[brent morley]

Here lately I have had to go to Chattanooga everyday so I,ve been riding my TW to save gas. Not only that but Id rather ride anyways. So people say, I would'nt ride that bike on the interstate because its not fast enough. Well I have proved them wrong. It is fast enough, in fact I would ride it anywhere. Thats how much I trust my TW. Long story short. I love my bike and theirs nowhere I would'nt take it.

 

[BuddyMc]

What gearing are you using? I'm still running the stock 14/50 and am fairly comfortable on the roads with 55 mph speed limits. I've been reluctant to venture out on the I's. Keep thinking that changing to 14/47 would give my TW a bit longer legs and not mess up the off-road performance too much. We do a lot of dirt riding, but most of it isn't technical enough to require staying in 1st or 2nd very long.

 

[sea bass]

What gearing are you using? I'm still running the stock 14/50 and am fairly comfortable on the roads with 55 mph speed limits. I've been reluctant to venture out on the I's. Keep thinking that changing to 14/47 would give my TW a bit longer legs and not mess up the off-road performance too much. We do a lot of dirt riding, but most of it isn't technical enough to require staying in 1st or 2nd very long.

I have the stock 14/50 and have hit 80 miles an hour a lot of times. I don't drive at that speed very long but i can comfortably cruise at 65 all day long.

 

[Batman1USA]

Wow! I don't think my TW is like yours. Mines comfortable 45ish at 55 i think it might explode. 80!! you must weigh all of 95# soaking wet. Maybe mine has some hidden speed I haven't tapped into yet.

 

[sea bass]

Wow! I don't think my TW is like yours. Mines comfortable 45ish at 55 i think it might explode. 80!! you must weigh all of 95# soaking wet. Maybe mine has some hidden speed I haven't tapped into yet.

I know it sounds like BS but i promise its not I weight 170 lbs its a 2011 with 3000 miles on it bought it brand new a year ago. On flat ground with no wind i can hit 80 miles an hour. At least thats what the speedo says i haven't Put a GPS on it yet to get a exact speed reading. It sounds like it will explode at 55 so whats the difference if it sounds like it at 55 or 80 its all the same

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

I know it sounds like BS but i promise its not I weight 170 lbs its a 2011 with 3000 miles on it bought it brand new a year ago. On flat ground with no wind i can hit 80 miles an hour. At least thats what the speedo says i haven't Put a GPS on it yet to get a exact speed reading. It sounds like it will explode at 55 so whats the difference if it sounds like it at 55 or 80 its all the same

Same here. I've gained about 60lbs over the last 6 months due to my meds, putting me at around 235lbs. Took the TW on the interstate a few days ago and crept up to 80! I believe that the other cars around helped me out with the air flow. On flat ground I have gone up to 75 on flat ground before running out of road. I try not to do it often because of all the deer around here! The spedometer is surprisingly accurate. I've used my gps and they are dead on.

 

[ceramite]

I hope you are doing okay PalmStateCrawler!!! If it makes you feel any better I am around 235 because of beer and a lifetime of bad choices.





I think my TW tops out at 65. I think I have hit 70 once.

 

[ericj]

Here lately I have had to go to Chattanooga everyday so I,ve been riding my TW to save gas. Not only that but Id rather ride anyways. So people say, I would'nt ride that bike on the interstate because its not fast enough. Well I have proved them wrong. It is fast enough, in fact I would ride it anywhere. Thats how much I trust my TW. Long story short. I love my bike and theirs nowhere I would'nt take it.

Haven't got the 2012 broken in yet but got the '07 I had with myself and my g/f on it up to just a hair over 70 and that was before I started putting only ethanol-free gas in her. Seemed to have more power after that and the 2012 is being broken in strictly on ethanol-free.



When I'm not on the bike I always think it's slower than it is...



E

 

[brent morley]

My tw is stock and I only weight about 160 pounds, that does help. When im due for a set of tires I am going to put a different sprocket on so I can get a little more on top end and so my rpm,s aint so high. Although I am on the interstate, its only for a brief time. When I change my sprocket I would'nt mind staying on the interstate for a long period but for now with my stock stuff I will keep the interstate riding down to a minimum.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

Thanks Ceramite. I hope to ween off my meds soon. The doctor said I could try to yesterday. Fingers crossed.

