81 gs550 highway speed?

[81gs550l]

Hey all,
thinking about a 45min ride mostly highway not sure if an 81 550 is capable of today's highway speeds for an extended time. Never had had it above 5 1/2k rmps for too long just don't want to cause any serious harm. Anyone have any serious insight?

 

[Steve]

Why have you been lugging it all this time? :-k

Let it live. They LOVE going over 6k, and will do it all day long. :encouragement:

Take note of where the RED ZONE is on the tach. That is where you start getting nervous.

.

 

[81gs550l]

I have been noticing the more I push the needle on the tach the better she runs. There's is just no information out there on how these old gems should be cared for.

 

[tkent02]

Mine runs great well above the red line. Lasted a hell of a long time too. Well over 120,000 miles, and it still ran beautifully when I sold it.
I'm a huge fan of the 550, have owned several of them and ridden many more, but I don't think I've ever run a 550 below 5,500 RPM, because it's a complete dog when you lug it.

Besides, the way the power starts to come on at about 8,000RPM is a beautiful thing.

 

[tkent02]

Why have you been lugging it all this time? :-k

Let it live. They LOVE going over 6k, and will do it all day long. :encouragement:

Take note of where the RED ZONE is on the tach. That is where you start getting nervous.

.

Not on a 550. I have pinned the tach hundreds of times, the power just keeps coming, never had any trouble at all. Tiny little pistons going up and down about an inch or so, it needs to spin to do anything at all. Wind it out!

 

[tkent02]

And to answer the original question, it only goes so fast if you just open the throttle in 6th. Maybe 90 or so depending on your sprocket ratios. If you wind out 4th all the way, then 5th, then hit 6th it will keep building speed, ends up going a whole lot faster. It will likely hit the red line and more in 6th, again depending on your sprocket ratios.
The key to the 550 is high RPM. It loves it.

 

[81gs550l]

I guess I'm still trying to break the habit of looking at at my trucks tach. not lugging her just not sure how far she's willing to go.

 

[tkent02]

Go watch a formula one race on TV, then go make your 550 sound like that. You will love it.

 

[tkent02]

But please make sure you have the valve clearances correct and there are no air leaks before you start riding it hard.

 

[cowboyup3371]

75 or 80mph down the interstate is very doable though I prefer 70 when I actually decide to brave that section of roads which is rare - back twisty roads are much much more fun

 

[tkent02]

I guess I'm still trying to break the habit of looking at at my trucks tach. not lugging her just not sure how far she's willing to go.

If you stop before it gets close to the power band, you're lugging it. It's not a truck.

 

[chuck hahn]

My 81 450L twin screams at a little above 6G at 65 MPH and all I can do is laugh to myself and have fun.

 

[tkent02]

75 or 80mph down the interstate is very doable though I prefer 70 when I actually decide to brave that section of roads which is rare - back twisty roads are much much more fun

These are your limits, not the bike's limits.

 

[Guest]

These smaller cc motors need to NOT be stifled. Let them run. I see guys trying to to ride these old UJMs like Harleys and it's a joke. Push to the redline or above as needed. I have a kz400 twin and I'm constantly living above the redline and it likes it!

 

[Gorminrider]

Hey all,
thinking about a 45min ride mostly highway not sure if an 81 550 is capable of today's highway speeds for an extended time. Never had had it above 5 1/2k rmps for too long just don't want to cause any serious harm. Anyone have any serious insight?

yah,well...I'd agree with all the boyish enthusiasm as to rpm... 5 1/2 krpm probably (because I don't have a 550 specifically) feels like the "smooth zone" but get used to a little more excitement

...that said, it's a pretty old bike -the rear shocks might be full of glue by now- so be confident of your old machine first.... and anyways, it's not exactly a heavyweight compared to the semis ,suvs, and monster PickUps that are turbulating around you, so take it easy...maybe just warm up a bit between a couple of exits before you commit to an hour of being blown around with a front end that feels awful light or whatever makes you nervous.
Don't get too hyper about improving everything first... The old shocks seem to melt up afterawhile and that can help. But you need working brakes with brakelights, turn signals etc. and all else being decent, just wind it up...look for the next higher "smoothzone"!

ONE THING that can help highway comfort are handlebars.... or, the combo of a fairing and handlebars. Wind gains power as a square of its velocity...

 

[Chaz]

If you stop before it gets close to the power band, you're lugging it. It's not a truck.

Hey, pull up an old truck thread sometime! Guys who have never driven anything but late-model cars/trucks with overdrive transmissions often proclaim the "top speed" where "the engine is screaming" to be something like 50MPH...lol. Some people honestly don't think a SBC will cruise at 3,000RPM without the rods coming out. I feel like I'm one of a withering number of people contently motoring down the road at 70 listening to the sound of a 350 turning 3,200...

 

[81gs550l]

Ok so I'm back and I only half agree about the high rmp's. After warming up to the redline I banged through all the gears between 7k and 10k at every stop that was safe to do so. I noticed after 9- 9 1/2k the power starts to dwindle and you lose that pop of power. I will agree smuggishly that I was lugging it around. the bike really does come to life in higher rmp's just not at the redline.

 

[Steve]

Each bike is a little bit different, but you might have some small tuning issue that is preventing full power at redline.

Even so, there is no need to worry about "highway speeds for 45 minutes" as you stated in your first post. :encouragement:

.

 

[chuck hahn]

Its feels ike it topped out or "floating" because its running like it should at that power range. Stop worrying about it and drive the helllz out of it.

 

[GSCafe]

Its feels ike it topped out or "floating" because its running like it should at that power range. Stop worrying about it and drive the helllz out of it.

Amen to that. I learned to open mine up too. If it a'int screamin' it a'int in the zone. That wee 30 or so ft lbs is way up in the red.