Max Cruising Speed

[cmacc]

Hello GS'ers.

I have tried to search for info on the max safe cruising speed for my 1150 Adv.
I know its probably a subjective answer to this one, but I'm a little nervous about the old boxer engine. You see the problem is that my previous bike was a ZX12R, which could easily cruise at 130mph (if you where invisible enough), but on the GS (Which I think is a fantastic bike by the way) in 6th gear at 90mph the engine is approx running at 5K RPM.

My question is simple, on a motorway run, what is a safe cruising speed (in terms of damaging the engine) for a long period of time (30min - hour).

Thanks for any info.

Regards:
Conor
PS the bike has 5K miles on it......

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

in terms of damaging the engine - any speed under the redline is fine.
However, for your license 5k is just fine.
i sit at 5k when cruising on motorways and d/c-ways.

Phil

 

[adamski49]

I know of a guy who 'cruised' his S for half an hour with the needle just into the red with no ill effects.

I would hope being a BM that it's over engineered and shouldn't have any problems running around at top whack all day...

...unless anyone knows different.

Adam

 

[Wreford Miles]

there are two torque peaks one at 4100 and another at 5200 rpm and a dip at 4600rpm.

Always thought maximum torque means an engine is at it's most efficient.

4100 is to slow I kep trying to get a screen set up that makes 5200 an option (nearly threre with tobinators) but find it sits best at 4600!

As for can you thrash them i should say so but what you gain in time you'll lose at the next fuel stop.

Once filled up just north of Rouen and rode almost on the stops to Calais between 115 -125 indicated the whole way... I had no bars left on the fuel gauge 20 miles from the ferry and limped the last few miles (that's around 100miles in total)


With Greg we rode 150 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes... but that was holding a steady ton and never having to slow.

As much as I hate it... riding at a true 85mph about 92 indicated on my bike is the best combination of comfort and didstance between fill ups.

Never been worried about engine ware, Greg and I rode 4300 in 7 days fully loaded and very fast.

On the last day Greg rode nearly 100% motorway for 1100 miles at around an indicated 100mph

 

[cmacc]

Thanks

Phil
Thanks for the input.
I just don't like driving too close to the red line. I know some of you will laugh at that, but after splitting an engine when "a leg came out of the bed" (in a previous life) has left me a little cautious.

Regards: and thanks
Conor

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

i wasn't advocating riding at the red line, but if you 'have' to - it'll cause no ill effects.

I've broken a con-rod on a T3 guzzi - completely destroyed the motor, cases, both barrels and pistons,head,valves and sheared the clutch off the back - the broken rod stub jammed into the barrel spigot. - soon rebuilt it as a 1000 though

Next big one was a gt750 kawa during a courier trip. Riding along a d/c'way at 90 - no 1 rod snaps - again destroying the motor,cases barrels pistons,valves,starter motor - the broken rod this time wedged itself into the lower frame loop ! - that was fun - sliding along with all the oil over the locked back wheel at 80 with a large box bungeed to the rear seat - didn't fall off though

Rebuilt it for £150 and sold it !!

Phil

 

[The Mechanic]

Redline

Nearly all engines can be operated quite safely at the redline..............provided that it doesn't jump out of gear,provided that you don't knock it out of gear.......bang. Provided Fritzy boy put it together with no nasty nicks in the con-rods.

If you seriously need to ride on the redline most of the time then perhaps you should have kept the ZX12R, your choice though. As you rightly say the GS is using a very old engine design, bit like Austin and then BL, Rover struggling with the A series engine for //god knows how long.

 

[hoko]

I've had an 1100GS going thru the Continent on a number of times averaging 100-110mph for hours on end (apart from fill-ups of course) and never a problem. Make sure you use semi-synthetic.
My bike gets very rough in the city but after a good thrash it's fine. As the Mechanic says, these engines are fine just under redline barring screw-ups.

 

[mrTickle]

I've just returned from the superbike round at Assen. I went with 39 others -all on sports bikes, so I was more or less flat out ( 2 up ) the whole way there and back.

