How fast is TOO FAST for the street?
 

I have gone on more than a few group rides where we have easily done 70 in a 45 zone or 110 in a 70. I understand that the best place for all this is a racetrack but during a spirited group ride how fast is considered too fast?

Of course the obvious heavy traffic areas, rush hour, school areas are out of the question but what about places away from city traffic? Because im sure from a legal perspective even away from a big city doing twice the speed limit is likely to get you into serious trouble if you get busted. So how fast do you normally ride when out in the open away from lots of traffic?

120s in a 30 on a road that wasn't a flat straight interstate.

i go light speed

I do the speed limits or pretty close to it on the straights. If I'm gonna get a ticket, I want it to be for cornering fun, not straight line.

don't mention cornering to him - he's in Floriduhh :whistle:












:scared:

5-10 over for the average ride. There may be a high speed run on an open flat secluded straight.

Speed limit in town & main roads (excepting curves that seduce). Whatever skill and conditions allow on back country roads. Usually the pace seems to be 70-85 regardless of the posted except when going through communities, then 5-15 over. It may seem strange to say this, for folks that don't sport, but Common Sense (based on the ability level) of the riders, dictates the pace and place. If it feels stupid to you-It is.

50 in a 5....Shhh dont tell anyone

About 5-10 mph slower than as fast as you thought you could go and still stop or evade in time when that car you swear wasn't there a moment ago pulls out in front of you.

for a group ride? idk... depends on who I'm with and how I feel at the moment. you'll know it's too fast IMO when I don't follow you. :lol:

for me usually the highspeed shit is out away from everything... on the freeway or some long straight on a back road out in the sticks.

I will say if there's a cross street or a chance someone can pull out with out me seeing them... I stay under 100(or try to:lol:)...

Wise words. Whatever pace is comfortable, whether that is 20 under the limit or 50 over, your the one taking the risk, of harm and tickets. :idk:

go ludacrous speed :lol:

Tom

Wait.

You mean Common Sense still exists??
:lol:

Tards don't break the speed limit :whistle:

Yep, I'm with you. Up in the mountains, the people who get busted are the ones running flat out down the straights. Going fast in corners is more fun anyway.

I do speed some, and I also pass on double yellows sometimes, but I like to think I'm not doing it irresponsibly. I'd be lying if I said I'd never seen triple digits on the street, but I can count the number of times I've done it on one hand.

All my group rides have a straightaway limit. Sometimes my one on ones are just a measure each other up limit. If your going to fast for your skill set it doesn't matter where your riding. Have the good sense and maturity to know your limit THAT DAY (cause mine varies) and the circumstances/situation of the ride and back it down a notch...

I ride faster when I am riding by myself... because I dont know what the riders around me are going to do... what their riding style is.. etc...just leave a nice margin of error


when im by myself... all I have to worry about are other cars ...
and its easier police wise .. Im not saying that I run from cops at all...

infact... if the police were to light me up.. i will be pulling over.. no ifs ands and butts

but on more than 1 occasion. I passed a cop with a radar pulled out and I noticed him a little late... I was doing 20ish over... and I just carried on with my ride... didnt slow down... and waited for some traffic.. and just got ahead of the pack.... leave him behind at a redlight or something... technically I didnt see his lights... shit.. I didnt even see him in his car... I have seen them walking towards the car and thats about it.

if it was a group ride... Im sure it will bring forth alot more attention and the cops would make a greater effort in catching us.

Well said... I have no "speed limit". I usually try to ride at no more than about 80-90% of my ability.

Most people say they're riding at 80% when they're really closer to 90%. The only way to know for sure is if you have any race experience & are intimately familiar w/ your lap times. My best at my home track (NHMS on my SV) is about a 1:22 and that's 100%. If I rode at 80% that'd be about a 1:42.5 which is actually pretty slow for the track, but comfortable on the street. 90% would put me at a 1:31... That'd be a pretty quick street pace (almost knee down) & one that I'd only ride at if conditions were ideal.

In more tangible terms, I try to keep it within 20mph of the speed limit so if I get nailed by the cops I won't get COMPLETELY bent over.

Corners, go with what you feel completely comfortable with. Straights, 10 or so over. I've never seen the point in opening it up trying to make it to the next corner on a public road.

Depends on the road... depends on the group...

Aha! That's why I don't get along with most of you...we're different species! I love blazing hard from corner to corner! Sure cornering is great but the feel of the g forces that come from acceleration and braking is intense! To cruise along at or around the speed limit until the next corner would be boring to me.:idk: To each his own though.
I do agree that as long as you are within your limits,any speed is acceptable in my book.:dthumb:

i agree, i love hauling ass through the twisties, but like the straights in between the curves too(though where i live there arent really many "straights"

if i just wanted to go fast only in the curves, i'd get a slotard..

but how boring would a race be if the racers let off the gas in the straights

i also agree any speed you are comfortable with is acceptable, as long as you know the risk involved , they're not any police at the track, and if you wipe out on the street you wont have a pretty sandy run off, you'll just have a rock wall,cliff, tree, car, etc to slam into!

that being said, with the group i ride with, its always draggin knees and hauling ass, but i never feel as though i'm "pushing it"

Too fast for the street? Anything that causes you to be off of your bike at the fault of no one else except you. That's too fast.

thats too fast, period.

So I been thinking...I know I posted that your speed should be "your speed" on the street, but in traffic situations I think we all have a responsibility to other bikers to behave a little more. To attract unwanted attention and public stigma is a disservice to us all and may cause one of us to get hurt someday and probably someone who isn't deserving.

Cages are ignorant and aggressive enough without giving them reason.

In highway/traffic, I normally go 5-10 faster than the pace of traffic. I feel safer knowing that almost all of the traffic that i am passing/being passed by will come from in front of me. Cars passing me scare me because I always think they are going to cut back in front of me too quick.

Well,I'd love to agree with this but to be honest,I can't... I don't/won't live my life based on how my actions will reflect on ANY particular group I could be affiliated with. Examples; I am also a male,a halfbreed,a veteran,etc and I don't worry about how my personal actions will reflect on any of these groups...

Never ride faster than you angels can fly. :rofl::rofl: :no: :flush:

Seriously though it does depend on the actual street/situation. :idk:

Well i don't feel obligated for my life. And I know the issue here was speed, but some stunts our bikes can pull off easily and safely tend to make the general public discriminate against sportbikes. Sometimes they act aggressively simply cause we are on one.

Me, I will take what comes and give as good as i get. But sometiomes I fear for the newbie, unitiated riders having to deal with this kind of driving.

Oh I totally understand your point BUT I have to be honest and say that I don't spend a lot of time worrying how my actions on a given day reflect on others of my kind. Note: I do care how my actions reflect on me though...

Teehee, The only way I care about how it reflects on me is if they will say "oh damn, haow cool was that?" or "shit dude, are you OK?"

I have seen newbies crack up and would hate if it were any way my fault or because of my example. Experienced riders get what karma hands us. If you and I ever ride, testosterone can set the pace:whistle:

I support knee dragging on the streets.

plusone

You got a deal! Oh and I don't like to ride with noobs 'cause I don't want to drag them to their deaths! So I always end up putting along being bored,oh well those are the times I actually plug in my MP3 and listen to music while I ride...

On a good spirited ride about 70-75 average probably. On straight roads we tend to slow it down more.
No reason to go any faster, too many variables on the road for bad things to happen.