100 milers in Utah—mph, that is

[TEDZEMLICKA]

Doing 88 in an 80 zone west of Mitchell. SD. A state trooper was ahead of a semi I was passing, it cost me $130 something. August of 2019.

 

[pglaves]

Riding north on US 75 south of Topeka, KS - long straight road - I came upon a string of about six cars all plodding along at 54 mph in a 55 zone. I pulled out rolling about 65 and began to pass the string of cars. When I was even with the third car in the string the lead vehicle, a Ford Bronco, lit up like a blinking Christmas tree, all blue and red and flashy. I rolled off allowing the string of cars to again be ahead of me and I pulled back into northbound lane. When we got to the small town of Lyndon I expected him to pull over, let the cars go by, and stop me. He did pull over, but just gave me a big wave as I went past.

 

[BC1100S]

....those who chose to ride fast on public roads are more or less the same in attitude as the no helmet guys we "motorcyclists" make fun of and wonder about.

That statement couldn't be further from the truth.

 

[skibum69]

I tested the top speed go my R1100S recently. Yes it was public road but it was long and straight and zero traffic.

 

[stevenrankin]

That statement couldn't be further from the truth.

So, why do we wear helmets? For safety reasons. Why are speed limits posted? For safety reasons. The people who ride without helmets ignore physics and odds thinking they will never crash. People who far exceed the speed limits have the same thought pattern. So yes I am afraid the thinking is the same, sorry, I don't care how long you have been riding, how skilled you are, one day, you may have an accident and if you are doing 80 in a twisty turny road rated at a speed limit of 55, then there is a good chance you may find a tractor, deer, or oil slick ruining your day. I would rather hit a deer at 60 than 80, of course there is no guarantee even if a person rides at the speed limit or below they won't have an accident. The thing is, you might walk away from a 60mph crash where on most public streets you won't at 80.

Race and ride fast on a race track. How about if there is not a race day or track day for you to ride, get organized and set one up. I am pretty sure the AMA or someone would be happy to help and race tracks need money.

Oh yes, there was a story in one of the magazines I get about a guy riding with his friends in a nice twisty road who got caught up with trying to keep up and ended up going down. Again, I hate to say, he did two things wrong, one, he tried to keep up with someone who might have been a better rider than he, he exceeded the limits of his riding ability. He was going faster than the speed limit which was set for the condition of the road.

For now we are free to ride and more or less ride anyway we want to Thank God. With the current trend in government going the way it is and motorcyclist numbers declining, we may find our sport gone. I pray I will be dead and gone by that time but I can't see into the future and sadly, it may happen sooner than later. Loud pipes, speeding and reckless riding are all things that put arrows into the do gooders quiver to shoot us down. St.

 

[crows123]

100mph

I'm no different than all, we all start the same on daily ride at track or street. Hop on ,turn on, check gauges , put in gear, go. First few mis. or laps tense , aware ,soon we relax feel the tires ,wind, get used to the road surface, proceed with confidence, speed increases. Having ridden in Utah going 100mph is very easy on a BMW, Hell my 2016 r1200rt is built for it. What I would really like to know is where in Utah did most of the stops occur, and what vehicles where stopped the most, and what states they came from, before we come down on mc riders.

 

[BC1100S]

With the current trend in government going the way it is and motorcyclist numbers declining, we may find our sport gone. I pray I will be dead and gone by that time but I can't see into the future and sadly, it may happen sooner than later. Loud pipes, speeding and reckless riding are all things that put arrows into the do gooders quiver to shoot us down. St.

With respect, people have been saying that for 50 years. And if you don't like the way I ride then stay off the sidewalk.

 

[BC1100S]

I tested the top speed go my R1100S recently. Yes it was public road but it was long and straight and zero traffic.

And.....?

 

[henzilla]

Been in all the western states, as many here, avoid the Interstate if at all possible. Only once got a blue light flash from oncoming trooper in Utah on a very windy day. First car I had seen for miles and glanced down to see I wasn’t far off the posted limit, waved and kept momentum.
Have had enjoyable runs across Arizona many times and never an issue. Act responsible and don’t be an idiot has worked well for me.

We have 75MPH limits everywhere in TX now and even 85MPH on SH130 paralleling IH35 from SanAntonio to Austin in a few stretches(have ridden bike on this a half dozen times, always a treat passing the LEO going ten under). I roll with the flow, avoid being the rabbit and have avoided chats alongside the road. These same roads were 55 forever and still takes several miles to settle in with current limits. My thoughts are five over is 80 and if you get caught speeding, that’s on you. Yes, have tested performance on many bikes on open stretches and will accept the consequences of those choices. I have been hurt at 30MPH, no get off is ever a good thing.
I laugh heading East from TX on same US highway, same road surface and sight lines but WHAM... 55 as you cross the state line. That takes a few miles to readjust to crawl. H was leading Arkansas escape from a fast approaching front one Sunday morning. The trooper she rattled told her he understood the weather but that the TX border was still thirty minutes away and that allowed speed...She got a selfie and off
we went.

