... which impacted on me getting out on the bike to the extent that the old FZR750R just sat in the shed with the battery going flat. To keep my motorcycling alive I took up road racing.

I had been riding since 18 and had a serious 'need for speed' component in my brain, so quite often I used to have my old XJ-750 (with 820cc Yoshi kit) maxed out at 225kph with mates going past on Z1R's, CB1000's etc back in those days...i use to catch 'em back up in the corners

Well road racing cured that 'need for speed' on public roads...I just can't see much point in doing more than 110kph (except for overtaking) these days when the 600 will almost do 160kph in 1st gear at Pukekohe. It max's out at 270 which was quite adrenalin inducing the first few times...but that's worn off now too.

Now the excitement for me is in improving my lap times thru cornering better and passing guys/gals that use to beat me.

So if the ticket speed limit comes down by another 5kph, I'll just adjust my cruise control and get there later.

[Big Dog]

The funny thing is I went faster on my 250's than I have ever been on my 1100 but I still get there quicker now. To me power was never about travelling at 200kmph but how fast you got there.

I had my last 250 over 200 several times but now 7-8 years on I am on a bike that in the right hands will get up to 260+ and I have only ever been up to 170. As a older more mature me i reckon anything over 120 needs to be kept to places like the hauraki plains and anything over 150 belongs on the track.

Having said that I reckon there should be several levels of license / registration. ie someone with a A6 class lic and a Areg (140hp less than 5 years old)bike could do 200kmph on stretch's marked as open road but people on Breg can only do 170 (140 hp but older than 5 years).

I reckon this because people will speed anyway but if you make allowances for proven skill or equipment then it will be done mostly by people with the right tool for the job.

I reckon if the speed limit was raised to 150 but cars that could not safely travel at that speed were no longer importable / wofable then ther would be no appreciable increase in accidents as everyone would be travelling at the same speed and would need to prove they could safely to get off their restricted.

I reckon all of this because the 100kmph speed limit is based on the standard of car and roading in the 50-60's and a lot has changed since then.

[riffer]

...the old FZR750R just sat in the shed

was that a GENUINE FZR750R i.e. an OWO1?

I never realised there were any of those in the country.

I just have to be happy with a boggo FZR750...

[Ms Piggy]

With the advent of a lower speed limit,

Hey Ching ching...did I miss something? Has there been some talk about lowering the speed limit? Sorry if I'm bit behind the times

[Big Dog]

Hey Ching ching...did I miss something? Has there been some talk about lowering the speed limit? Sorry if I'm bit behind the times

Last I heard the do gooders wanted to drop motorway spped limits to 80kmph, but that has been a topic of discussion for two years now.

For a similar timeframe it has been dicussed to drop to 90kmph at the open road.

Imagine the expense 500,000 odd signs at $50 each. Mind you this would only take a day or too to recover of all the extra speed camera fines.