Author Topic: Recommended Cruise Speed (Read 4293 times)

LapinAgile · **on:** February 17, 2014, 11:01:19 pm

First post here, and like others I've read here have recently sold my carbed Bonneville and am looking closely at getting into a used 500cc Bullet, an UCE bike.
There are some great two lane blacktop roads here in S.E. Arizona, and wondering what a good safe cruising speed would be recommended? A frequent day trip for me is typically 120 miles, with some stops of course, and the roads have some great hills and twists.
I'm presuming that the bike I find will be 'broken in' of course, otherwise I'd follow the Owner's Manual until enough miles have elapsed.
Thanks for the help.

rvcycleguy · **Reply #1 on:** February 17, 2014, 11:05:23 pm

55-60mph are good speeds for long runs. Vibration is kept to a minimum. Short to medium stints can run up 65-70.

Rich Mintz · **Reply #2 on:** February 17, 2014, 11:18:19 pm

I do a lot of mid-distance travel on my 2010 RE C5 -- 250 miles in a day, mostly on highway or freeway.

The bike cruises well at 55-60, and tolerably at 65-70 with a bit more vibration (the engine is fine at 70, the physical structure of the bike isn't really built for it). It's fine for 250-mile days, but it's not a comfort bike, and I take a LOT of breaks -- on average, every 40 miles or so. And I prefer secondary roads, like US 301 through northeast Maryland rather than I-95.

LapinAgile · **Reply #3 on:** February 17, 2014, 11:28:01 pm

Thanks guys, that gives me some comfort then. I had a tendency to really whip the Bonnie hard and was daily in the 80's and 90's where it felt comfortable. But I'm done with that type riding and now just want to get out to see some nature.
From reading other posts here, it seems there's similarities too with Bonnevilles in achieving much bette performance by opening up the breathing. I can wrench a bit, but I'm done too with all that and just want to ride a beautiful bike!

azcatfan · **Reply #4 on:** February 17, 2014, 11:31:10 pm

LapinAgile, I'm in Arizona too, whereabouts are you, maybe we can cover some of the same ground.

LapinAgile · **Reply #5 on:** February 18, 2014, 12:35:47 am

Hey azcatfan, I just PM'd you.

Arizoni · **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2014, 01:53:30 am

Another Arizonian here but up in the Phoenix area.

I agree with the speeds suggested by the others.55-65 mph all day long.
They do run out of wind in the 70-80 mph range though so the superslabs like I 10 aren't the place to ride them.

Speaking of all day long rides (for those interested) the seat on the G5's is (IMO), excellent. I can easily ride a 200 mile ride without feeling sore or tired. These seats are the typical 2 person type from the 70's.

The tractor style single saddle used on the C5's has caused a lot of people to complain about their butts after 1/2 hour ride. I don't know why because it is sprung and looks like it would support a butt without a problem, but, I guess it leaves something to be desired.

I haven't heard much about the stepped seat on the B5 from anyone so I don't know where they fit into the comfort zone.

Oh. Some of the 2009-2011 C (as in Charley) UCE bikes with the 18 inch front wheel was known to get very dicey at around 60-65 with some head shake. Folks tried a lot of things to fix the problem, some with success and some not.
Royal Enfield changed the front wheel to a 19" size (like the G5) and redesigned the front fork in 2012.
This seems to have fixed the problem.

mattsz · **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2014, 02:26:47 am

Quote from: Arizoni on February 18, 2014, 01:53:30 am

Speaking of all day long rides (for those interested) the seat on the G5's is (IMO), excellent. I can easily ride a 200 mile ride without feeling sore or tired. These seats are the typical 2 person type from the 70's.

The tractor style single saddle used on the C5's has caused a lot of people to complain about their butts after 1/2 hour ride. I don't know why because it is sprung and looks like it would support a butt without a problem, but, I guess it leaves something to be desired.