On a recent Big Bend club outing, I took a group of four from Alpine to River Road( 170) that had never been. Passing Paul and Voni’s adobe along the way where limit is 75. I realized in the first four miles that the group would not stay intact at that speed and settled in around 60. Nobody complained, only got passed by one group of cars in that long stretch to Study Butte. Have been riding Beemers out here since 2005 when limit was 55MPH, so didn’t feel a thing.
Remember when the auto industry stopped producing convertibles in the US? One of the stories for reason was they just were not safe...maybe a helmet?
Each of us makes choices in life every day, I don’t have the time or energy to influence or
worry about anyone else’s. I think we’ll be fine

 

[saddleman]

True, but the speed limit across much of South Dakota on I-90 is 85, which pretty much what everyone is doing, except the older Harleys. They just do the best they can.

The only highway in United States with a speed limit of 85 mph is Texas Hwy. 130. It is a toll road from San Antonio to north of Austin Tx. I was on it this past July riding back home to Charlotte NC from Phoenix Az.

 

[ponch1]

Anything over 85mph in Az., no matter the posted speed [ say 75mph ] is considered a criminal speeding ticket vs a civil infraction.

20mph over any other speed limit is or location is a criminal speeding ticket in Az. as well.

under the law, a conviction for criminal speeding is technically punishable by:

up to 30 days of jail
a fine of up to $500 plus surcharges
up to 1 year of probation.

Practically speaking, other consequences can be severe, including:

receiving a permanent criminal record that can not be expunged
adding 3 points to your license
disqualification from job opportunities
impacts on immigration status
non-renewal of Visa or temporary work status
impacts on insurance rates
driver’s license suspension
disqualification of commercial driver’s license status (CDL)
loss of professional licenses
loss of security clearances
loss of government advancement opportunities due to insurance costs
reputation damage-having to check the box “criminal conviction” on any application materials

Many people are shocked that Arizona has a law that imposes criminal penalties on speeding violations.

Many other states do not have these types of laws, but Arizona reports all motor vehicle violations, including criminal speeding out-of-state.

I see people exceed that every day here in AZ. Sometimes I do too...I wish they were more proactive about other things, like patrolling where I live instead of sitting in the station or doing radar. Lots of petty crime, wrong way drivers and what I would guess are drunk drivers. Some of the stuff I see going down the Beeline leaves me wondering too and I will leave it at that.

 

[oldcamper]

The only highway in United States with a speed limit of 85 mph is Texas Hwy. 130. It is a toll road from San Antonio to north of Austin Tx. I was on it this past July riding back home to Charlotte NC from Phoenix Az.

Oops! My bad on the SD I-90 speed limit. I should have checked first before posting.

 

[motodan]

The Utah ton was north on 191 from I-70 to Price, little of anything out there.

 

[vtbob]

Most of us ride motorcycle for the joy of it. Some days is nicer slower, soaking up the smells, the scenery, relaxing, some other days riding at a brisker pace is the joy, slaloming along the twisties, enjoying the corners. On these day speed limits seem arbitrary! 30, 55, 65, 75 80 quite a spread by our state officials.

Of course safety is important, judgement must be employed.

But I don't always limit myself to that posted.

 

[brownie0486]

I see people exceed that every day here in AZ. Sometimes I do too...I wish they were more proactive about other things, like patrolling where I live instead of sitting in the station or doing radar. Lots of petty crime, wrong way drivers and what I would guess are drunk drivers. Some of the stuff I see going down the Beeline leaves me wondering too and I will leave it at that.

Leo's need to be more proactive in many areas of enforcement instead of the constant nonfeasance we see across the US today. When every time you do your job, you can lose your job due to msm decrying foul in some way, most are taking the easy route and not getting too involved in anything today.

It's unfortunate, maybe the pendulum will swing back one day.

 

[ponch1]

Leo's need to be more proactive in many areas of enforcement instead of the constant nonfeasance we see across the US today. When every time you do your job, you can lose your job due to msm decrying foul in some way, most are taking the easy route and not getting too involved in anything today.

It's unfortunate, maybe the pendulum will swing back one day.

