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Post by spunn on Jun 27, 2014 10:10:18 GMT -5
I did my first jaunt today and it wasnt bad but I have a 400. Coming from riding a 150, there is no way I would take that machine on the interstate. jmo
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Post by urbanmadness on Jun 27, 2014 10:26:29 GMT -5
I wouldn't take my 250 on the interstate either. Just not enough sustaned speed to run at 65mph.
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Post by rockynv on Jun 28, 2014 20:36:53 GMT -5
I did my first jaunt today and it wasnt bad but I have a 400. Coming from riding a 150, there is no way I would take that machine on the interstate. jmo Yep bigger displacement or higher compression makes a bike more interstate capable. A high compression multivalve 250 will perform similar to your 400 and still give you 250cc fuel economy either choice will get you where you need to go without restriction to which roads you can choose. Just don't ride past your ability or beyond your comfort zone or the ride stops being safe and enjoyable. |
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Post by spunn on Jun 29, 2014 14:12:24 GMT -5
Yes cutting traffic is scary
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Post by ranger1100ky on Nov 28, 2014 2:30:32 GMT -5
For my money... a 150cc is just NOT built for the job of interstate riding.
Sure... it 'can' be done... and I can see making a short jump of 5 to 10 miles via interstate during off hours.
But much more than that, and I'd want to be on a 250cc, minimum.
In Kentucky... the prohibition on limited access highways against motor scooters, pertain as follows.
(4) "Motor scooter" means a motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the driver and designed to travel on not more than three (3) wheels with a motor which produces five (5) horsepower or less.
My Jonway Valero, runs 'about' 7.8 horsepower... so is technically 'legal' for entering onto interstates... by a factor of 2.8 horsepower.
You can almost BET... if I 'have' to get on the interstate... I'm going wide open throttle, and only making the run for as short a period as possible, during non-peak hours.
It MIGHT be a consideration for me, during the very early morning hours... when I'm commuting to work.
I'll spell this situation out so you can see 'why' I 'may' consider it...
1.) I travel from about 0300 to 0400, going to work, when traffic is extremely light.
2.) The winding two lane back-roads... are not as well lit...and VERY dangerous from the perspective of surprise hazards like dead deer laying on the road, etc.
3.) The interstates usually are decidedly better lit up, traffic is much lighter, and even with surprise debris encounters, I still have a LOT of room to play with, without going into oncoming traffic.
Bearing this all in mind... in this unique situation... the interstate MAY be the 'lesser of two evils' from a safety view... at least for PART of the trip.
But really... it boils down to rider comfort level... after the legal hurdle is cleared, which in my case, it is. And I'm rather reticent, to put a scooter with wide open throttle on the interstate, when I 'know' how drivers drive on the interstate.
It's a real 'grey area'... because a 150 is right near that borderline of almost being too weak for the job.
Another consideration... is that the moment I cross a state line... say, Indiana or Ohio... I may run into legal issues THERE... because their laws may differ from Kentucky's laws.
If you 'are' considering taking a 150cc scooter on the interstate... DO YOUR HOMEWORK... not just of the laws in your state... but also, on the driving habits of the motoring public.
In my case... a short 3-5 mile 'jump' on the interstate at zero-dark-stupid might make sense from a safety view...
That same ride at rush hour? Well... it might launch my new career as a human specimen of 'roadkill'...
Use your best judgment... the end goal of any scooter ride should be to complete the ride and park yourself and your scooter at your destination in one piece.
