| Author | Message | ||
     Thesmaz |
After receiving my house hold goods shipment last week, to include the Uly, today was the first time that I had a chance to go for a ride (had to unpack all of the boxes and I'm still not done...) Gotta ask you guys how you ride at the posted speeds here in the US?!?!? I've only ever ridden my ULy in Europe and the last three years of that were in Italy where the road signs are more of a suggestion.  Less than a mile from the house I was ridding the way I normally do, be ear - listening to engine RPM, and I see a on coming cop. I look down and I'm doing 65 in a 45! I rolled off and he didn't whip around so I got lucky, this time. I spent the next couple of hours toddling around in 3rd and 4th gear and staring at the speedo. This is going to be a tough transition! | ||
| Trevd |
Wait until you encounter all the crappy drivers here in North America. | ||
| Calamari_kid |
Back roads. I'm in Seattle, and I rarely ever get out of second gear around town. There's lots of good roads in the outlying areas where I can wind it up with a bit more confidence that I won't end up with a performance award. What part of Italy were you in? I got to spend some time on the Almafi Coast and Florence a few years back. Absolutely loved it! Didn't get a chance to ride, but I'll definitely make it happen if I make it over there again. | ||
| Prowler |
My son's currently stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy. He's got two bikes right now and rides everywhere. He also mentioned that the speed limits were just for "reference purposes..." | ||
| Maximum |
I have to monitor my speed constantly...it is way too easy to ride much faster than posted speed limits. The problem with the current State/City economic situation is that many local governments are using speeding tickets to supplement their income. On the highway I try to ride at 5-9 mph above posted speed limits (using the throttle lock on the open sections)...and when on city streets I try to keep it no more than 5 mph above the posted speed. Seems crazy to play the whole speed game...but in most areas if you ride/drive at or below the "speed limit" you will be driven off the road! Drivers arn't very friendly here in the US...at least in the cities. | ||
| Thesmaz |
I was at Aviano for the past three years. Served as the base Career Assistance Advisor. Really miss seeing the mountains - Dolomiti's - out of my office windows. @Prowler - where does your son work? I've been driving around in a car for about a month so I've had a little time to adjust to the drivers back here. My ear is tuned to ride at 4K rpms and in any gear about 2nd that's puts me in ticket territory... | ||
| Ddaleuly |
+1 on the backroads - where the ULY really excells imho. Get a Zumo - comes with the Mapsource software so you can build backroad routes on the pc and transfer them to the GPS (keeps you from pulling the map out every 10 minutes). Sure you know though - wildlife danger increases proportionally as you get further into the boonies. | ||
| Hooper |
Welcome back. I loved driving in Italy (Tuscany, Almafi Coast, up to Milan) on my honeymoon. My new wife, in the passenger seat, HATED it. Drivers actually respect the passing lane over there. Then, a month or so after I got home, I started getting all these camera tickets in the mail from various Italian cities: driving in a bus lane in Milan!?!?!? Driving in a no-car zone in Siena?!?! And not ONE for speeding?!  Backroads are definitely where it's at - out where there just aren't enough police to be everywhere, unlike the suburbs. Where are you living now? I bet some of us can provide some good route suggestions. | ||
| Mnrider |
Most cops will give you about ten miles over the speed limit but I wouldn't push that too much. Insurance companies love speeding tickets. | ||
| Terrafirma |
Steve, Isn't Italy really nice. I was born in Vicenza, My father being stationed there in the 1950's. He met my mother there, she is from a village to the west of Asiago. My dad and the family, returned to Italy in the mid 1960s and I went to elementary school in Aviano. We was in the Army and stationed at a site, working with the Italian Army (Oderzo and Conegliano). I remember the early 1950s Moto Guzzi that he bought and used to ride to work on. As a kid, it was a blast to ride through the country side with him. Back in those days, most of the italian would travel either on bicycles, vespas, Motorcycles or those funky three wheeled trucks. After his tour in Nam, he was reassigned to be the CSM at Vicenza. He retire after 27 years in the Army, funny his first tour and his last duty station was Vicenza. I spent my High School Years in Italy and really enjoyed the travel. I took the family to Italy in 2004 and spent three weeks there, My dad and Mom came along. I was amazed at the changes from 1977 to 2004. | ||
| Prowler |