I haven't heard much about the stepped seat on the B5 from anyone so I don't know where they fit into the comfort zone.

Gosh, you're right, the G5 and B5 seats are different! I never noticed. I kind of liked the secure feel of that little step in the seat of my B5, but for me the seat itself is tooooo hard - coupled with the hard rear OEM shocks, it beat the piss out of my back. I put a "Lycette" style sprung solo seat on and it helped a lot; Hagon replacement shocks were, for me, a bust - a waste of rather a lot of money, since they made no difference at all that I could discern in either in comfort or handling, and a waste of time, since I had to repair a swing-arm bolt that I broke trying to change them -

... wait, I mean,

! They look good, though...

Seems like that G5 seat would allow for more fine-tuning of riding position on longer rides, something lacking in solo seat and the B5 seat. I wonder if that G5 seat would fit the B5?

Royalista · **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2014, 03:55:33 am

Should fit.
And the possibility to change seating positions does make a world of difference, be it on highway or dirt road. I have no discomfort riding all day.

gremlin · **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2014, 04:48:50 am

Quote from: LapinAgile on February 17, 2014, 11:01:19 pm

......wondering what a good safe cruising speed would be ......

Mine seems to be happy at 55. Much more than that and the fuel economy drops off pretty fast.

Arizoni · **Reply #10 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:09:16 am

LapinAgile is new here.

Tell him how big you really are gremlin.

Now, I'm not nearly as large at my 5'-10" and 152 pound weight but on my ride to Flagstaff Arizona and back on the Phoenix>Payson>Clints Well>Mormon Lake>Flagstaff route riding at 60-65 mph most of the way got an average fuel economy of 81.508 mpg.
That's with a backpack bunjied to the seat behind me and my saddle bags full of stuff.

mattsz · **Reply #11 on:** February 18, 2014, 12:45:21 pm

Royalista - I wonder if the G5 seat would fit the B5... the frames are different, and especially the rear fenders are different - the B5 has that "hump"...

Arizoni - you must riding around in the clouds! Down here at sea level, we don't get that kind of MPG - at least I can't! It's usually mid-60's for me, with occasional bumps up into the low 70's (BTW, Fuelly's MPG average shown in my signature is wrong; not sure why it's so hard for them to correctly average some numbers. I've questioned them about it, but they never replied

).

LapinAgile · **Reply #12 on:** February 18, 2014, 01:43:38 pm

Oh. Some of the 2009-2011 C (as in Charley) UCE bikes with the 18 inch front wheel was known to get very dicey at around 60-65 with some head shake. Folks tried a lot of things to fix the problem, some with success and some not.
Royal Enfield changed the front wheel to a 19" size (like the G5) and redesigned the front fork in 2012.
This seems to have fixed the problem.....[quote from Arizoni]

This is exactly the kind of critical tip a newbie needs when making a decision. Many thanks. It's great to sit back listening to a chat from experienced owners. No better way to learn.
I'm off to visit the dealer in Tucson today; as azcatfan points out, it may make far more sense to look at the new ones considering the now lowered price and 2 year warranty.
Thanks for all the good tips and ideas guys - Speed Safely!

tooseevee · **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2014, 01:44:47 pm

Quote from: gremlin on February 18, 2014, 04:48:50 am

Mine seems to be happy at 55. Much more than that and the fuel economy drops off pretty fast.

Both the bike & *I* are perfectly happy now at 55. I've grown to hate the feeling of being beaten to death by the wind over many many years of riding. I just don't care any more to go more than 55 for any length of time. Once in a while a short shot at 70 feels good, but then I'm right back down to 55. It hurts less.

