I ride at 80-90mph on the highway (motorways here) and 70-80 on minor roads - unless I'm with a group. If I'm on my Raptor I'll push 130mph in places....It's the acceleration rush and knee down corning I like on this bike. Then again I'm happy to chug along with my mates at any dam fool speed.

Never speed in towns................much.

 

When I'm alone on the road I never go more then 5 over the limit. If I'm in traffic I go with the flow unless it's too fast (which is common in Atlanta) and then I'll hang in the right-hand lanes at no more than 10-15 over. Going fast is not worth the hassle and expense of a speeding ticket. I'm on the bike because I like to ride and excessive speed just adds more stress than I need.

 

I look at speed limits as what great grandma Mable can safely do in her 9ft wide 1981 Caddy. I ride because it's exciting, a release. I keep within my limits, and I'm far from a sport bike a-hole (no offense) that's blowing through traffic. But if noone's around, 50 feels right in a 35, and the highway depends on traffic.

 

You've confused "Speed" with "Reckless". Speeding in and of itself is not reckless. It depends on where you are and what the conditions are. The posted speed limits often have nothing to do with the actual safe speed at which one could travel in that area.

Do I ride bikes for speed? Yes. Speed and rapid acceleration have always been my main attraction to bikes. In areas with some traffic, I almost always do 10 over. In rural areas I keep it to 19 over if I think I may come across a cop. If I'm feeling good about there not being a cop around, 80-90 in a 55 is where I'm at.

However, some times I'm cruising for the sake of cruising, in which case putzing along at 40-50 mph is cool as hell. My bike settle into a nice purr there. There are times when I can do that all day and night.

 

On my Road King, no. It's not designed for it. It's slow with an ancient suspension, brakes and limited cornering ability. But it's cool as hell to kick back and enjoy the scenery. One of my favorite rides is down the coast, where you can smell the seaweed and hear the waves.

On my FJR1300... generally double the speed limit on twisty canyon/mountain roads, when I can. I usually keep it under 85mph on the freeway but the bike sees low-mid triple digits once in awhile. I'm 30, single, and love it, although I know that riding like that long enough will bite me in the *** someday and think about leaving the fast bikes to the younger pups. The older I get, the less invincible I feel, and the more I have to lose. I think about those things when the adrenaline rush of a good mountain road wears off.