Nah, it's a back end problem. It probably cost more in wear and tear and gas to drive around patrolling while generating less revenue. Arresting folks costs money and time, tickets pay for themselves and then some. It's all about the metrics and what the customer will tolerate. It's like that in a lot of customer service/customer facing jobs. So in the end, it comes down to being held accountable by the customer in this case, not the system they work for.

 

[pglaves]

On these day speed limits seem arbitrary! 30, 55, 65, 75 80 quite a spread by our state officials.

Of course safety is important, judgement must be employed.

In most cases speed limits are set by politicians. Basic limits are set by state legislatures. Others by county commissioners or city councils. Traffic engineers try to have a say but often don't. When a qualified engineer says the speed limit should be lower for safety at a certain location that advice or decision usually sticks. But if a qualified traffic engineer says this speed limit is too low they are usually ignored.

That said, all-in-all Texas has done a pretty fair job with two-lane state highways ranging from 75 down to 50 depending on congestion and roadway location. Other states have done a miserable job of setting limits. 55 all over the place. I call them the dreary little 55 states. They got in line with the national 55 mandate back in the 70's and never grew up since.

Where I live the speed limit is 75, and most people drive fairly close to that limit. Four over will get you stopped and maybe a ticket. Five over will often buy a ticket from a state trooper. Their attitude is "we give you 75, how much more do you need." I don't know what happens in the big cities here: Houston, Dallas, Austin, etc because I never go there. On a motorcycle I will ride an extra 100 miles to avoid any of those places. I tried riding in Atlanta once, and on I-95 north of Richmond too. In Virginia we bailed off I-95 at the next exit and rode peaceful back roads; not amidst 30 over traffic in a sea of tailgaters and flashing brake lights, three lanes wide and bumper to bumper.

As a general rule, if the speed limit is reasonable and proper most people don't speed by very much. But when the speed limit is artificially too low many drivers speed by a lot. And then there is Utah and Montana. I liked Montana's "reasonable and prudent" or as some said "reasonably imprudent."

Quiz: Who here remembers the unofficial rally slogan: "By night 56K. By day reasonable and prudent"? Who, Where and when??

 

[20774]

Quiz: Who here remembers the unofficial rally slogan: "By night 56K. By day reasonable and prudent"? Who, Where and when??

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...ited-on-K16B&p=1206813&viewfull=1#post1206813

 

[ponch1]

In most cases speed limits are set by politicians. Basic limits are set by state legislatures. Others by county commissioners or city councils. Traffic engineers try to have a say but often don't. When a qualified engineer says the speed limit should be lower for safety at a certain location that advice or decision usually sticks. But if a qualified traffic engineer says this speed limit is too low they are usually ignored.

That said, all-in-all Texas has done a pretty fair job with two-lane state highways ranging from 75 down to 50 depending on congestion and roadway location. Other states have done a miserable job of setting limits. 55 all over the place. I call them the dreary little 55 states. They got in line with the national 55 mandate back in the 70's and never grew up since.

Where I live the speed limit is 75, and most people drive fairly close to that limit. Four over will get you stopped and maybe a ticket. Five over will often buy a ticket from a state trooper. Their attitude is "we give you 75, how much more do you need." I don't know what happens in the big cities here: Houston, Dallas, Austin, etc because I never go there. On a motorcycle I will ride an extra 100 miles to avoid any of those places. I tried riding in Atlanta once, and on I-95 north of Richmond too. In Virginia we bailed off I-95 at the next exit and rode peaceful back roads; not amidst 30 over traffic in a sea of tailgaters and flashing brake lights, three lanes wide and bumper to bumper.

As a general rule, if the speed limit is reasonable and proper most people don't speed by very much. But when the speed limit is artificially too low many drivers speed by a lot. And then there is Utah and Montana. I liked Montana's "reasonable and prudent" or as some said "reasonably imprudent."

Quiz: Who here remembers the unofficial rally slogan: "By night 56K. By day reasonable and prudent"? Who, Where and when??

Where I live there is a saying, 9 over you're fine, 10 over you're mine. The biggest problem here are left lane parkers. Lots of folks sit in the passing lane not passing and on highways with 2 lanes on each side, it can back things up a bit. I've heard some states will ticket for that, but not here. The worst for tickets was when I lived in Iowa. Lots of small towns had their own police and the money funded the schools. One town was know to ticket for 1mph over. It's so bad there that the DMV will grace two tickets a year if they are under 10 over. If they didn't do that a lot of folks wouldn't have licenses.

 

[pglaves]

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...ited-on-K16B&p=1206813&viewfull=1#post1206813

We have a winner!