Hwy Rpm on Long Trip?

6894 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by wildweathel, Apr 16, 2013

Darrenbie

Discussion Starter · Apr 3, 2013

Im planning on taking a long trip this Saturday and it will be 90% on the HWY. To keep up with traffic here in South Florida you have to maintain 75mph to 80mph.

The bike can get there without much effort, however when the wind is against me I have to keep the throttle open all the way to maintain speeds of 75 to 80 mph.

Can ridding my bike at full throttle for say one hour straight hurt the bike? It will be running on at least 8000 rpm constantly for most of the trip. Its a 5 hour trip.

Any input on this from the experienced rides out the will be appreciated.

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MotoMike

· #2 · Apr 3, 2013

You won't hurt the engine at all running those speeds & RPM's. In fact this engine doesn't really begin to develop its real power until 7000 RPM... below 6000 RPM it's a dog, IMO. It's happy to run anywhere between 7000 and redline all day long.

Those who are afraid to take it over 5500 RPM's are the ones who are not doing there engines any favors, both in terms of performance and long term reliability.

Reactions: 3

Darrenbie

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 3, 2013

Thank you MotoMike. I normally ride at 7000+ rpms so that is good to know. I appreciate your reply.

Ps- I cant image ridding at 5500 rpm all day. !!!

Matao87

· #4 · Apr 3, 2013

I've done nearly 8 hours from the Washington DC area to Columbus, Ohio entirely on interstates pushing 80+ the whole way. The bike does just fine.

tom

· #5 · Apr 3, 2013

27,000 miles at 9,000 rpms got me a burned out rocker arm.... I would say that is good.

Darrenbie

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 4, 2013

Awesome guys, thank you. I look forward to ridding this weekend.

Mikethebear

· #7 · Apr 6, 2013

I wish we had speed limits that high in Australia. The most you ever get is 110km/h which is about equal to 66mph

phatch

· #8 · Apr 6, 2013

Mikethebear said:
I wish we had speed limits that high in Australia. The most you ever get is 110km/h which is about equal to 66mph

Don't worry, if 66 mph was our max, you'd still have to keep up with 75-80 mph traffic

MotoMike

· #9 · Apr 6, 2013

phatch said:
Don't worry, if 66 mph was our max, you'd still have to keep up with 75-80 mph traffic

Yup... as it is, if you're just doing the speed limit, or 5 MPH above (75-80 MPH) on our Interstate freeways here in the U.S., the vast majority of vehicles will blow right by you, at 90 to 95 MPH, as if you are standing still. And the cops only manage to catch a few of them.

CBR250R

· #10 · Apr 6, 2013 (Edited)

MotoMike said:
Yup... as it is, if you're just doing the speed limit, or 5 MPH above (75-80 MPH) on our Interstate freeways here in the U.S., the vast majority of vehicles will blow right by you, at 90 to 95 MPH, as if you are standing still. And the cops only manage to catch a few of them.

Maybe my experience is unique or it's just that the Interstates I drive on are anomalies. However, in my experiences travelling down and up I75, I39, I57, and I95, I have set my cruise 5mph over the speed limit (depending on the state speed limit) and my 2009 Civic Si sedan reads spot on with my GPS - so the speeds are accurate. In doing so, I find that I consistently pass way too many other vehicles while I'm at 5 mph over (though some pass me too and going faster - though not near as many as I find myself passing). It got to the point where I reduced my speed to the speed limit and re-set the cruise and still was passing vehicles. So I just set my cruise at the speed limit now - so I don't stand out and merely go with the flow of traffic.

I've even wondered....hmmm.... Maybe it's the time of year? Maybe I'm simply driving with a plethora of older (more careful? Cautious?) drivers making their way south to Florida for the winter (my recent trips have been usually in December and February on the way to Florida to visit my dad). And the weather and road conditions are typically excellent. But even then - driving through larger cities like Detroit, Cincinnati, and Atlanta - where people are commuting - driving through rush hour at times, most were still driving the speed limit.

Where are these speedy drivers?

Some have suggested that all I need to do is visit California to find out....

Mike

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bcoli2674

· #11 · Apr 7, 2013

In NYC commuter-ville (westchester/rockland/putnam counties), on the parkways and interstates you can EASILY drive 10-15 mph over the speed limit and still be in the flow of traffic. cops start pulling people over at around 80 mph, or anyone talking on their cell which happens a lot here.

the CBR is fine in this traffic. it's the overtaking that I find to be the main difference between it and other (higher CC) motorcycles. I have to plan my passes in advance similar to that of driving a car. On my old superhawk, I could just roll on the throttle and go when I saw an opening. the CBR takes a little more "planning" so to speak, I guess that's another way it makes it a safer ride. cheers.

