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any roads fun at the speed limit?

U

USERNAME

Guest
fellow clean driving record enthusiasts,

im new to riding motorcycles, so im learning and observing lots of things while i get up to speed, har har. one thing ive noticed is that most of the roads i ride on around austin are more fun slightly above posted speed limits. this cant be entirely due to the fact that all bmw riders speed. ;) and note, im not saying safer or anything, just sheer GRIN. (GRin INducement factor.) most of them are ok at posted speeds, really fun at 10-20 above posted, and then less fun above 20. i find that 'twisties' are fun +10 mph and 'sweepers' are more fun at +20. keep in mind that im a novice and im conservative. so many of you might be thinking those are low numbers/im a wuss. thats ok. i can feel that my bike can do more than i ask it to, but im taking it easy.

so while im out having fun, in the back of my mind im concerned about receiving any performance awards from the local law enforcement enthusiasts. and i wondered, are there any roads where i can ride the posted speed limit and it's a total blast?

my hunch is that the roads are engineered/posted for automobiles, namely buicks or something, and so the speeds are a tad lower than motorcycles can safely handle. perhaps ive hit upon an age-old gripe with motorcyclists, that there should be two speed limits or something. i do know that when i was driving a bimmer i could drive significantly faster than posted limits and everything felt fine, so it might be as simple as a lowest-common-denominator mindset for setting limits. let me say that im less interested in a huge debate over road engineering, and more interested is terse replies that say:

a) no, no roads like that.
b) yes, rt xxx in such-and-such is a blast at the posted speed limit. (it may be a SUPER blast at 10+ too.)

mostly im curious.

thanks.
 
Most of the backroads of CA are posted at 55mph, which is the basic speed law here.

However, some of them are plenty entertaining at 10mph less than that!

When I was living in Mass. , some of the roads weren't entertaining until you were running Speed Limit x2.

:dunno

Depends on where you are, is my guess.
 
There are some fun roads around here that have sections that I don't like to run too much faster than the posted limit, but thats mainly because they are through the woods with lots 'o' deer and gravel access roads. There is one corner in particular where I slow down to almost a crawl because there is always gravel sprayed all across the road from a driveway, but then proceed back to Warp 6 or 7 for the next mile or so :) I guess it was like what Kbasa said, it just matters where you are at. Talking about my favorite roads is making me sad for summer. Winter blows goats. :banghead
 
re: winter blowing goat.

i hear ya! it was 38 this morning and i didnt feel like wearing long johns to work so i just drove the truck. maybe winter will be gone tomorrow. it better be gone by the weekend! :p

but im curious about your reply - if i read it right, your road isnt maximally fun at the speed limit, you slow down due to conditions. then you have maximum fun (warp 7 mr. sulu) when the gravel is not present. im mostly interested in roads that are fun under impulse power.

good lord i hope this doesnt turn into a big star trek metaphor thread... dammit jim, im a rider not a writer! :D

thanks.
 
Speed and roads

Lots of roads around here I keep to posted speeds for the aforementioned reason of critters coming out of the woods.
I find that it depends on the day - sometimes I can really enjoy a road at or even below (gasp - it's blasphemy!) posted speeds, especially if my focus is the scenery.
Pushing the limit doesn't allow much for getting a good look at some of the natural beauty we ride through. (Guess that is why I ride slabs so rarely - BOOOORRRRRING).
Other days I like to concentrate on scooting and find enjoyment in the plus 10 to 20 neighborhood. Usta ride faster when I was younger......
 
dbrick said:
If not otherwise marked, 55.

Then it would be on the list of roads that can be fun at or below the speed limit. I love those switchbacks where to look where you're going you have to imitate an owl.
 
