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Post by spandi on Feb 23, 2014 19:00:12 GMT -5
I see bicycles on the freeway ALL the time.....But only ITALIAN bicycles. (they can pedal so much faster.)  |
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Post by JerryScript on Feb 28, 2014 0:15:53 GMT -5
I know this is a bit off topic, but it does seem relevant. When I plan any trip out of town on my scooter, I use Google Maps and select bicycle. This way I'm shown roads that are legal for a bicycle rider, and therefor I can be pretty sure they are legal for any scooter/moped.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 4, 2014 13:30:37 GMT -5
Depends on the dynamics of the bike. Some 250's I don't like to take on a 60 mph road while my current I'll take on a 75 mph road without hesitation. Going with the flow I have maintianed 80 mph without being wide open. A lot of times your choice of a windshield instead of a sport fairing can be make or break you choice. On a small displacement bike your helmet choice can also make a big difference with an open face or adventure helmet with the big visor catching enough wind to loose 10 to 15 mph too.
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Post by geh3333 on Apr 15, 2014 23:53:10 GMT -5
I've always wondered about the front fairing , it is like a sail in the wind" only backwards slowing you down " . I know just crouching down can pick up a good 3 mph or so . I like the looks of the sportier front fairings but I would like to see a new design that would cut through the wind instead of cupping it and causing resistance .
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Post by bnc on May 21, 2014 14:31:06 GMT -5
I tend to agree with Paladin and Prodigit. I have had Yamaha Riva 125 and now a Honda Reflex. I mostly ride freeways. I don't feel uncomfortable at all on the freeway. When traffic is really fast, I pull over to the right lane. In rush hour traffic, it is legal to lane split here so I can get to where I am going much faster in the carpool lane and lane splitting. Even the little 125 could (if it was legal) keep up with the 10-15 mph traffic on the freeway here during rush hour.
The guy I bought the 125 from got caught on the freeway and got a ticket. When he asked the police how they knew he was riding a 125, the police pointed to the Yamaha side panel that said Yamaha 125. He tried to scrub off the 125 after that.
I had also had the 125 on a freeway a few times but it was only to make it to the next exit and it was a section marked 55 mph. The Riva had no problem doing 57 mph.
I don't have experience with scooters other than the Riva and Reflex but these bikes felt very stable to me at their higher speeds.
My original fear for the Reflex was that it could not keep up with traffic over mountain passes but when it went over the Altamont Pass between the Bay Area and Sacramento, I was surprised to find myself in the high speed lane. It could not only keep up but pass cars eastbound but I had to be in the right lane west bound. It must be steeper going east to west.
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Post by rockynv on Jun 1, 2014 6:09:38 GMT -5
Fairings speed you up while windshields generally slow you down. When I put a Puig Sport Fairing on my Aprilia, mounting it for performance, acceleration 30 to 80 improved noticably so much so it was like I had put a larger engine in the bike. Mount it high and flat like a barn door and performance will suffer while mounting it slightly lower so you are looking over it as intended and so the nose of the fairing cuts through the air can give you a dramatic increase in Interstate performance.
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Post by richardthescooter1 on Jun 6, 2014 11:08:23 GMT -5
I travel the Interstates all the time, no big deal, I use my mirrors A lot  I wear green florescent vest, Helmet and gloves, boots and I'm always in my motorcycle safety mod  Search, Evaluate, and Execute. Anyone you ever took this course will know what I'm talking about, it has saved me many times  |
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Post by Paladin on Jun 6, 2014 14:19:34 GMT -5
I travel the Interstates all the time, no big deal, I use my mirrors .... And wiggle! As I see someone getting up behind me I wiggle about 4 feet sideways in the lane. Movement helps. |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 7, 2014 12:06:35 GMT -5
It's amazing how most of us agree, AND may disagree at the same time... I'm probably very typical myself, having ridden a Chinese 150 quite happily for seven years, then, moving up a little in the displacement "food-chain" to keep up with changing roads.
Now I DO realize fuel-injected Vespa 150's and some others will actually top 70mph, and can cruise 65 if desired. However, MOST Chinese 150's top out around 55, and comfortable "cruise" is around 50mph. I tweaked my Xingyue 150 for years trying for that elusive "freeway-capable" performance which MAYBE one out of 50 light-weight riders on exceptional or highly-modified Chinese 150's achieve... Never did happen. I weigh 235 and with considerable tweaking of my ride, it still topped out at about 58mph on a FLAT road, with NO wind. Top "comfortable" cruise: 50-52mph.
Once in a while, I'd get on the freeway, but with traffic running from 70 to WAY over 100mph I was just "road-kill" waiting to happen. Recent local surface-street "upgrades" have now put local traffic at 55-65mph even "in-town" with 35 to 45mph posted speed-limits.
