BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Recently as I was getting on the freeway two cars passed me going 90 plus mph. Feeling safe I followed them at about 300 feet for seven or eight miles at 90 plus.

The point... I thought the bike handled at 90 plus much like at 70 mph. Seemed well connected to the road and even though at 100 the bike must have been lighter it felt like I was going the 70 mph.

I recall reading about a R1200RT owner writing about how his RT seemed like it was floating at 90 mph.

Why does the R handle so well at high freeway speeds???? Seems only aerodynamics could account for the stability.

Robert

At those speeds I wish my R12R was an R12S. The bike feels great @ 100 mph but the ergo's don't really work at those speeds.

Bikes with more structure up front could possibly create a "lift" phenomenon, which would reduce the weight on the front tire, lessening the grip of the contact patch. Maybe a naked bike's front end doesn't do that as much.

I rode a Honda CBX many years ago when they first came out, and being young and foolish I took it up to 120+, whereupon I realized it was becoming alarmingly less maneuverable when I tried to move across lanes. Later it was found that wide, wedgelike structure of the leading edge of the motor tended to promote lift on it, just like loading the rear of a bike too much. That cured me of going that fast on a strange bike, lol.

I've long known that it handles great at 90. It's good to know that 70 is an option as well.

90 is easy on the 1200R. 120 didn't feel quite as solid, and the gust of wind made my heart jump enough that my chest was a little sore. 70 is nice for big long sweeping curves, okay maybe really 65...