Motorways at night

[Mister James]

Just ridden back from Swindon, where I'd popped up to check out the area, and ended up looking around a colleagues new house, having a pint in the pub, etc.

Whizzing back down the M4, a little cold but perfectly cheerful, I was really enjoying myself. The Eagles were providing some comfortable riding music, and the engine was roaring away quite nicely, thank you very much.

Lorries were behaving themselves and being overtaken without any fuss, the road was curving and snaking just enough to be interesting, without forcing me to slow down or lose my bottle. Headlights were on full beam, and were lighting the pitch black road up a treat.

Suddenly, I come into the lit area before Reading, and once I got over the shock of being able to see, I realised how bloody fast 90mph (indicated) actually is! When you're in the unlit sections, the cat's eyes don't really give you a proper reading on how fast you are moving, so you tend to just rely on the instruments, but as soon as I got into the lit area, I almost soiled myself when I realised how fast I'd been going down a road I could barely see!

For all the fun it was, it's certainly given me food for thought!

I've also decided that if I move to Swindon like Del has, and commute the 68miles in every day, I'm going to have to get a cruiser style bike, or at least something with a more relaxed riding position than the Fazer. While it does the job admirably, I could do with something that I can dawdle through bad weather on, behind a nice comfy windscreen.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
>Bazza Wow. Eyes like a shithouse rat, you...

[bish777]

Its not till your doing 150mph hunched down behind the screen of your sportsbike that you realise how slow the other traffic is going!
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GSXR1100J

[stinkwheel]

Early morning is the best time for doing major motorway miles (providing you can stay awake) Start off at midnight and ride until dawn. Bloody great on a clear night in the summer, just as you are starting to get chilly, the sun comes up and you feel like Peter Fonda in Easy Rider.

Thing is with a motorway, they are designed for high speed trafic so there shouldn't be anything that will cause a problem for a bike doing 90mph (other than the police).
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Richy]

The Fazer is only 1/2 faired so 90 on it probably feels much faster than 90 on a fully faired bike.
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Nothing spells bodge like wrincles in duct tape

[Suzuki]

If you nail your bike for 2 or 3 miles at 150mph, and then slow down to 90mph, it feels bizarrely slow. Worryingly so...
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<Simple> no I'm shaven Jon
<Simple> it is a big enough hole.. I'll leave it now
Ride: 1999 Suzuki GSXR600 (yellow/black) IRC: Stats - Relationship Map

[Bendy]

Isn't 90 pretty much cruising speed on motorways these days? And I'm not just talking bikes.

[EDBANGER]

[G]

[Bendy]

[mr.z]

defenately the best time for travel... no traffic, no hassles, service stations are still open so petrol is no problem, food still available, you can have a rest whenever you feel like it, park in the empty car parks, get your food without any queing...

As for the dark sections extra lighting helps allot

Its not just keeping yourself awake though its your passenger too gave a girlfriend a lift to and from leeds last year and she told me after we got back she nearly fell asleep quite a few times

Still happy to pootle along at the speed limit me... i feel so unfashonable...
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