The only sign of doing 9 hours flat out, is a very small amount of fibreglass packing escaping from the exhaust baffle. Oil consumption and engine temp were normal. I've now upgraded to a Remus end can.

 

[BiG DoM]

On long trips I sit at 4800RMP very happily for hours cruising 160KPH.

 

[jpisace]

Top speed

So what's max throttle speed on everyone else's 1150GS' (i'm assuming the 1100s is a well recognised 65mph? ). Came back from Edinburgh at weekend. Stopped off at a test track on route and holding the throttle on the stop in 6th for quite a time (10- 15 minutes - it was a reasonably straight test track) i couldn't get the bike much over 120mph and the revs wouldn't climb up near the redline in 6th. It was fairly windy though - thanks to Tobers it was almost comfortable or at at very least tolerable.

Johnieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Shurv]

max cruising speed

I think it depends on yer gearbox. I've got the sport 6th gear on my 1150 and it seems happy to rev out. i've seen 135 on the speedo, but it didn't feel as if it was happy at these speeds/revs. Also, the speedo's probably miles out and she's only doing 115 - 120 tops.5000 rpm is about 93 mph in top on mine, what's the E top gear doing at 5000 rpm?.


Marcus

 

[jpisace]

Mine is the 'E' gearbox. probably why it won't rev out in 6th. But from memory i also think my revs equate to pretty much the same speeds as your lowwer ration box. 4000 is more or less (an indicated) 80 mph and 5000 is 90.

Is this true of others too? Or do i just need to thrash mine some more until it loosens up - already has 56K on the clock, so ought to be pretty run in by now?

Johnieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

High Sixth Gear ?

My bike ('03 twin spark model) is doing just ove 85 at 4,000 revs - a speed it feels very comfortable with and which might help keep my licence intact. A quick sum tells me that 5,000 revs would be 108 mph. I'll check next time I'm out, but it is definitely more than 20 mph per 1,000 revs.

Makes me wonder if Johnieeeee's bike really has the high sixth gear?

Robin.

 

[jpisace]

It has the high sixth gear. The overdrive effect is very dramatic. Perhaps i'm wrong about the rev counter. I don't tend to look at it that much, so it's not fixed in my head what revs equate to what speed.

I used to take very careful account of the rev/mph ratio on previous bikes, but then these bikes also seemed to have a tendency for the speedo cable to mysteriously break and i would have to ride on the rev counter instead of the speedo in order to guesstimate how fast i was going. That hasn't happened on the GS - and as i don't intend to sell it i would hope not too.

Johnieeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[swifty]

max cruise speed

the owners hand book tells you max revs and max cruise speed .

from memory its 200 rpm short of max revs .

any way it hasn't done my 46000 mile R1100Roadster any harm

 

[BawdyMonk]

I have to go on the motorway a couple of times a week and cruise at an indicated 160kmh (100mph) from this I often push to 180kmh with blasts at 200kmh, I've got the biggest CeeBaileys screen on my Adventure and these speeds don't seem to give the bike or me any problems

 

[Greg Masters]

With Greg we rode 150 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes...

On the last day Greg rode nearly 100% motorway for 1100 miles at around an indicated 100mph

...and not once did I exceed 155mph!



Greg

 

[Ming]

I've just returned from the superbike round at Assen. I went with 39 others -all on sports bikes, so I was more or less flat out ( 2 up ) the whole way there and back.

The only sign of doing 9 hours flat out, is a very small amount of fibreglass packing escaping from the exhaust baffle. Oil consumption and engine temp were normal. I've now upgraded to a Remus end can.

I am with mr tickle

i too went to assen in the summer with a Hayabusa and various other sports bikes .
and was flat out all the way there . the previous year was on a ZX12R and the assen trip was the only time i missed the zx since selling it .

GS'S will happily sit on the motorway all day flat, mine does!

 

[Keith Chapman]

what is the 0-60 time?

I only ask because I was talking to a mate about the traffic light Grand Prix and how some folks think their mini (bmw) cooper s are quick of the line. and how dissapointed they look when they find out the truthjerkit