Can you reliably judge your speed by feel?

[Lefty]

This thread subject is a copy of the same one that was posted on a local NorCal M/C forum and I thought that I'd pose the question here. I was surprised on how many on the NorCal forum answered "no" to that question since my answer would be that, for the majority of the time, I would say yes. Then I started thinking about it in more detail and came to the conclusion that in my case I look at the speedo usually only when I'm on surface streets or on the freeway. I find that when I'm out on the rural, twisty bits of highway I have a very good feel for what my speed is for the conditions of road which I'm on and if I'm riding within my comfort/ability zone. I will on occasion glance down at the tach to see if I'm in the correct rpm range but I don't normally look at the speedo.

I think this is illustrated by the fact that when I was racing in the AFM (many, many years ago) we had to tape over the speedometer which I supposed to keep riders from being distracted by seeing how fast they were actually going as opposed to being in the moment and concentrating on what they were doing at the time.

What do you all think, can you judge your speed by feel?

 

[motojoe122]

Good thread , Lefty!

I would have to agree with you. I would say, most of the time yes. This comes from 2 examples I am thinking of, 1-Seven years of riding/weekend racing my 97 yz250 and 2-the 49' BUSL we use at work makes 10kts, recently, we were headed down current and with the wind.....something felt real different.....10.5 kts! WARP SPEED!:thumbup:

 

[iSteve]

After riding at a certain speed it is easy to compare speed sensation and engine sound and feel to know that you're still in the range. But going fast or slower suddenly it can be deceiving.

Have you ever been doing 85-90 on a highway for 15+ minutes then pull off and do 50 and feel "this seem slow". Or been driving on tight bumpy roads at 25mph then suddenly you on a nice stretch of road with some twisties you look down and you're doing 50 and think I though I was going faster.

Even my speedometers a bad judge, mines off by about 4 mph

 

[The Toecutter]

Oh yea I know how fast i'm going.... TOO FAST LOL :BLAA: I can't get on two wheels and not Push It !! :rockon: :rockon: I can judge my speed pretty close,within 5 mph and I have a strange ability to give" Are we there yet" ? time estimates within a 5 minute window too,and the icing on the cake!! I allways count my gears up and down without even thinking about it....

 

[Signal 50]

Depends on the road. Backroads I'm perfectly comfortable doing 65 in a 35 but I usually keep myself in check with the speedo. Without one I'd certainly get nabbed.

On the highway on stay in the left lane and go slightly faster than everyone else.

 

[Motogiro]

I have to admit I feel much to comfortable at speeds well over the speed limit so I would say I'm not that good at knowing what speed I'm doing unless I really pay attention. :spank:

 

[Dave.TX]

Being I've only been riding this bike for about 4 weeks I'll say no. But put me in my pickup truck and I rarely have to look at the speedo to know what speed I'm going.

Granted the tone of the exhaust will tell me if my speed is consistent, it's a Leo Vince and very loud. I often wish I couldn't hear the buzzing of the exhaust. I'm getting used to counting the gear changes and knowing what gear I'm in.

BTW, I'm a cop and occasionally stop people for speeding so I tend to stay at the speed limit most of the time. I'm not big on being a hypocrite. If I speed then I wouldn't stop people for that. Now I have had my bike up to ___mph once. Did it once on a clear straight road when no one was around. Got it out of my system.

 

[Sparkybean]

In a car I can tell when my pupil is doing 29, 30 or 31 mph without looking at the speedo (too long doing the job).

On a bike I'm rubbish. When I first got a sportsbike I went 70 and almost turned to stone with fear. Now sometimes I think I'm doing 70, look down and it's says 100mph!!!

 

[Jugro]

If we are talking about feeling the correct speed for a area with a specific speed limit, then no.. I always think I am going at a decent pace and it turns out I am speeding.

On twisties I have gotten a pretty good feel for it, mostly by learning it the hard way

Back when I took my license we were taught, that it was a good idea to drive through the services once in a while so the brain was recalibrated a bit.

 

[greg]

in my car i can accellerate to spot on 40mph without looking. On my bike though it's much harder to tell, especially in the lower gears

i think on a bike it's much more important to know what gear and rev range you are in

 

[Humperdinkel]

Yeah I can , within 2-3 kph :thumbup: Im guessing it has something to do with all the years of driving trucks & listening to the engine note for the perfect gear change