Steve, my son works in the 31st Maintenance Group. He's a certified aircraft welder and machinist. He's been over there for two years working on F16's and support equipment. He's looking forward to South Korea this fall. Our daughter just finished her "Aircraft Trans" training in Virginia and will be stationed at Pearl Harbor for three years leaving sometime late June. Our son talked her into joining up and she loves it so far (I think being assigned to Pearl Harbor didn't hurt....) Really proud of those kids. (Message edited by prowler on May 17, 2011) | ||
| Uly_man |
I do not know the US but the EU can still be a problem and I have been to most of it. Strange as it may sound the UK is one of the best biker places. I have just been doing 80mph filtering which is ok as long as you know what your doing. The trick is to do it in the right place at the right time and keep your eyes open for problems. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
The area of Spain where I live has many small full of turns mountain roads with little chance of finding police, great to ride, some of then even give you the chance to push the engine, great fun for our bikes. | ||
| Uly_man |
I got done in Spain. Crossed a white line and speeding. The man asked me how much money I had and he took it all? If you can not pay what they want they will impound your bike until you can pay up. That was a while ago and ok-ish. You paid and that was it done. Now I understand it is the same but you also get UK points on your ticket as well. What a pain in the A is that. | ||
| Cpeg |
I didn't have the GPS on, but my speedo said 105. So I am guessing with the speedo error I was doing about 65. I do 65 a lot and have had no problem with getting any prizes. It all depends on where you do your leg stretching. So where in the USofA are you playing? | ||
| Pontlee77 |
400 $ taught me the lesson not to overtake on white lines even if you have a good view ahead of you. | ||
| Keith_mahoney |
I hear you man. It's tough getting used to riding this slow. I used to top 90 just on back roads from Soignies to Chievres on my commute everyday. Now I can't even approach those speeds on the highway to work. Honestly now days I just mostly ride my wr250r since I can wring it out and not be in danger of loosing my license. But everytime I jump on the Uly I can't begin to wipe the smile off my face. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Two years ago I came back to the US from a weeklong mototrip through the Alps. I got pulled over three times in the week that I came back. | ||
| Vecchio_lupo |
Not only is Europe easy on speed, but the drivers here, in general, expect a motorcycle to filter at a light and to lane split in a traffic stau. I feel like drivers see me more easily because they are looking for two wheelers. I have ridden in England, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium. Italy is kind of a free for all, but I never felt "hunted" by cars like in the USA. In the US when I'm rolling 85mph on the Interstate, I feel like a criminal, here if you go 85mph, you get passed by a family of 5 stuffed into a Fiat Panda...pulling a caravan. I miss the USA alot, but I don't look forward to the roads. | ||
| Thesmaz |
During the 6 years I was in the EU I put 27K on my Uly. Would've been more if I hadnt been waiting on parts during prime ridding season two summers in a row! I got to ride places that some folks dream about; Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy and Greece. Really had a great time and miss it terribly and not just the riding but the whole European lifestyle. My favorite overseas assignment was Southern Spain. I was stationed there for 2 1/2 yrs and absolutely loved it! There are some good ridding roads around here, problem is that they are all at least 2 hrs away, not on my doorstep... | ||
| Zac4mac |
Here in Colorado, commuting's not too bad. Freeway speed limit is 75 most everywhere, so 80-90 seems to be the prevailing speed. I usually run steady at 80. The mountain roads are tough tho, lots of 25-35 mph speed limits and the Buells want to run 65-70. I'm lucky my "weekends" are Tue-Wed, little-to-no tourists or cops then... Zack | ||
| Uly_man |
Come to my part of town. They have cut the local speed to 20mph. Ha? What they do not know is that my Uly can run over any hump at 30 plus and I hardly notice it. | ||
| Ejc |
Canada is worse than the US. | ||
| Froggy |
Jesus you guys ride fast! I don't even often exceed 4000rpm on my high strung 1125! 55-60 is my normal cruising speed. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I know...I've followed you through (part of) the Dragon....  I did discover something about Maryland, though. Recently I found out that the photo radar in a work zone will pick out a Ulysses. And I need to keep my license plate dirtier. And 27 over in a work zone (trying not to get rearended by cagers on the Baltimore beltway) is still only $40 and no points because it's a picture-ticket and they can't prove who is or isn't driving  | ||
| Conchop |
So far, I have determined that if you know where the speed traps are, WV back roads are your personal race track. BUT - there is alway a rogue radar cop - only one - somewhere! |
