New here, and I do have a question :)!

Ok so here it goes. I recently bought an 1982 kz 440 ltd belt drive. Specs give this bike a max speed of about 78 mph. Nowwwwwwww, my question is, if riding on the interstate, how far am I safe to drive it at 65 to 70 mph? This is a bit of a concern for me as I do wish to do some minimal interstate riding with it. It's in pretty good condition and I just had the tires replaced, so this is my one big concern, as I don't wanna blow it up lol. Any advice would be much appreciated!!

Welcome aboard...

You should be fine riding forever at those speeds, as long as you are not exceeding the redline(max RPM). An oil & filter change with synthetic oil would be nice.

The entire American public has been trained to think that you need a monster-sized bike to be comfortable at free-way speeds...the mentality now is that bigger is better (and safer). Way back when (and I speak from a position of strength) all you needed to be freeway-legal was a 150cc bike (it may take a while to get to 65 mph, but a bike that size was capable of doing it). I remember when the biggest bike Honda made was a 450cc twin...your 440 will be fine...just remember that you won't be able to scream through traffic like a ZX600...and watch out for all those asshole cagers.

riding near red line for extended periods would increase ware on the motor. u may want to watch the oil temp too.IMO

u could change the gearing to bring the rpms down a bit.

Mcdroid wrote:

The entire American public has been trained to think that you need a monster-sized bike to be comfortable at free-way speeds...the mentality now is that bigger is better (and safer). Way back when (and I speak from a position of strength) all you needed to be freeway-legal was a 150cc bike (it may take a while to get to 65 mph, but a bike that size was capable of doing it). I remember when the biggest bike Honda made was a 450cc twin...your 440 will be fine...just remember that you won't be able to scream through traffic like a ZX600...and watch out for all those asshole cagers.

X2
It's not just that way with bikes. Look at the cars and trucks that we drive. Wouldn't even fit on the roads in many countries. Every time I meet someone from Europe, they are amazed at the size of our vehicles.

I personally like the small bikes too and I want a smaller KZ to buzz around on in the future. Hell I saw a really big guy try to get on I45 in the Woodlands with one of those little 50cc scooters recently. Now that takes some juevos.

Back to the point. I personally think that you will be fine with some freeway time. Just keep up on the maintenance, wear your protective gear, and get seen. Now lets see a pic of the bike.

mark1122 wrote:

riding near red line for extended periods would increase ware on the motor. u may want to watch the oil temp too.IMO


u could change the gearing to bring the rpms down a bit.

Though it might help in this situation, changing the gearing is not so easy with a belt-drive bike.

Bad Dad wrote:

...An oil & filter change with synthetic oil would be nice.

When choosing a synthetic, it would probably be a good idea to get a motorcycle oil which will probably have higher levels of zinc-phosphate (ZDDP). I've never looked into how much ZDDP is in automotive synthetics. Regular automotive may not have enough ZDDP.

I would use a regualr heavy duty diesel oil such as Shell Rotella-T, Valvoline Premium Blue or Cheveron Delo, and change the oil more often, say at 2000 miles or so. They're usually 15W-40 - I've never seen them in other weights; 20W-50 would be good in the Summer or for extended trips but I haven't seen any of those heavy duty oils in that weight - never really looked, though.

Mcdroid wrote:

The entire American public has been trained to think that you need a monster-sized bike to be comfortable at free-way speeds...the mentality now is that bigger is better (and safer). Way back when (and I speak from a position of strength) all you needed to be freeway-legal was a 150cc bike (it may take a while to get to 65 mph, but a bike that size was capable of doing it). I remember when the biggest bike Honda made was a 450cc twin...your 440 will be fine...just remember that you won't be able to scream through traffic like a ZX600...and watch out for all those asshole cagers.

X3... I rode a Honda CL175 back in the day and would ride anywhere and everywhere. Back then the national speed limit was 55MPH. It was common for a cross country rider to ride a Honda 350.

You should be just fine at 70MPH on the highway. It may buzz a bit more at higher RPM's but as long as you are under the redline all will be good. Like what was said earlier wear the gear and be "seen" by the cage drivers.

Bit of a story, but there is a point. in the late 70's-early 80's, A young lady drifted into the shop needing tires & a tune/service on her belt drive kz440 @ 4pm sat. & needed to be back on the road Mon. morning. being a "soft -touch" I offered to perform these "services" at my home, (for a little less than shop rates) Short story, my wife & I put her up for the weekend, I did the the tires & tune, took advantage of her generous offer to baby-sit for an evening, & help in the galley, & sent her on her way. Now the point... She had ridden that 440 from New York, to San Diego. and was on her way to Canada... We recieved 2-3 post cards from her whilst on her trip, ending back in NY w/out Any probs. Now after all these years, I couldn't/wouldn't presume to esimate your' bikes ability, But.. In its prime, her bike did the deal. G

I have really enjoyed reading all of your replies, and I thank you for them. As for the request for pictures, I keep forgetting, but will figure it out soon enough. Thank you again everyone!

Finally figured out how to post pictures, so as requested, here they are .

SWEETB)