Well username, being in TexSux I have to ask if you know the other reason to keep it legal. Just in case you don't we've got a new state law here that implements a points system on our licenses. Accumulate six points within a 36-month period and you'll be subject to a $1500 annual "assessment" (read SPEEDER TAX). Then on top of that the state has required insurance copmpanies to make draconian premium increases once things appear on your driving record. I managed to accumulate several 'performance awards' due to a former job that sent me to a bunch of speed trap areas in rural parts of TX and Lousy-Anna where I got nailed just going the ambient speed. Why did I always get picked? I dunno. But the result is this: single male 35, 2002 VW GTI (nearly full coverage due to financing) and 1995 BMW R100R (medium coverage), $287 a month to insure. My saving grace is that all these awards happened before that new law went into effect.
The rationale supposedly is that the boys and girls in Austin have determined that speed is by far the greatest hazard factor in most TXSX accidents resulting in injury or death. I wonder if they considered that fact that most Texans can't drive worth a damn? But I guess improving driver skills is just too hard.
You'd think that a state that can take over twelve hours to cross in most directions would have a better relationship with speed.
 
veg,

im well aware of it. i grew up in NY which has a similar system of keeping track of your points. i'll say this, it makes people a hell of a lot more mindful of traffic laws, not just speeding. the points add up fast. i guess i dont have a huge problem with it. speed, get caught, get punished. some of our speed limits might be a tad too low in areas, but somehow im coping. i'd like it if they'd start enforcing red light running laws and turn signal usage laws as well. people in austin *really* like running red lights, it's scary.

i'll agree that most texas drivers are lousy, but ive driven a lot of places, and have friends everywhere, and when i visit i hear the same two things, "welcome to our town username. our roads suck and our drivers suck." so i think everyone thinks they have it bad wherever they live. i take it with a grain of salt. im pretty convinced that people in general suck and so i work to carve out a little piece of happiness that i can enjoy until they come and get me. :) austin is an excellent place to do this.

am i hijacking my own thread? :D

im not that down on texas, i like it a lot. youre in dallas right? i think you should just hate dallas, not the whole state. i hate dallas, and i hate houston. as cities go, i find them inexcusable in so many ways. i like west texas a lot. i like central texas a lot. i like the gulf coast a lot. i like east texas ok, but havent been there too much. dallas and houston seem to be full of people who are very important and in a very big hurry. austin is similar, but not as severe. smaller towns in texas seem to have a more human pace of life, which i find enjoyable. and the people, when you get them off the highways and out of their cars most everywhere, are decent. not as superior as bmw riders, but not evil either. ;)

so to be clear, i really like texas, and it's too bad you dont. one down, 49 to go, right? maybe youre ready to try someplace else? dont go to new york, theyll punish you the same way and have tons of speed traps on the interstates up there.

ride safe and try to get down to the hill country area. people are friendly, roads are open, and life is good.
 
Texas eyeopener

Shoot Veg - Michigan has been awarding bonus points ever since I started driving in 1975 and before that. And my insurance rates have likewise been tied to any points on my record.
That is a strong motivator for me to keep my riding speeds close to legal. Learned the financial woes of breakin the speed limit at a young age!
 
Username- no I don't hate TexSux, it just annoys me sometimes to varying degrees. Yes I'm in Dallas and I have to agree with you about a lot of the people here. It's also a very pretentious city but I'd take it over Houston anytime.

Cliffy- I grew up in Alabama and we had points there too (got my license suspended by such a scheme many years ago) so the idea isn't new to me but it is to most Texans.
 
The Wonderful World of Driving Points

Here in Ohio, the points system has been in place for many years. It seems like every time I get tickets, (they count for 3 years on your insurance) to go away, I find I get an award from the troopers to take it's place. But again that is the hazard of being on the road, not counting the bike for 50k miles a year. So far, I have never recieved (knock on wood) a ticket on the bike.
 
