Today's riders don't know what they are missing !

[eAyeAddio]

Back in 1990 I owned this BMW K100RS and it was the first time I had used vinyl wrap and I still like it's effect to this day...

London to Liverpool in under 3 hours (210 miles) - faster than the train - and long before speed cameras raised their ugly heads !

A more impressive average speed was achieved on the trip from Dortmund to Munich (just under 400 miles) in just over 4.5 hours including 3 stops for fuel ...... (Admittedly, it was night-time when the autobahn was relatively quiet) ......

I also did many fast trips down to the south of France but never achieved the same high average speeds on the French autoroutes as I did on the speed-limit-free autobahns where over 135mph could be sustained (legally) for long periods of time.

A high degree of concentration was required.

The French autoroutes were limited to 81 mph and were frequently patrolled by traffic police who were very strict (especially if you were displaying a "GB" plate !

Such average speeds can only be dreamed of by current users of our grid-locked speed-cam infested roads and I feel sorry for riders and drivers of today's machinery who will never get to experience the high speed capabilities we enjoyed over 30 years ago......

Even then there were bikes with much higher top speeds than this BMW but the point is the high average speeds that were attainable on the BM - especially it's wind protection.

Back in 1990 I owned this BMW K100RS and it was the first time I had used vinyl wrap and I still like it's effect to this day...
London to Liverpool in under 3 hours (210 miles) - faster than the train - and long before speed cameras raised their ugly heads !
A more impressive average speed was achieved on the trip from Dortmund to Munich (just under 400 miles) in just over 4.5 hours including 3 stops for fuel ...... (Admittedly, it was night-time when the autobahn was relatively quiet) ......
I also did many fast trips down to the south of France but never achieved the same high average speeds on the French autoroutes as I did on the speed-limit-free autobahns where over 130mph could be sustained (legally) for long periods of time.
A high degree of concentration was required.
The French autoroutes were limited to 81 mph and were frequently patrolled by traffic police who were very strict (especially if you were displaying a "GB" plate !
Such average speeds can only be dreamed of by current users of our grid-locked speed-cam infested roads and I feel sorry for riders and drivers of today's machinery who will never get to experience the high speed capabilities we enjoyed over 30 years ago......
By the way, why don't modern bikes have high-intensity rear fog lamps? Surely there is just as much need to be seen in heavy fog on a bike as there is in a car?

[eAyeAddio]

https://scontent-man2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6...

A better view of the wrap

[Omaruk]

Good point about Fog lights , no idea why not.

Nice wrap

There’s still plenty of empty roads in Europe, this was in the picos over peak summer

https://youtu.be/80Htbw7_vz8

[black-k1]

Having owned a K100RS 16v of the same vintage in the 1990's



and having covered a good few happy and quick European miles on it, I admire it's abilities but I'd still rather have the K1300Ss and especially the H2 SX SE that followed it.

[conkerman]

I regret not taking my bike license when I was 17 (late 80s). Missed out on the 2 strokes.

[Pirks]

I passed my bike test in the mid/late 90’s and all we did was nail it everywhere outside of the towns, yes we stuck to the thirty limits but A roads just meant go. So we did see huge three figure speeds on every occasions. There’s a lot more traffic and the police are more interested in catching speeders now so even though progress can be made restraint has to be the order of the day whereas you didn’t have to look over your shoulder as much back then so to say.

Do I miss those days. Yes and no, my riding has got a little better I hope so no but being able to nail it for an overtake or exceeding the speed limit a little without wondering if someone has got you for exceeding the limit and now we have to contend with the person you have overtook sends their camera footage into the police because he/she likes to slow all road traffic down to 40 mph in a national speed limit area as they think 60 is to fast for anyone to travel

[Mr Tidy]

I don't think we realised quite how lucky we were!

In the late 70s I regularly rode my RD Yamahas as near flat out as I could get around the Mickleham Bends, now the first stretch after Leatherhead only has one lane and both directions have 50 mph average cameras.

Then a few years later I got my Z650 well into 3 figures on the M23 late one Sunday night.

[Biker9090]

Ah, maybe when BMW K bikes weren't steaming piles of ste.

K1200 and K1300 were the worst bikes I've ever owned.

[black-k1]

Biker9090 said:

Ah, maybe when BMW K bikes weren't steaming piles of ste.

K1200 and K1300 were the worst bikes I've ever owned.

I know a few Old Gits who would disagree with you!

[Steve_H80]

Pirks said:

I passed my bike test in the mid/late 90’s and all we did was nail it everywhere outside of the towns, yes we stuck to the thirty limits but A roads just meant go.

This was me, albeit early 90's, the GLF sign meant exactly that, the naughty side of the ton happened every ride. Ah happy days.
Now that the police have largely been replaced with fixed cameras it's even easier to go fast provided you avoid the busy or popular roads, the only things you have to worry about are the sheep and the potholes.
But I've gotten old since then and no longer bother the big numbers, I'm happy just to potter about these days.
Tragic I know.

