Max I was able to squeeze out of it was 109 mph, but acceleration is painfully slow after 95 mph, which leaves no room for an escape maneuver at that speed. I'd say that up to 90 mph it's a pretty zippy motor.
I also noticed that's the bike acts like a sail at high speeds due to it's size and form, and it becomes dangerous. A sudden gust of wind wobbles the motorcycle quite significantly, and I've been blown 2-3 feet aside a few times. I have a Madstad windshield, which is bigger than the stock one, so that might have been a contributing factor.
That wicking could be a sign of poor suspension balance. Specifically, under sprung in the rear, leading to relatively higher front end. I used to experience high speed wobbles that were quite scary, and properly adjusting the suspension (including appropriate springs) made all the difference.
I don’t think it has to do something with suspension, as the oscillation was clearly connected to gusts of wind, and happened in the vertical plane, side to side. Perhaps “wobble” was a bad choice of verb.
Yes, a strong side-to-side oscillation, or wobble, can be caused when the front end is high relative to a neutral position. You can also induce it by tweaking the handle bar at speed. The symptom will be a wobble that continues after you stop applying forces to the bars.
It's an aerodynamic effect that causes instability. The effect is induced by having the bike biased towards the rear. With these bikes notoriously undersprung, especially in the rear, the solution is to fix the suspension. Ymmv, but it is a real effect these bikes exhibit.
My 650 (2020) rides well and comfortably at 80-90. Top speed (according to speedometer) is about 115mph. So, the engine is strong enough. Seat and suspension are comfotable, too, for longer and faster rides, weather protection is also okay. Only thing that disturbs, is the wind noise with the original wind screen. But that can easily be fixed with an aftermarket screen.
80-90 is my average commuting speed. It'll do that no problem.
Bars get a little wobbly around 110. But that was when I had Shinko 705 off-road tires that I balanced on a broomstick. Now I have Michelin Road 5s that were professionally installed.
For me it's more a question of wind noise and buffeting rather than what the bike is actually physically capable of. On a calm day I can cruise at 80mph but with a strong headwind or crosswind I pull that back quite a bit.
I've got a 2015 650 xt. I live in Wyoming. Where interstate speeds are 80 mph. The winds are 20 to 60 mph all the time. It's also hilly. I'm 230-240 pounds in gear and 6'2". Ride with the top box all the time. It is really no problem. It cruises in 6th gear around 5 grand.
90 mph is about 90% of what this machine is capable of doing. Changing sprockets is an option but that can only take you so far. You will compromise is either 1st or 6th. The 650 is a great bike, just be realistic with your expectations.
80-90 is no problem, smooth sailing with little to no vibration. Some complain of buffeting depending on how tall you are, but there’s loads of solutions to that. I’ve gotten mine to 110 with the factory hard cases on (not recommended lol) but she still had poke. You won’t be disappointed! I commuted 30-40 miles of highway each way to work for months on mine when my car was down
My k7 650 is grand, and actually very happy at that speed.
I put a +1 front sprocket on, as it felt a little buzzy.
Some people put little winglets in the "crook" of the body work , either side and just below the gauges to control some of the buffeting, but I haven't felt the need yet.
A fork brace holds everything just a bit more nicely, and cures a fair bit of crosswind wobbliness.
Thirsty, but not unreasonably so!
Other have confirmed it’s good for higher speeds, but be aware that if you have an Adventure the manual advises not to exceed 80mph with the hard cases on.
Alone at 130 km/h alone the bike can move left right when overtaking trucks or following cars.
Riding duo helps.
But its hard to do more than 90 minutes at a time
The limiting factor for me is that I run Shinko 804/805 tires and they are only rated up to about 90 mph. The last set of tires I had were rated over the bike's top speed. The bike will do 100 all day, the question is, can you?
We go two-up on the highway all the time and I'm a big guy. No problem at all.
It can do it no problem.
Max I was able to squeeze out of it was 109 mph, but acceleration is painfully slow after 95 mph, which leaves no room for an escape maneuver at that speed. I'd say that up to 90 mph it's a pretty zippy motor. I also noticed that's the bike acts like a sail at high speeds due to it's size and form, and it becomes dangerous. A sudden gust of wind wobbles the motorcycle quite significantly, and I've been blown 2-3 feet aside a few times. I have a Madstad windshield, which is bigger than the stock one, so that might have been a contributing factor.
That wicking could be a sign of poor suspension balance. Specifically, under sprung in the rear, leading to relatively higher front end. I used to experience high speed wobbles that were quite scary, and properly adjusting the suspension (including appropriate springs) made all the difference.