"Slowly, slowly catchee monkey"

barenekd · **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2014, 06:20:56 pm

I put an 18 T sprocket on my G5 and that made cruising from 65-70 a piece of cake. However the gas mileage was a lot better between 50-65.
Matt-As for the Hagons, you must've gotten too stiff a spring on those. If you're under 180 pounds you really need the 17 lb springs. If you got them for Dave Quinn, they would swap them out for you. I had them on my G5 and they were all the difference in the world. Did you change your fork oil? The sludge in those things is awful. Put some real 10W fork oil in them and the bike takes on a whole different personality!
The new B5 seat is reshaped and even harder, I think, than the old one. I don't like it at all. The new shape pushes my gonads into the tank when I try to put my feet down. I'm not sure the seats are interchangeable between the B5 and G5. You'd have to look closely at the mounts. The older B5s have a strap between the shocks and the seat bolts onto that. I don't think they have changed that.The G5 bolts on at the rear of the seat.
Bare
Bare

mattsz · **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2014, 09:18:09 pm

We're drifting off course here, but...

Bare - not quite sure about your "17 lb" spring recommendation; Dave Quinn offers, among others, 16kg and 18kg springs - no 17kg (and certainly no 17 lb). After much back and forth, Dave "firmly" recommended the 18kg springs, after I told him my riding weight is about 170 lbs. I thought he said he wouldn't swap used painted springs (mine are painted black), but the fine print actually says that they won't warranty the finish, which is different. Maybe I'll give them a call.

You may recall I did change my fork oil - removed almost exactly the recommended amount and it wasn't the sludgy green gunk. Replaced it with Motul 10W anyway... no difference in the ride.

I'm doubtful about the seats too, even though my B5 doesn't have a strap between the shocks.

Royalista · **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2014, 09:40:22 pm

Quote from: mattsz on February 18, 2014, 12:45:21 pm

Royalista - I wonder if the G5 seat would fit the B5... the frames are different, and especially the rear fenders are different - the B5 has that "hump"...

I checked the diagrams at Hitchcocks, and they're indeed different.
But the RE's realm is misty and unpredictable.
When I need stuff from H., I find it on the B5 (where mine is a 2010 Electra aka E5).

Comparing mine with the bullets (C5, B5, G5) at my dealers I find they have the same footpegs as on mine (that is not so on the diagrams!). He also has a recent E5 which is identical to mine, barring the color; hence mine is not an oddball.

When I bought mine the dealer gave me a parts list of a C5, saying it has the parts as on mine. Some items were different which I found troubling. Very cocky I bought the parts list for E5/G5, and found them even more different on many crucial items. Dealer was right. But the C5 from that book would not vary much from your B5!

Bottom line: while at first hand it should not fit, it is still work to check, because it might after all. Confusing at best.

ace.cafe · **Reply #17 on:** February 19, 2014, 12:30:46 am

My general guideline is long term cruising speed should not exceed 75% of top speed.

The cooling systems of nearly any vehicle are not engineered to withstand maximum output for long terms.

gremlin · **Reply #18 on:** February 19, 2014, 05:15:57 am

Quote from: Arizoni on February 18, 2014, 05:09:16 am

.........Tell him how big you really are gremlin. .........

Ya know those four faces carved into the side of Mt. Rusmore .....

Manatoc fox · **Reply #19 on:** February 19, 2014, 01:30:00 pm

I asked our host and his reply was that the UCE would cruise all day at 65. That was mechanically. What your back and butt can take is another matter, I suppose.

barenekd · **Reply #20 on:** February 19, 2014, 05:47:05 pm

I've done well over 100 miles at a sitting on the freeway at 65-70 on my G5. That was just getting to the start of a Club ride. The whole day ended up being well over 300 miles. The ride home was another 100 miles nonstop through the twisties. The bike handled the whole trip without a whimper. So did my butt. That bike was one of the most comfortable bikes I've owned for sitting on for a long time. I was tired at the end, but not hurting. My Guzzi should be so nice!
Matt- lbs, kgs, duh! Anyway with my 180 lbs dressed, I had the 18 kg springs completely backed off the on the preload. I thought there were 17s available. At any rate, I was tempted to do down a notch so I'd have more adjustment availability
Bare