Finally, I went with an older Kymco Grandvista 250. I absolutely LOVE the thing. It had slightly taller gears installed years ago, and will top out at an indicated 92-94mph (ACTUAL 88mph or so). That's faster than it really SHOULD go, but is comforting. It also gives 90mpg in town, and THAT is NICE!
STILL, I'm road-kill in Texas 100+mph traffic. At rush-hour, it's common in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for freeway traffic to run 95mph in the "slow lane" and be near bumper-to-bumper" at 100 to 130mph in the left lanes. Even the crummiest "grocery-getter" Asian car will do over 130 and local drivers use EVERY mph available. My old ' Honda Accord will top 135 and all too often I find myself running 120 or more, just to keep up. (I do keep GOOD tires on it!!!).
So... I can run the freeways on the scooter if and when the need arises. And my '07 Kymco will comfortably cruise at 70mph. THAT is the fastest I care to cruise. If traffic is tame, running 80 or less, it's a nice ride. If it's "combat alley" I avoid the freeways if possible.
Riding a 50cc, 30 mph is a good "cruise". On a 150cc, 50 is good. On a typical 250cc, 65 is good... Larger than 250cc, 80+ is fine... Move up to a big cruiser motorcycle and 110 is good and jump to a crotch-rocket and 165+mph is realistic.
It all depends on your individual needs. In my case, I've had 50 years of fast bikes, and now enjoy SCOOTERS for what they are... Small, affordable, FABULOUS transportation for the money and with each 100cc increase in engine-size, you get another 10mph or so in "cruiseability". Like others have said, and I agree: "you have to 'adjust' your riding to the traffic, AND to the vehicle you're riding..." A rider on a 400hp, 200mph crotch-rocket has to "adjust" to 20mph school zones too... LOL!
I love riding the back-roads, and city riding. I also love cruising 65 on the freeway SO LONG AS SURROUNDING TRAFFIC IS KEEPING IT UNDER  ...
So, ride what you like, ride what you can afford, and enjoy the ride... Whether it's 35mph or 200mph... Just "adjust"... LOL!
Ride safe, and within the realistic limits of your individual bike...
Leo in Texas
PS: Before I get a load of replies about the speeds traffic runs here being insane... Yes, it IS insane, and NO, there is very little speed-enforcement. Drunk and especially "impaired" driving is considered a "participant-sport"... Every so often a municipality will do a crack-down, but the "norm" is to drive as fast as your car (or whatever you drive) will go... All the time. Examine used cars, and you'll find a LOT more wear on the carpet under the accelerator than on the surface of the brake-pedal...It's the way it is, and after 40 years I'm used to it.
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Post by Jarlaxle on Jun 8, 2014 7:54:17 GMT -5
I did ~30 miles on the highway yesterday...lost track of time back-roading & wanted to get home to watch the ball game. (In hindsight: they lost-again-and I should have kept riding instead.) The Burgy has no trouble running 70-75MPH. Top end is ~92, limited by RPM's, not power.
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Post by ng5y on Jun 8, 2014 23:03:23 GMT -5
I think the only vehicle you are remotely safe on the highway is a perhaps a school bus with seat belts for all passengers and even then, you really are not "SAFE".
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Post by Paladin on Jun 9, 2014 10:51:48 GMT -5
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Post by jerseyboy on Jun 9, 2014 10:56:13 GMT -5
I wouldnt ride mine on the interstate here,,everybody is doing 80 mph,,I struggle to do 50,,my scooter would not last long if I ripped around at 50-55mph down the highway for hours.I love to ride my GY6 35-45 mph it cruises perfect! If you want to travel the big roads you need atleast a 250-500cc IMO the 250 would even be a little small |
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Post by richardthescooter1 on Jun 9, 2014 12:09:06 GMT -5
My scooter is the 250cc and speed limit here is 55 to 65mph |
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Post by rockynv on Jun 10, 2014 12:42:52 GMT -5
Not all 250's are built the same that's for sure. A 390lb Burgman clone with a 250cc carbeurated engine and an 8.1 compression ratio pumping out 14 hp is not going to do as well on the interstate as a 325lb aerodynamic 250cc fuel injected bike and an 11.1 compression ratio pumping out 24/25 hp.
More important is the comfort level of the rider though as even with the most interstate capable bike in the world if your all tense and nervous it will not be a good experience. In my youth I had to help a friend go to his uncles aid because he was so tense and uptight about driving on the interstate that he broke the hub on his steering wheel and just barely made it off the road before stopping. We had to use a pair of ViseGrips on what was left of the hub to steer his car and drive it home for him.
If you not comfortable on the interstate then don't give into peer pressure or feel forced to ride it because of what anyone here says. You have to be modest and stay within your perceived limits to ride safe. If in time you feel comfortable enough to venture out do it during light traffic hours and only for short stints where there are available exits so you won't be stuck on dead mans way for an hour.
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Honda Accord will top 135 and all too often I find myself running 120 or more, just to keep up. (I do keep GOOD tires on it!!!).
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