[mersontheperson]

This was in the summer, not impossible to do a quick run, even in England

[mersontheperson]

That was in a car from the 90’s !!

[Dr Jekyll]

Pirks said:

I passed my bike test in the mid/late 90’s and all we did was nail it everywhere outside of the towns, yes we stuck to the thirty limits but A roads just meant go. So we did see huge three figure speeds on every occasions. There’s a lot more traffic and the police are more interested in catching speeders now so even though progress can be made restraint has to be the order of the day whereas you didn’t have to look over your shoulder as much back then so to say.

Do I miss those days. Yes and no, my riding has got a little better I hope so no but being able to nail it for an overtake or exceeding the speed limit a little without wondering if someone has got you for exceeding the limit and now we have to contend with the person you have overtook sends their camera footage into the police because he/she likes to slow all road traffic down to 40 mph in a national speed limit area as they think 60 is to fast for anyone to travel

I did an advanced car course with an ex police instructor in the early 000s. He reckoned an NSL non trunk road could be treated as derestricted and got into 3 figures on his demonstration drive. Speed enforcement is still pretty rare on non trunk NSLs or even 50s now, but does happen.

[NITO]

Biggest threat is the amount of NSL’s being downgraded to 50’s, 40’s and even 30’s while 20’s are common place and not even in areas that warrant them. As usual we cater to the lowest common denominator. My commute to work of the last 20 years has gone from 25 minutes of mostly former nsl country lanes (which used to be fun), to now taking up to an hour by car. The bike at least lets me get easily and safely passed all those who seem to be unable to drive anywhere near these pathetically lowered limits. It’s a sorry state and that’s before mentioning the mass proliferation of cyclists on these roads which render them less safe and are probably quite the catalyst for these reduced limits.

[Zarco]

I do regret not starting riding in my early 20s. A few of us talked about getting a license before DAS came in. I put it off until I was 28.

Can't say I worry too much about police or cameras when I get out on my bike though. Traffic can be a bh though.

[KTMsm]

It depends how you get your kicks

High average speed, long distance does nothing for me, I always take the scenic route on a bike

I liked to listen to my Dad's mate who's 80+ talking about cafe racing in the 50's - 60's on cobbled streets and the Police just had whistles - that sounded like fun !

[Dog Star]

To this day my fastest ever run to Dover from Lancs (312 miles) was in July 1989 in a 957cc Ford Fiesta. Absolutely flat out the whole way. Not a chance of doing that nowadays, even in a supercar or my R1. The cameras and roadworks would put paid to any chance, and even if there were none you'd still have the loony levels of traffic.

As to France, lived and worked there for many years and it was an amazing place to enjoy a fast but responsible drive. Sadly things started to get very restrictive - I'd say from maybe (from my own observations) 2005 or so onwards.

[Fundoreen]

My only regret today is the amount of traffic round the clock every single day. Back in the past once the rush hr was over by about 7pm the roads had light traffic. You could tear about the streets in your little gang. Lots of police though with nothing to do so they invariably stopped you.
Now I suspect criminality hides in plain sight. 0-150-40 mph in 10-15 seconds so you can get it done before anyone notices.
Bodies in boots of taxed and mot'd cars driving round 24x7...All going on while the police share kidnap ideas lol.

[srob]

I'm definitely glad I did the sports bike thing when I did. Late 90s-early 2000s were the prime time for them, I think. Although I know everyone thinks that when the old rose tinted specs go on!

A big group of us had 400 race replicas that we went everywhere flat out on in our late teens in the late 90s, then on to the new generation of 600s that appeared in the early 2000s in our 20s when we could insure them. Silly speeds, and barely a worry about a speed camera!

[Chipchap]

Well my formative years on big superbikes was from 1978 to around 1988 in South Africa. Every ride out was like "Wacky Races" on old stters such as:-

Kawasaki--Z1000A2/GPZ1100B/GPZ1100A2/Z750 Turbo/Ninja 900/Ninja 1000/ ZX10.

Honda -- CB900FZ/CBX1000Z/CB900FA or FB/ VF750FE/VF1000FE/VFR1000RE.

BMW -- R100S / K100RS. Really great in the wet on Conti Tyres where you could use the rev limiter in turns like old fashioned traction control

Yamaha -- RZ350LC YPVS/RZ500LC YPVS / FJ1100

Suzuki -- GS750 with everything that Yoshimura made for it including 29mm Mikuni Smoothbores, 844cc Stage 3 cams etc

Specials such as 140 bhp Bimota Kawasaki's and Bakker framed Kawasaki's as well as an 1170cc Chain Driven XS1100 on 33mm Mikuni Smoothbores.


So by flat out it was 230kmh/240kmh everywhere. A few days in the Eastern Transvaal was like a TT twice per day. A Breakfast Run was like a sprint race of 125km.

Many are no longer here to tell the tales as it was complete and utter madness.

Today I sedately poodle along aboard the good ship R1250GS at a sedate pace taking in the scenery.