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Go 180 mph on a motorcycle. I've done it, and I won't do it again. I'm a pretty solid rider, but 180 is above my reaction time. Things were behind me before I had a chance to react to them. So, I decided going that fast is stupid, and deadly, and I wont do so again. 120-140 however is manageable. I can react with time to spare. 105 is like a cakewalk. I'm just as comfortable at 105 as I am at 55.
Went to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally in the late aughts. Went to the Harley Dealership that was offering free test drives on all it's latest models. The guy leading the test drive said that anyone who wanted to go fast should be right up in front behind him. I wanted to go fast, so I was second in line, right behind him, on a brand new V-Rod (I think it was the 2007 almost 1300 CC engine).
He lead us on a dirt road parallel to the highway for a minute, going like 65 mph, which wasn't so bad, but I peeked behind me and the cloud of dust we were trailing was impressive, I wondered how the guys behind me were even keeping sight of us! Then, he turned and got on the highway. Man he opened his up so fast, I almost lost sight of him. I gased that V-Rod so hard just to keep him in eye sight, that the segmented white lines between lanes just turned into one solid line to my vision. I checked my speedometer and swear I was around 160-180mph. That shit was unreal, passing cars going highway speed like they were standing still, on a bike I had never ridden before.
And that's why I won't let myself buy a crotch rocket. Give me a 90's model sportster that maxes out at like 90mph, because I'm scared if I have a machine that can go that fast, I may be tempted to try it again, and the idea of becoming a meat-crayon isn't something I aspire to.
My Dad is a doctor who would bring home pictures of gnarly cases he worked on, and every single one of them would be motorcycle accidents. Doesn't stop him from riding one, and with a fake-DOT helmet (if one at all), but it sure stopped me from ever wanting to emulate those speed-demons that go over 100 weaving through traffic and shit. Those people are insane to me.
I'm shocked to hear that bike can go that fast. I thought they topped out at 150. I can't imagine going that fast on a cruiser, with no wind screen. It seems like the wind would blow you right off the bike. Even at like 100 mph on a cruiser, I'm gripping the handlebars like crazy, fighting against the wind hitting my chest and pushing me out of the seat.
You're probably right about it being closer to 150, I do remember turning my head and feeling the air push my head hard, fighting to get back into the lowered, hugging-the-engine position I was in. T'was nuts. never again! Maybe if I'm on the salt flats with mad protective gear, but not on roads, not on a new-to-me bike. That was just a flash of brilliant, youthful, death defiance that I'm likely never to repeat. Might as well bounce on a trampoline under whirring helicopter blades 😅
The difference in feeling between 150 and 180 is as or more pronounced as the difference between 100 and 150. Every MPH above about 150 is a noticeable difference. I was actively pushing the bike to its absolute limit, and it was insane. After around 160 things are happening too fast to respond to. They're already behind you by the time they register in your mind. I agree with your sentiment, never again, at least not anywhere other than the salt flats.
You can do this in relative safety on a racetrack though. Doing this anywhere else is risking turning yourself and others into hamburger meat.
Yeah, I was young, and dumb, and invincible.
Do you still do 105 now though? If so, you're still dumb and a danger to others on the road. I limit myself to a 250cc just so I dont get any stupid ideas
The bike I own now won't even go that fast. It maxes out around... I'm not sure tbh because it doesn't have a speedometer, but I'm guessing around 85 mph. It's geared for the dirt, so max speed isn't much of a consideration. Back then I was riding an R1, and 105 is just the flick of the wrist on those things. I haven't owned a superbike since my mid-twenties.
If you aren't doing this on a track, then you're a dangerous person to society. Just because 105 is less than 180 doesn't make it okay. You can't react at that speed to everything the way you think you can.
I understand why you feel that way, but you're probably not considering that every geo location in the world is not similar to your geo location. Some roads are better suited to handle aggressive riding than others, and some places are much more remote than whatever city you live in.
Yep, I've topped out my Hayabusa and I feel the same way.. Done it 4 or 5 times when I was a little younger but I don't need to die that way.
I knew someone who t-boned an SUV on a Hayabusa going 198 mph (speed limiter limit). He was stupidly doing that on a major street in town at 2 am. It was a party town, so there were still plenty of people on the road at 2 am. There was so much force from the impact that he knocked the SUV on its side, and cut it almost completely in half. The people in the back seat were killed, and the people in the front seat were seriously injured. As for the rider... well, there wasn't much left of him to talk about. I have no idea what got into him to cause him to think that was an okay idea, but it's a mistake he didn't live through.
I'm sorry that happened to someone you knew.
Thats awful.
I've only done it on a remote road with a huge view, so no chance of another car - but plenty of chance of animals stepping out, or even just losing control due to road surface or wind gusts etc...
Its a silly thing to do.
Huge adrenaline rush, but so very silly. These bikes are ridiculously fast.
It's not something I plan on doing again.
Once again, I'm sorry you knew someone who had such an awful end...
Thanks. He wasn't a friend, just someone I knew from our biking community. It was still shocking to hear.
Yeah the animals concern is real. A friend of mine hit a deer on his bike up in the foothills. He went over the bars, tearing his kneecaps off on the way, and then shattered multiple vertebrae when he hit the asphalt. Thankfully he somehow had a full recovery. He was laid up for a year, and in pain a lot after that, but he survived, and regained full function. He was riding again around 2 years later. Bikes are certainly deadly in the wrong scenarios, but boy are they fun!
I love the adrenaline feeling of driving at speed. Can't imagine 180 on a bike though, I took a moped to 50 one time and the exposure scared the crap out of me.
I looked to my right before changing lanes out of habit, and the wind almost tore my head off. I had to fight with all my strength to get back into the bubble behind the wind screen. Then I saw a puddle on the ground around a quarter mile away, started to react to it, and it was behind me before I could do anything. That's when I decided that I was being suicidal and backed off. I never went that fast again. It's cool to have experienced it, but once was enough. If I had access to the salt flats or something, then I'd do it again for fun, but definitely not on a highway, regardless of how remote it is.
Edit: it's worth pointing out that depending on the moped, 50 mph is probably the absolute limit of what it's built for. Going max speed on most vehicles is scary, because you're pushing the limit of the design. When you're going 150 mph on a sport bike, you're well within the limits of the design. Suspension, traction, exposure, and all that are still completely manageable. Plus, you're encased in riding gear, jackets, gloves, full face helmet, boots, etc., and behind a wind screen which makes an air pocket, so you're not really exposed to the wind blasting all around you.