we all know there are plans to take away the last bit of freedom we bikers still have on this earth: germany, the refuge of the fastest of the fast, is thinking about a general speed limit. mind you, they don’t have that much to loose, there is basically a 100, 120 or 130 kmh limit every couple of kilometers or so, and if the german police would not come up with that bright idea, you could count on the local spirit to keep things cool.
what i mean is: it is funny how these guys are absolutely incapable of using the right lane. it must be buried deep in their souls: anyone who takes the “slow” lane is clearly a looser. as a consequence they push whatever sorry excuse for a car they happen to own to the absolute limit: 10 year old vans, somewhat aged japanese microcars, the odd seventies mercedes diesel, all in the fast lane, pedal firmly floored … plus they don’t seem to understand how fast modern production bikes like the mille are.
fast, i mean really fast. one thing is that the acceleration is unbelieveable: no matter which gear, what revs range, until way bejond 200. i guess i sound a bit enthusiastic here, but … well, you got to feel this to understand. 😉
and then there is the top speed … a very distinct experience. not one i need to have every day, i admit, but nevertheless.
you want to have a long straight, simply because even a normal highway bend is a bit of a challenge at these speeds. plus it is a definit bonus if there are not too many other people around; i would not count on anyone being able to judge the speed of a mille approaching at top speed through the rear view mirror.
i know now that, even with the shorter transmission, the bike does 269 (on the speedo), which is 271 in real life (measured with the gps). the gps also measured that at these speeds one travels about 70m per second, so things happen pretty quickly, or more precisely, you hope nothing much happens because it would happen to fast to notice anyway.
not sure i’ll be doing that kind of stunt very often, i still believe that a nice corner at 100 is a lot more fun than a long straight at top speed, but … you understand i had to know, do you. 😉