Speed limiting on motorbikes, what do you think?

Question

This is something i read- 'Giving evidence to the committee, transport author Stephen Plowden said he could not see why anyone needed a bike with a top speed of more than 65 mph.'
Dont know about you but this idiot should crawl back under the grey rock he crawled under with his grey pipe and slippers.
It's not so much the top speeds that kill, it's the pwer of some modern bikes. I personaly don't like these 'plastic rockits', but each to their own. Some bikers are dangerous but i tell you, it's the cars we have to watch out for!

Answer 1

Limiting the speed of a scooter to 65 mph would be signing a death warrant on bike rides. Personally after 30 plus years of riding I can not begin to count the number of time the extra speed and power of my bike has pulled me out of sticky situations that would have resulted in an accident with some idiot cager that wasn't paying attention.

If something like that law was to go into effect me and many others would disconnect governors, change sprockets, etc...

I say anyone that supports that bill should be put on a 50cc scooter and set out in the center lane of LA's freeway.

Answer 2

Your exactly correct, when you blame the majority of motorcycle accidents being a direct result of either a car hitting a motorcycle or a car not even seeing the motorcycle. Granted under most conditions a bike doesn't need to go faster than 65, however, when the speed limit is 65, most people are driving cars at 75 or 80. Just driving at 65 and not keeping up with the vehicles around you could lead to serious problems. Also, another action would be to avoid a collision, while your traveling at 65 or 70. There are only a couple of options available. Either speed up, slow down or steer around it. For the slowing down, brakes and gearing down are the only options, but in many cases, there isn't enough time. speeding up to avoid an accident, and /or steering around one, may necessitate accelerating to get around the incident.

Answer 3

Make it so motorcycles can't go OVER 65??? Just how many freeways/highways has this joker been on where all the cars went 65mph or less? Are we supposed to let the people in cars drive right over the top of us?
Oh! Wait! Here's a better idea! We will spend billions of dollars to upgrade the road system! YES! No cars or trucks allowed! Motorcycles ONLY. Motorcycle riders would like that, but then what about the drivers who only have a car or truck? Do we tell them too bad?

A fix that would go a long way in solving the motorcycle death rate is forcing people to see motorcycles. I wish every licensed driver had at least one close family member who is a rider. They would be more likely to see us if they thought "My son/daughter, husband/wife might be on that bike."

But that is just wishful dreaming. Some people still wouldn't see riders.

Answer 4

If motorbike are to be limited to 65mph then all road traffic should be too.
Unfortunately for the vast majority of bikers the minority of riders who do speed in inappropriate places that give us a bad name.
If we were to restrict new car drivers in the same way new bike riders are then there would be a lot more 17-25 years old alive today.
Every one makes mistakes, and bike riders know they will ALWAYS lose when the hit something. If that doesn't play on your mind when riding hard nothing will slow you down.
There's too many people who confuse their intentions with their abilities.

Answer 5

I agree. Having been riding for over 15 years you become a better driver when you ride a bike. But if he want's to limit bikes to 65 MPH them he should also limit cars to the same speed as it would only cause accidents with cars passing you at 100MPH +.

This guy Plowden is a complete and utter moron.

Answer 6

i see no reason for a bike to be sold on the street that can easily do 150 mph+. myself, i do the speed limit, and i have fun. the faster u go, the more gas u burn.

cars should likewise be limited in speed. how are u gonna be able to do 120 or over legally in a car?
the plowden needs to get plowed. he obviously has no clue whats up with bikes. maybe if he were to strap on 1 and have to duck the idiots on cell phones, then he'd see the real problem us 'joe blows' face daily.

Answer 7

Hell, that would limit me to 3rd gear! Going fast never killed anyone. Perhaps the sudden stop is what did it?

Anyone can go fast, but it takes a skilled rider to keep their wits about them at 120, and the big danger is other drivers. When they see you a block away, their brain tells them that at the usual speed of traffic they can safely pull out.

What they don't register is that if you're going twice as fast, you're going to hit them.

Motorcycling is a calculated risk. It's up to the rider to figure out what level of risk they are willing to accept every time they ride.

Answer 8

Agree with the answers above. The largest number of accidents wouldn't take place if car drivers paid attention to what they're doing. The vast majority of bike riders are far more alert and cautious to their own speed and safety than their car (or how about white-van?!) counterparts.

Answer 9

No! We don't all have to ride like twats but sometimes you need a wee bit of power to get you out of a sticky brown situation. Any control taken out of the hands of the rider is going to be extremely dangerous. I could see it working in a car, they've been doing it on lorries for ages, but its too dangerous for bikes.

Answer 10

Yip its the cars that do the killing. Sounds like a really stupid and horifically dangerous idea. So yes he should crawl back under his rock the scusbag.