Forum

[Lord-Toady]

I want to go a bit further afield on my 91 iron barrel Bullet 500 as can sit on it for hours riding around exploring the lanes of the South Downs and bimbling around locally near me but am thinking of taking it to the Bumtoberfest Rally up in Colchester and also doing some exploring of Dorset and the New Forest area, basically places where its hard to avoid going on a motorway without taking a massive detour. The bike will do 50mph no problem on the A roads but when I wind it up to 60mph it feels like I am stressing it and have read all the posts about engines blowing up and things. Do people take the older bikes on the motorway is it just a case of sitting at 50mph and letting people overtake?

[Mark M]

If you can do 56mph (and that should be possible,) you will be at the same speed as trucks on a Motorway and let them do the work of negotiating the traffic. If you want the New Forest, get to Petersfield, shouldn't be hard from where you are, then take the A272 to Winchester then the A31 to Romsey and on to the Forest. All good roads, avoids M'way and the 272 is one of the best biking roads anywhere! REgards, Mark

[Lord-Toady]

Kind of answering my own question but my other bike is a Honda VTX 1800c which I use for work and when I take that on the motorway nowadays I often tend to stick around 50mph with the lorries as going 70mph for any length of time is really tiring due to all the noise, wind and vibration. That is a very hefty solid workhorse of a bike though and I feel safe on it at motorway speeds, maybe I just need to build up more experience on the Royal Enfield which I prefer riding for enjoyment. I just hate those built up roads that are all concrete like being on your bit of metal in a river of metal and having to keep with the flow like going through the Dartford Tunnel you need to rely on the bike alot in that situation.

[Lord-Toady]

Hi Mark that is actually what I have been planning for the New Forest, I rode to Peterfield on Sunday afternoon and was going to carry on to Winchester but the sun started to get low in the sky. To go to Colchester though it would be very hard to avoid the M25 and Dartford Tunnel.

[vince]

Hi, I commuted into London for 20 miles each way on M1 on a 350 bullet. As previously stated you just run with the lorries. The joke was all the fast cars that shot down the fast lane were caught in the traffic jam at staples corner. I was in work drinking morning coffee before they probably got off the motorway! Vince. Ps more fun on a constellation thought.

[Beezabryan]

Run with the trucks is what I've done for years with both the Bullet 500 and the Flash & a Box. OK so there is the occasional HGV whose limiter has been set nearer 60 than 56 usually Irish though never caused any angst.
btw, 60 is actually the legal limit on motorways in UK

[Haggis]

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

[vince]

Hi, if you read the road test on a 1954 500 they recorded 70mph crusing up Hill and down Dale with a top speed of 85mph. Late 350cc 88mph. I would have no worries cruising either size at 60mph. Vince.

[Chris Tindal]

You'll be ok up to 60 mph on a 500 Bullet. I've done a couple of 400 mile round trips on my old Indian iron 500 on motorways and always held it an an indicated (Smiths copy) 60 mph with no issues. I also hold my Bighead Bullet at an indicated (genuine Smiths) 60 mph when on the M62 and A64. As previous posts have said, just stay with the trucks and watch the nutters down the outside lane

[Leon Novello]

Keep in mind that these engines were designed when the speed limit was 50 MPH, for riders who used them mainly for commuting, not long-distance touring at top speed. I always felt nervous on a motorway with 110km/68 MPH limits, and always kept to the left to let faster vehicles pass.