How much of the riding you do is "spirited/up pace?

Drennan57

Drennan57

Well-known member
Forum Sponsor
So I'm having a clash of good vs evil here. I'm getting more and more comfortable riding at a high pace and it seems like it's becoming the norm now. I'm always going faster then traffic even when I'm cruising, is this normal?

Do you guys tend to always ride a little more aggressive or faster then the normal flow of traffic?
 
90%. Its a 250...if its not spirited you're not getting anywhere.

My opinion is you're better off going faster than traffic. Would you want a bunch of cars all around you or would you rather be in your own bubble?? I always try to have as few cars around as me as possible, I don't need dumbasses switching lanes into me or doing other dumb **** around me.

It's been working pretty well for me so far...In another thread I mentioned I speed a lot, as I'm admitting here...some idiot comes along getting his panties in a bunch telling me "When you're lane splitting through vans full of children" blah blah blah. People like that are the ones who I don't want anywhere near me, let them do speed limit and get into the stupid fender benders idiots like that often do.
 
Last edited:
I always go with the flow of traffic. I will sometimes speed up to leave a pack of cars and have my own little bubble of emptiness around me.
 
Yes and no. If I'm passing, I do it quickly. Otherwise, I'm close to traffic speed. If you go faster than traffic all the time, you end up catching the next group, and you're in traffic.
 
Always.
100% always.

I'm not proud of this, I want to do some touring and long distance rides where I can just relax and take in the sights but when I'm on a bike I just want to ****ing goooo.

Well maybe except for the odd time I'd ride through a suburb. I live near the country, do most of my riding out there, and I don't often ride my bike near the city.
 
I'm finding it increasingly hard not to ride like a d0uche. Experience and familiarity with the bike makes me feel like everyone else on the road is driving through molasses.
 
Always ride quicker than traffic feel safer that way sitting amongst traffic in all those blind spots = no good but on the highway if its a good pace hit left lane blocking position with eyes on mirrors. Twisty roads its every man for himself.
 
Baggsy said:
Yes and no. If I'm passing, I do it quickly. Otherwise, I'm close to traffic speed. If you go faster than traffic all the time, you end up catching the next group, and you're in traffic.
Click to expand...

lol, and then you do what you first mentioned...pass quickly.
 
I try to avoid riding in traffic.

In this day and age, you have to be mindful of what the cops are going to see. If you are the fastest thing in view, who do you think is getting pulled over?

My preferred riding pattern on the street is, and has always been, non-attention-getting on straightaways and whatever I want to do in corners.

On the bike that I ride the most, all acceleration is wide open throttle and all (non-city) straightaways are as fast as possible - but it's a 125, how fast will it really go?
 
It seems the norm for newer riders, after a couple years you ride within limits but pushing the bike on certain empty roads/ when your hitting the twistys.
 
The pre HTA172 days it use to be fun to ride like a hooligan.

Get a race licence, or do some trackdays it reduces the need to speed and ride like a tard on the streets.
 
Rnoodles, if your profile pic shows your actual bike and your location is correct, I may have gone past in the other direction on Monday near Fonthill. If you recall seeing a FZR400 with a different red and white paint job, that was me. (bike looks good for the short time that I saw it!)
 
LoneRonin said:
lol, and then you do what you first mentioned...pass quickly.
Click to expand...

Sure. But then you end up in way, way more traffic, and passing through it, than if you'd simply paced the group ahead from a ways back.

This is also where that "You can control your wrist" idea starts breaking down. If a bike will do something . . .
 
Brian P said:
Rnoodles, if your profile pic shows your actual bike and your location is correct, I may have gone past in the other direction on Monday near Fonthill. If you recall seeing a FZR400 with a different red and white paint job, that was me. (bike looks good for the short time that I saw it!)
Click to expand...

No I wish I had a FZR, i seen a few bikers heading the opposite way Monday on Ridge Rd, I have a Red Triumph Daytona
 
Drennan57 said:
Do you guys tend to always ride a little more aggressive or faster then the normal flow of traffic?
Click to expand...

There are no hard and fast rules since urban traffic is a complex system. Going faster can give you some space, or encourage aggressive riders/drivers around you. Not a good situation if they (or you) have poor skills. Sometimes holding position behind a slower bus/truck lets them pass and duke it out someplace ahead, where yet another red light/jam awaits. Lowering average speed to reduce slowing/stopping and smoothing out the kinks can be pretty satisfying. Plus, it can give you extra reaction time to deal with the turkeys, who will try anything to save a few seconds.
 
The nail that sticks up gets hammered down. Just ride sensibly and choose your moments. Like Brian said, the cops are looking for the knob that stands out from the rest.
 
This is a hard question to answer because I scare easily but want to spread the illusion that I'm one of the fast guys. So while my riding feels spirited/up pace it's mostly just molasses. I try to offset some of this inner turmoil by blipping the throttle at red lights. People seem to appreciate that, so it's a win/win.
 
I don't call that "spirited". Riding a bit above traffic speed is simply good safety practice. If you are not moving in relation to other vehicles drivers blank you out. That's how human vision works....

Getting locked into clump of traffic moving at the same lock step is a recipe for problems.

Spirited riding is something else all together and while I certainly don't do it as often as I used to I still have my moments :D

I am I advocating for it???....nah....until you get into the PA twists...then you'd really have to be VERY disciplined to stay anywhere near the speed limit ;)

choose your moments.
Click to expand...
hehe....yup....and you sure got some nice roads to choose those moments on. :rolleyes:
 
Baggsy said:
Yes and no. If I'm passing, I do it quickly. Otherwise, I'm close to traffic speed. If you go faster than traffic all the time, you end up catching the next group, and you're in traffic.
Click to expand...

This. I agree to be slightly above the speed of traffic (so idiots aren't overtaking you from behind) is probably the safest...but that also means you are within 10-20 of traffic speed. It does not mean it is safer to be doing double that around you...if you do that, you are asking for it (eg. people not looking or wearing a bulls-eye for the OPP).

Side-note, the biggest thing I like about the CBR650F over my old CBR250RA is the passing power above 100. Worst place to be is in someone's blindspot and the 250 could get stuck there, but a quick twist easily gets the 650 out of it, and then speed can be adjusted accordingly.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom