any roads fun at the speed limit?

[BMWRider]

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.

[HarveyMushman]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but why on earth would you ask?

[dlearl476]

Originally posted by username
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".

[kbasa]

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.

[USERNAME]

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.

[dlearl476]

> i hope i didnt give the impression that im out there being a *total* idiot.

Not a bit. Just passing along a word of caution. New motorcyclists are a bit like baby sea turtles, if you make it through that first year, chances are you'll have a long happy riding career. A new rider's unbridled enthusiasm can be their worst enemy.
And don't think "learning" has to be confined to rider's classes or track days. There are a ton of great books out there and every ride can be a learning experience if YOU make it so.

[BRADFORDBENN]

Originally posted by Cliffy777
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!

In New Jersey they also have a points system. The thing that makes sense is that for the first year or so of having your license you get 1/3 the points to "use up" as the rest of the state IIRC. So I remember my one and only speeding ticket three months after I got my license. VW GTI the first versions when they were Rabbits, open road - I-195 for those of you who are curious. Pulled over doing 90+.

Yes boys and girls I could have lost my license that day cause I would have lost all my stupidity points. However I got lucky and ended up getting written up for 72mph. The exact amount of points that if I did anything else stupid, no more license for a year.

The reason, the officer basically said, "To be old and wise you must first be young and stupid. This is your first stupid thing, sure hope you get wise fast."

haven't had a speeding ticket since then. Knock on Wood. That isn't to say that my rate of travel has been consistently at the speed limit, just going with the flow....

Having said that, yes there are roads that are fun at the speed limit. Hawaii has quite a few on the volcanos. Usually it is the mountain areas that are the fun ones. TX is flat, and so is Indiana. If I stand on the pegs of the lowered F650GS I can see Indianapolis 100Miles to the south.

[steviewonder]

Texas is flat ???

Dude, you are watching WAY too much television and "factually based" movies.

Yes, PART of Texas is flat, but it's a HUGE place and there are PLENTY of hills and elevation changes up to 8000 ft (if you're properly equipped).

I STRONGLY suggest you come down here and ride Texas rather than draw false conclusions from ill-founded but popular lore.

BTW ... if you get a chance, go out to the Putnam Park racetrack just west of Indy. A great track and an idyllic setting.

[gstom]

fellow clean driving record 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.

thanks.

In a few words, SE Oklahoma and western Arkansas.

My suggestion would be to plan a trip from Austin northeasterly up through Tyler to maybe Mt. Pleasant and up to Idabel, Oklahoma. Anywhere north and east of there as far east as Little Rock and as far north of Springfield, Mo. should provide you with plenty of fun riding at less than mach speeds. In many places it is challenging to even run at the posted limit.
The Talimena Skyway west of Mena, Arkansas to Talihina, Ok (or vice versa) is very nice. Also I would recommend Arkansas Highway 23 from south of Ft. Smith up to Eureka Springs, a part of which is designated the Pig Trail National Scenic Byway. There are many good rides from Eureka Springs, using it as a base of operations. Arkansas 21 and 7 are great. Even Highway 65 south of Branson is an ok road for scenery. If you are a GSer you can find many unpaved backroads of varying degrees of difficulty. These and many other nice motorcycling roads can be found within a (longish) day or so ride from Austin.
Best time of year IMHO is during the spring when the dogwoods are in bloom, or for fall colors, but anytime of year is nice (as long as there is no ice which is rare).

[chasman]

Short answer - Nope, you gotta crank it on! But then I'm riding the Mighty K12RS. 8>)


Riding Like the Wind (come spring)...

CHASMAN
Black (the fastest color) '02 K12RS

[GlobalRider]

I wondered, are there any roads where i can ride the posted speed limit and it's a total blast?

There are plenty way east, or way way west.

These roads don't have a speed limit, not that you need one...

[soldemall]

Well, since you're in Austin, try Lime Creek Road around Volente. If you can maintain the speed limit on that, be sure to post back to us.

[DZIMBRIC]

GA60
Deals Gap
Cheraholla Skyway
The road in MT that leads up to the KOA in Glacier

Just to name a few

Passing through TX this weekend on a run to Phoenix via Little Rock, Dallas, US180 to Las Cruces, NM and points west.

Note to self:
1. send brad my GPS elevation log for TX.
2. give a wave to username and veg

[USERNAME]

Well, since you're in Austin, try Lime Creek Road around Volente. If you can maintain the speed limit on that, be sure to post back to us.

except for the hairpin-blind-off-camber curves, done. but your point is well-taken.

since someone resurrected this thread, i should update and say that my riding style has changed a little. i'm learning to ride much more smoothly (thanks to book recommendations from fellow enthusiasts on this fine forum and lots of practice) and i find this to be pleasureable at any speed. it just feels good. there's a road here that i used to feel i needed to go 80 on for it to be fun, but now i've got a mind game that i play when i ride it, and while focusing on my body, where im looking, and having smooth actions, doing it at the posted 60 is very nice.

i still ride it at 80 every so often...

[LORAZEPAM]

try State Rt 555 in Ohio. I bet you cant do that one above the speed limit for long.