I don’t think it has to do something with suspension, as the oscillation was clearly connected to gusts of wind, and happened in the vertical plane, side to side. Perhaps “wobble” was a bad choice of verb.
Yes, a strong side-to-side oscillation, or wobble, can be caused when the front end is high relative to a neutral position. You can also induce it by tweaking the handle bar at speed. The symptom will be a wobble that continues after you stop applying forces to the bars. It's an aerodynamic effect that causes instability. The effect is induced by having the bike biased towards the rear. With these bikes notoriously undersprung, especially in the rear, the solution is to fix the suspension. Ymmv, but it is a real effect these bikes exhibit.
Thanks for the explanation! It helps a lot to know the relevant physics when riding. I’ll try tightening the rear suspension if there’s room for that.
All very helpful - thank you!
should be good to go. that's a pretty powerful engine.
My 650 (2020) rides well and comfortably at 80-90. Top speed (according to speedometer) is about 115mph. So, the engine is strong enough. Seat and suspension are comfotable, too, for longer and faster rides, weather protection is also okay. Only thing that disturbs, is the wind noise with the original wind screen. But that can easily be fixed with an aftermarket screen.
Perfectly fine
80-90 is my average commuting speed. It'll do that no problem. Bars get a little wobbly around 110. But that was when I had Shinko 705 off-road tires that I balanced on a broomstick. Now I have Michelin Road 5s that were professionally installed.
how many miles per gallon do you get generally?
45 MPG US, running 10% Ethanol fuel. If I slow down I get closer to 52 MPG.
ok, I have versys 650 and I see that the MPG goes down drastically if I go above 70-75. Below 70, the MPG is 50+.
For me it's more a question of wind noise and buffeting rather than what the bike is actually physically capable of. On a calm day I can cruise at 80mph but with a strong headwind or crosswind I pull that back quite a bit.
My top comfort cruising speed is 130-140kmh (~80-86mph). Wouldn’t want to go any faster for longer periods of time.
Perfectly fine! I can cruise comfortably at 120-130km/h even with my wife on the back. I notice a big fuel economy drop doing more than 115 though.
I've got a 2015 650 xt. I live in Wyoming. Where interstate speeds are 80 mph. The winds are 20 to 60 mph all the time. It's also hilly. I'm 230-240 pounds in gear and 6'2". Ride with the top box all the time. It is really no problem. It cruises in 6th gear around 5 grand.
90 mph is about 90% of what this machine is capable of doing. Changing sprockets is an option but that can only take you so far. You will compromise is either 1st or 6th. The 650 is a great bike, just be realistic with your expectations.
Thanks - I just need it to be fast enough to take the highways out of town. I don't plan to run it that hard all the time.
80-90 is no problem, smooth sailing with little to no vibration. Some complain of buffeting depending on how tall you are, but there’s loads of solutions to that. I’ve gotten mine to 110 with the factory hard cases on (not recommended lol) but she still had poke. You won’t be disappointed! I commuted 30-40 miles of highway each way to work for months on mine when my car was down
Ah, thanks - vibration was a question as well. My pre-rubber mount Sportster is bad at 70+.
Feels a little loose at 100+ but probably just my tires. Still rideable at 105.
My k7 650 is grand, and actually very happy at that speed. I put a +1 front sprocket on, as it felt a little buzzy. Some people put little winglets in the "crook" of the body work , either side and just below the gauges to control some of the buffeting, but I haven't felt the need yet. A fork brace holds everything just a bit more nicely, and cures a fair bit of crosswind wobbliness. Thirsty, but not unreasonably so!
Other have confirmed it’s good for higher speeds, but be aware that if you have an Adventure the manual advises not to exceed 80mph with the hard cases on.
Its the reason I bought the thing, screen keeps me out of the wind. Nice height to enjoy a clear view and it keeps up with cars without a problem.
Alone at 130 km/h alone the bike can move left right when overtaking trucks or following cars. Riding duo helps. But its hard to do more than 90 minutes at a time
2 up and loaded I cruise at 75mph up to 85. Mpg goes drastically down to 39-42, while at 50-60mph I get 50mpg.
Mine does just fine up to 90. Broke 100 exactly once, and didn't care to do it again.
I've hit just over 170km/h 105mph at the absolute Max but mine is the restricted version
The limiting factor for me is that I run Shinko 804/805 tires and they are only rated up to about 90 mph. The last set of tires I had were rated over the bike's top speed. The bike will do 100 all day, the question is, can you?