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Post by Paladin on Nov 29, 2014 2:35:14 GMT -5
For my money... a 150cc is just NOT built for the job of interstate riding... Use your best judgment... the end goal of any scooter ride should be to complete the ride and park yourself and your scooter at your destination in one piece. I have been riding two wheels since 1949, powered since 1964. When I killed my 652cc cruiser I wanted smaller. I rented a Vespa LX150, found it as totally acceptable, and bought one. Since then I did two Mojave June Moon rides, 2013 and 2014 -- 370 miles between dinner and breakfast (late breakfast last run.) I have also went camping, once west Sierras, once east Sierras. My scooter is 150.5cc, 11.7 bhp, can do over 65 mph, and is freeway and Interstate legal anywhere. After over two years on my Vespa I know that a 150cc Vespa is just fine for Interstate Touring. |
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Post by ranger1100ky on Nov 30, 2014 3:24:48 GMT -5
For my money... a 150cc is just NOT built for the job of interstate riding... Use your best judgment... the end goal of any scooter ride should be to complete the ride and park yourself and your scooter at your destination in one piece. I have been riding two wheels since 1949, powered since 1964. When I killed my 652cc cruiser I wanted smaller. I rented a Vespa LX150, found it as totally acceptable, and bought one. Since then I did two Mojave June Moon rides, 2013 and 2014 -- 370 miles between dinner and breakfast (late breakfast last run.) I have also went camping, once west Sierras, once east Sierras. My scooter is 150.5cc, 11.7 bhp, can do over 65 mph, and is freeway and Interstate legal anywhere. After over two years on my Vespa I know that a 150cc Vespa is just fine for Interstate Touring. Yep... if you know your equipment is up to the task... that's all well and good. 11.7 on the horsepower... and able to do over 65... and with experience to boot? No reason why you shouldn't ride it on the interstate if it pleases you. On the other hand... I'm right around 8 horsepower. If the speedometer's not a liar... (I wouldn't bet on it...), my scoot buzzes at about a max of 70 MPH. Being a little more suspicious of the speedometer like I am... I'm putting my money on 55 MPH actual speed... MAYBE 60 at wide open throttle, on level ground, with a tail wind. It's a Jonway Valero 150cc scooter... and my understanding is that the speedometers are a bit 'generous' in what they register, from an accuracy (inaccuracy) viewpoint. What I 'might' get by with at zero-dark-thirty... would be more than a little risky during the morning rush. |
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Post by shalomdawg on Nov 30, 2014 16:29:26 GMT -5
howdy, i'll chime in with the vote that the answer to the question is very much dependent on the area of the country and whether it is permissable to get on the shoulder to let traffic by then resume the travel lane. also on the laid-back-ness of the population. i have ridden the freeway extensively on the hd200 and felt entirely safe even on the mountain passes. but that is in an area of pretty laid back traffic and with me exercising the option to get out of the way when i saw traffic situations which put me in danger.
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
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Post by ricardoguitars on Dec 1, 2014 22:32:27 GMT -5
My 125cc GY6 is faster than my 1961 2250cc 4cyl Land Rover  It could climb a wall though, on the other hand, my scooter hates hills  |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 1, 2014 23:25:06 GMT -5
It all depends on the scooter and the rider. An aerodynamic 25 hp 250 that tops out at around 100 mph with an experienced rider no problem however a new cocky or nervous rider on any horsepower no way. If your nervous and stiff you will over react and get blown all over the place on the Interstate even on a GoldWing after which you will be sore and tired. Your reaction to wind changes and passing vehicles has to be supple, fluid, automatic and to a degree anticipatory which you will only get through experience riding secondary Highways and State Roads.
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Post by spandi on Dec 3, 2014 13:55:04 GMT -5
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Post by shalomdawg on Dec 3, 2014 14:46:15 GMT -5
howdy, i just re-read the post above by ranger. there is probably a mistype when he states that the motor has to have five horsepower or LESS. i assume the intent is five horsepower or MORE
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
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Post by Paladin on Dec 3, 2014 20:33:15 GMT -5
... i assume the intent is five horsepower or MORE .... Square root of HP = MPH. My 11.7 bhp touches about 68 mph. 8 bhp should touch 56 mph, a bit more if you crouch down. 5 bhp should touch 45 mph. If you block wind, a bit slower, if you cheat the wind, a bit faster. The first freeway in the US was the Arroyo Seco Parkway, 1940. I believe it was designed to do 45 mph. I remember going on that freeway in '65 and hitting to a stop sign at the end of the on ramp. On a 25 bhp 1957 VW. Yoiks! Luckily there was no one else behind, so I reversed up the ramp so I could accelerate pass the stop sign. In the late '40's - early '50's it was common to cars doing 45-55 mph on the freeways, and the original laws set the 5 bhp minimum on motorcycles. Some States, such as California, upgraded the motor-driven cycle to 150cc. Some States do not have any minimum for motorcycles/scooters. Whatever. My slowest vehicle was a 45 bhp 5,000 pound GWVR Fiat 238 Van/micro-motorhome -- full size bed, 20 gallon water, 40# propane, sink, refrigerator, stove, heater, 50 gallons of gasoline, carried my 175cc Enduro inside. It could 57 mph flat road / no wind. Uphill on the Interstates I would drive on the shoulder so loaded semis could pass me. I know slow, my Vespa is not slow. |
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Post by wheelbender6 on Dec 26, 2014 19:14:17 GMT -5
Didn't Mikey (on OCC) attempt to ride a hopped up 50cc Zuma across the country because he didn't qualify for a motorcycle license? He did some freeway riding, but probably had a sizeable vehicle escort. I think the Zuma engine gave out in western Pennsylvania, ending his transcontinental scooter ride. (Pictured on a Vespa below)  |
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Post by Paladin on Dec 26, 2014 22:50:19 GMT -5
If he did, it was because he abused the scoot and/or failed to keep up with maintenance. You can google and find others that have gone cross country on a 50. OCC bikes are butt jewery and not meant for actual riding any great distance.
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