Cruising speed

[stevejs]

Out of interest, what's the consensus on a comfortable cruising speed on today's roads? In my youth I can remember hammering the SS everywhere, certainly 70mph would be a norm where the roads allowed. I remember a trip from Scarborough to Norwich in which a rumbling big end seemed to smooth out the faster I went. The engine rebuild was carried out in my bedsit.....

[berger]

first of all it depends on traffic conditions, speed limit is 70 anyway. as for a rumbling big end they don't rumble they knock and more often than not collapse at tick over. mains rumble and the faster you go they don't have time to think about rumbling

[stevejs]

Thanks for the correction. Bit lax in my definition.

[Black Sheep]

It depends... The A7 Star Twin sits at about 65mph give or take depending on wind and gradient. The A10 sits at whatever you want, it's not fussy. It's happy enough at any speed between 30 and 75. Much depends on how long the trip is. Bikes seem to go better once they have clocked up 100 miles or so.

[Colsbeeza]

Blacksheep,
I can relate to that. I owned a 1993 model BMW R80 for 20 years, sold it about 3 years ago. On a long ride at 110-120 Km/hr, it would take up to 1 hour to reach turbine-smoothness. Then if I slowed down through a town, it would roughen a little. On leaving that town, it took another 5 minutes or so for all the little temperature differences to reach equilibrium again, thus resuming its turbine smoothness.
Col

[Sav]

Top cruising speed only applies to me on major roads and I try to avoid them unless necessary.

If I am on a major highway then I travel at the same speed as the trucks, 55 - 60 mph but clear of them. Being overtaken by them is risky and pulling out to overtake them without indicators and right hand on the throttle etc is also risky.

Rest of the time on minor roads but bigger than country lanes I'm probably at around 45mph

[Greybeard]

Top cruising speed only applies to me on major roads and I try to avoid them unless necessary.

If I am on a major highway then I travel at the same speed as the trucks, 55 - 60 mph but clear of them. Being overtaken by them is risky and pulling out to overtake them without indicators and right hand on the throttle etc is also risky.

Rest of the time on minor roads but bigger than country lanes I'm probably at around 45mph

Me too

[morris]

45-50 mph, above that the riding wind becomes unpleasant.
In Belgium, maximum speed on A and B roads is 70 kph (43 mph) anyway. No use in stretching that to far... 

[stevejs]

I was interested to see if anyone flet they could be comfortably used on dual carriageways, without sitting with the HGV's in the inside lane. Mine's used for pottering, but I wondered if they could be used for a bit of ordinary travelling, without holding up the rest of the world...or losing most of the bike in bits along the highway!

[muskrat]

G'day Steve.
On the BSA's my average speed is 70mph. I feel just a bit faster than the cars is safer. Wat's behind me doesn't worry me and if it's in front put it behind 
Cheers

[Slymo]

I did a decent run to Wellington from Auckland and back on the Super Rocket with a 56 Venom as company. All the equivalent of A Roads apart from motorway either side of the cities. We maintained a steady 60 -65 mph with occasional sprints to 75-80 on bits where we were less likely to be caught. It was all pretty comfortable but the 65 mph mark was optimum imho.

[Butch (cb)]

My A10 has probably done only a bit over 3k miles since a major refurb so is probably in its prime at the moment. I'm not sure what gearing I'm running tbh but the bike seems happy enough cruising 55 - 65 mph as required. I have ridden motorway on it when needs must, and I was running just quicker than most of the trucks out there; and there is no way I would want to be on a machine that couldn't do that.

In fact the bike feels like I'm holding it back at these speeds, but I just don't want to run the old gal any harder.
 

[stevejs]

Reading roadtests of the time, 65-75 was apparantly seen as comfortable...but then the bikes were sixty or so years younger then. Mines good at 60-65, with acceptable levels of vibration.

[Slymo]

Above 60mph there is a definite vibration on my SR. The bike is astounding smooth up to that point especially when I compare it to the B44 I had before that was a true filling loosener. But 65-70 there is a decided but not unbearable buzz. After 75 it smooths out again but I find the fear of apprehension or accident takes away the pleasure.

[BigJim]

Gosh, cruising speed and how you get there. Assuming the speedo is somewhere near accurate then anywhere between 50 and 65 mph dependant on how  it's running and more importantly what mood i'm in. Reading some recent comments i am now thinking my breather oil excess could be caused by my eagerness to get up to cruising speed. Too much right hand (that's for you GB) and a desire to keep up with or leave behind any other road users. I really should try to have a gentle plod to see if that cures the breather excess. I doubt i'll be able to but they say there's a first time for everything.