Darrenbie

Discussion Starter · #12 · Apr 7, 2013

Same here in the Miami , Fort Lauderdale area. People normally run about 80mph. Police wont mess with you for 80 mph unless you are switching lanes back and forward and cutting traffic.

I took the bike for a lond ride yesterday as planned. I could have enjoyed the ride better but since it was my first long ride I was more worried than enjoying the ride.

I rode full throttle for about 1 1/2 hours before stopping for gas and for a break. The bike was fine, not overheating or anything like that. My issue was the wind. I was ridding at an angle for most of the time fighting the wind as it would try to push me to the other lane. I had to lay on the tank a few times to keep up with traffic at about 83mph full throttle.

The bike can handle it fine, but as a new rider I think I need to learn how to enjoy the ride more and not worry so much. I know the best experience is ridding so, I will continue to ride my baby until I get the necessary experience to enjoy every moment of it, windy or not windy.

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whipped99

· #13 · Apr 8, 2013

bcoli2674 said:
In NYC commuter-ville (westchester/rockland/putnam counties), on the parkways and interstates you can EASILY drive 10-15 mph over the speed limit and still be in the flow of traffic. cops start pulling people over at around 80 mph, or anyone talking on their cell which happens a lot here.

the CBR is fine in this traffic. it's the overtaking that I find to be the main difference between it and other (higher CC) motorcycles. I have to plan my passes in advance similar to that of driving a car. On my old superhawk, I could just roll on the throttle and go when I saw an opening. the CBR takes a little more "planning" so to speak, I guess that's another way it makes it a safer ride. cheers.

I agree with you here. I went on my first real highway ride yesterday with a guy on a H-D and another on a KTM 990 SMT. The 250 handles keeping up at normal highway speeds just fine, but it's the passing vehicles that tends to suck especially on 2 lane roads. The other guys fly around them like nothing and I definitely have to plan my passing attack. Most of the cars/trucks won't move over to let you pass either. They're probably thinking, ah this guy is on a bike and will pass me like nothing

and I'm my baby is screaming to make headway past them.

The bike is great at commuting, but I personally would rather have a larger more comfortable bike for long distance travel and being able to keep up with a group on larger bikes. Don't really need to go faster, but better acceleration, lower cruising RPM, smooth suspension would be nice. Riding buds KTM 990 is making me drool a bit. It's way more bike than I need right now, but I'm starting to get the itch for something a little bigger for the longer rides which even then won't be too often.

For now the 250 provides all I really need and is a blast to ride day in and day out especially in the mountain twisties. Just wish there was a track nearby so I could work on removing the rest of my chicken strips.

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dangrass

· #14 · Apr 15, 2013

I think that running your bike at nearly full throttle for an hour is not a good idea. While the bike is capable of reving high enough, that's not really the issue here. These bikes simply don't have the power to run at those speeds with any appreciable reserve, placing a great deal of stress on everything. They have a small oil capacity and no oil cooler, so it's highly likely that oil temps would go through the roof.

I suggest doing what I do with this bike...slow down and smell the roses. These bikes are happy between 61 and 65 mph, with revs between 6.5k and 7k. Yes, they can go faster, but they're just not really designed for being autobahn cruisers.

Try the slow lane. It's really just fine.

Dan

Reactions: 1

wildweathel

· #15 · Apr 16, 2013

dangrass said:
I suggest doing what I do with this bike...slow down and smell the roses.
Try the slow lane. It's really just fine.

Agreed. All those expressway miles are hard on the soul, boring and full of bored drivers. Wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd be surprised and unhappy if the bike can't do it.

I think that running your bike at nearly full throttle for an hour is not a good idea.

I don't know what Honda does for these engines specifically, but hours of full output is part of break-in for new engines. They're built for it, honest.

Just don't lug them.

They have a small oil capacity and no oil cooler, so it's highly likely that oil temps would go through the roof.

Oil cooler? It's a 250cc bike motor exposed to highway-speed wind, not a 7000cc truck motor hauling a boat up a mountain. Sure, you can get aftermarket ones, but compare them to the surface area of the crankcase and they seem kinda silly.

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