SPEED RIDING and Roads

On riding at the speed limit in the Southeast you can find lots of decent roads to travel in Tennessee, Georgia, and western North Carolina. I however, find it hard to not speed on my k1200. I normally ride the Interstate to work and usually find myself running about 90 to 95 and some times even 120 to 130 on the guestimator speedometer when traffic is slow early in the morning. However the State Patrol does Radar a lot and I know in many instances they have let me slide at 80 to 85 mph (what I was running when I got slowed down). I guess one of the reasons would be the fact that the bmw is quite and there are very few bmw's in the area where I live. Another reason speed might be overlooked is the fact that this area has a lot of Harley MC Clubs and they seem to draw most of the attention being loud as hell and running in groups from the local watering hole. Also since its nearly VALENTINE'S DAY you might sweet talk your significant other into purchasing a VALENTINE radar detector (sweet ) it will save your butt. I guess I'm lucky but most of the cops around here are not to bad about speed, but you do have to learn where to slow down or you will get caught. On example is Interstate 75 south at the 29 mile marker where there is nearly everyday radar with the DEA Drug Task Force Team. These guys catch a speeder and out comes the drug dog and if he hits on your vehicle you are BUSTED. They have arrested more drug trafficers here than you can imagine. So if you ever get down this way you can ride the DEAL's GAP, Cherohala Skyway and many more twisties in the Great Smoky Mtns. and Ocoee, Nantahala, Hiawassee river gorges and much more. :wow
 
I think the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive are entertaining and beautiful at the speed limit ... and I don't say that about many roads.
 
username said:
fellow clean driving record enthusiasts,
so while im out having fun, in the back of my mind im concerned about receiving any performance awards from the local law enforcement enthusiasts. and i wondered, are there any roads where i can ride the posted speed limit and it's a total blast?

mostly im curious.

Dear Username,
Might I suggest getting some serious education before you go for any "performance awards". Otherwise, your insurance company might be paying a "stupid tax" to a hosptital, or worse, a funeral home.
Might I suggest starting with a couple of books. "Sport Riding Techinque" by Nick Ienatsche, "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough
followed by a ridier course and some track days.
Also do a search for Nick's "The Pace" article.
Riding "WELL" is a lot more impressive than riding "FAST". To do both is the key, but it takes practice , practice, practice.
And IMHO, almost every road with curves is fun at "The Pace".
 
Read it here

For all the dial up folks, it's a text only document and should load pretty quickly. It's probably one of the best articles ever written about sensible street riding.
 
man i love this forum.

mushman - i was mostly curious.

dlearl - youre on to me! given my current skill level, youre absolutely right, im more likely to get hurt than to get a speeding ticket. im mindful of that while riding and take what i believe are calculated risks. time will tell. that said, im still not experienced at what i call emergency events, like high speed swerves and that sort of thing. i havent had anything really scary happen to me yet (cars have cut me off several times already, but i had plenty of time to react and avoid danger.) i cheated and bought a bike with ABS to reduce the likelihood of wheel lock-ups leading to get-offs. and i took the MSF intro class. i plan to take the advanced one, and i also want to participate in a track day, maybe next fall, and enhance my skills. my assumption is that i'll always be learning, always need brushing up on my skills, and always improving my skills. my goal is to be in this mode for a long, long time.

so to be clear (not that youll be up all night worrying about me) when im taking a twisty road at +10, it's one ive driven a zillion times and ridden many times. the sweepers i referred to are big-ass roads here in town that similarly ive been on many times. so im familiar with the road surface, the curves, the typical traffic issues, etc. on roads im new to, where i cant see around curves, where i dont know what the pavement is going to do in 4-6 seconds of ride time, and where i simply havent ever ridden, i usually ride below the speed limit. i get flack from people for being too slow at times, and it's usually on the new roads.

im also mindful of the fact that most get-offs occur close to home, on familiar roads, so i strive to avoid a false sense of security on roads i "know." i remain vigilant and i believe that a known road can become unknown in a split second in any number of ways. so my risks are somewhat calculated and my speeds are a strong function of visibility. they say a human needs 2 seconds to recognize and react to a problem. a novice rider should have 4. i try to keep 6 seconds.

thanks for the advice. i hope i didnt give the impression that im out there being a *total* idiot. :D
 
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