I had to break down and put e10 gas in the tank once when I forgot to flip it off reserve when I filled up. There was a noticeable power difference. When I rode the interstate the other day, I made it up to 75. My 235lbs plus my girlfriends 120lbs put us at 355lbs going 75mph. Very impressive!

 

[davidsonsgccc]

just thought i would comment as well. i ride a zongshen sierra 200 which is a close copy to the tw. i ride on the interstate for 2.5 miles almost everyday and with the bike wound up i can run 60-65mph without to much trouble. that being said i believe the theory is that with no more avaliable power you cant speed away from danger if someone comes over on you your only choice is the ditch. i still do it but probably not the smartest thing.

 

[Batman1USA]

OK well I gave mine a try, took it on the highway 20 miles and pushed it up to 70...

It seems as if it has a little more but I'm just not believing this thing will hold together at that speed day in and day out.

It also seems when coming down from that speed that the engine sounds a bit starved or ?? There seems like a hesitation when getting back on the gas.

My thinking is the red line on the speedo starting at 55 means danger Will Robinson danger!!

Also the DG exhaust is VERY VERY loud at that speed VERY loud.

I think the trails are more it's home "Trailway" not "Highway"

Just my thoughts, so if driving through Oklahoma and you pass a TW doing 55 in a 65 it just might be me.

 

[jontow]

My bike is actually able to handle "high speeds" (60mph is where I push it to) better with 14/50 than it did with my 14/47 setup. It seems like it just loses all ability to power through even the slightest amount of headwind with the 14/47.



Then again, I also live 2hrs or so from the nearest interstate, so I don't much care about that kind of road. Anywhere I want to go within 50miles can have at least 1 dirt road stretch on it if I want it to.

 

[tba02]

I'm 162lbs and the TW is a 2008 with 14/50 sprockets. I ride just over 14 miles (7+ each way) every weekday on the highway and have been for almost the entire life of the bike. Assuming traffic is light, I ride along at 60/65 without a problem. Once in a while I push it over 70 and have hit 75 but I generally keep it at 60-65.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

The redline on the speedo is old fashioned. It has nothing to do with your bikes rpms. The speed limit on interstates used to be 55. Just another thing yamaha hasnt changed since the eighties.

 

[joedirt1970]

I have a 2008 and reaching 65 is no problem. I did however heaer/read in the older forum that our speedos tend to be read about 3-5 mph higher than the actual speed.

 

[davidsonsgccc]

i forgot to mention that i wear earplugs everwhere i ride. seems to make the noise more tolerable. i feel a difference on top end power depending on weither im running ethanol or 100% gas. 100% gas seems to have more power.



i have read in other threads that these bikes are under powered for their build and can be run wot without damage.

 

[qwerty]

i forgot to mention that i wear earplugs everwhere i ride. seems to make the noise more tolerable. i feel a difference on top end power depending on weither im running ethanol or 100% gas. 100% gas seems to have more power.



i have read in other threads that these bikes are under powered for their build and can be run wot without damage.

Yes, TWs are very mildly tuned for there construction. The basic architecture will live at ~double the TW's stock power output. Over that, they become grenades. The consequence of such a mild state of tune is a very wide powerband.



A taller sprocket ratio really won't make much difference in top speed EXCEPT when riding down a long, steep hill, of which there are several around Chattanooga. Monteagle is a white knuckler for truckers and RVers. Tall enough ratios to make a real difference will likely be problematic with excessive spread between 3-4 and 4-5 gears resulting in upshiftting causing the engine to fall too far off the torque peak, necessitating constant downshifting and slower speeds uphill.



An assortment of vehicles moving together at speed will carry along a plug of air and can make a big difference in top speed, as much as 8-10mph at times. TDub's been tooling along WOT at, say, 65mph, a clump of cages passes, she gets swept up in the draft, and next thing you know she's keeping up with the rest of traffic at 75mph.

 

[brent morley]

I was wondering about the difference the sprocket change would make and reading on here about the part where you all say it doesn't make much difference. I can see where you would be shifting more and the head wind would get the best of you, yhea I dont like that. It makes me want to keep her stock now. Why mess with a good thing. Oh believe me I hate the interstate, I like to avoid it as much as possible, only doing it now cause I have to. Like you all say. Trailway not highway... lol... I love those back roads.