Question How did I get away with it?

[the Ferret]

Hey Folks :

I was admiring the scenery and did not notice that the 4-lane was no longer divided .... The limit went down to 55. I was legally speeding at that point ..

So, no matter what the speedo read. you'd have missed it because you were "bobble-heading" (that's what my younger brother calls it when he is looking around at scenery and stuff and not paying attention to the road) lol

I also am not a speeder, but I assume my speedo reads a couple 2-4 mph low depending on speed (less at low speeds more at high speeds), so lets say it's a 55 zone. If I'm doing 59 on my speedo I don't worry about it, knowing I'm probably doing 57 or 58 (2-3 over the speed limit)

Now, if it read 65 on my speedo in a 55, I'd probably fret some, but realize I'm actually probably doing about 60-61 with speedo error and at 6 over, an LEO probably would not hassle me. At an actual 9 over, an LEO would probably light me up around here, but my speedo would have to be reading 68 or so in that 55 zone.

 

[TNHoosier]

Motorcycles offer a smaller radar cross section which can cause errors in reported speed. The fewer large flat suraces result in weaker return signals to the detector. Laser uses a smaller area.

I would just consider yourself lucky and try to be more situation aware in the future. My experience is that North Carolina police are more concerned with motorcycles crossing the double yellow than +10 on speed. More than +10 will bring a lot more attention to you.

 

[NEZBIT]

Hey Folks:

Just got back from a ride where I was going 10mph over the speed limit in a speed trap. There were plenty of officers around as well as a few cars pulled over. Question is: Are our speedometers accurate or ,like my ST are they deliberately set above the actual speed of the bike? When it says 55......is the NC going 55? Can't imagine why I wasn't pulled over when my speedometer said I was going 65 in a 55 zone.

Bob

Hi I’ve noticed while riding my speedo is very close to the speed on my satnav
Neil

 

[the Ferret]

I downloaded the Speedometer App that Lomunchi mentioned and will check the accuracy of my 2021 on tomorrows ride.

 

[dduelin]

Mine's a couple MPH optimistic but closer than most bikes. Download a free speedo app on your phone to check your speed. Mine's called "Speedometer" (original, right?) and it has a large display I can easily see while riding.

Waze gives an accurate speed on a moving map screen. Users can also report law enforcement officer location in real time. Florida has very lax enforcement of traffic laws in many jurisdictions. 10 over is holding up traffic and red lights / stop signs are just suggestions. We are proud of our “freedom state” reputation and we are free to act the asshat on public roads.The state highway patrol seems to be primarily tasked with commercial vehicle law enforcement. I guess it pays more into state coffers.

 

[the Ferret]

well after downloading the Speedometer App I went out and tested my 2021 NC today. I discovered several things..the bike speedo reacts quicker than the app both accelerating and decelerating and the Speedometer App takes a second to catch up. However, if you can hold at a steady speed for at least 2 seconds, the bike and the App agree (at least on my bike). I'd say my speedometer is pretty much right on at all speeds up to 65 (the limit of my testing as I was in no zones over 55) when tested against the gps derived Speedometer App

 

[davidc83]

When I need directions, I use Google maps on my phone. Google maps informs me of my speed, and my speedo is constantly 1mph lower than Google maps.

 

[the Ferret]

When I need directions, I use Google maps on my phone. Google maps informs me of my speed, and my speedo is constantly 1mph lower than Google maps.

David do you ever worry about the vibes shaking the innards of your cell phone? Mine shakes so much I only used it for this experiment for a few miles before stopping and putting it in my pocket, otherwise I write directions on paper and clip them to a piece of wood the size of my iphone for navigation

 

[davidc83]

David do you ever worry about the vibes shaking the innards of your cell phone? Mine shakes so much I only used it for this experiment for a few miles before stopping and putting it in my pocket, otherwise I write directions on paper and clip them to a piece of wood the size of my iphone for navigation

Nope, don't have a iphone or expensive Galaxy phone....less than $200 Android (blade 11 prime) and never had a problem....I have a cheapo cell phone holder on my handlebar. I have had it in the holder for hours and no issues.

 

[dduelin]

My current iPhone 2020 SE has at least 13,000 NC miles and 30,000 RT miles mounted on a Ram mount X Grip. The Ram ball mounts replace one of the 8mm bolts in the bar risers. There is very little engine vibration coming through the bar risers. No way would I mount a Ram ball out one the bar ends of any bike other than a silky smooth 6 cylinder. Apple does warns against mounting iPhones on motorcycles.

 

[the Ferret]

My current iPhone 2020 SE has at least 13,000 NC miles and 30,000 RT miles mounted on a Ram mount X Grip. The Ram ball mounts replace one of the 8mm bolts in the bar risers. There is very little engine vibration coming through the bar risers. No way would I mount a Ram ball out one the bar ends of any bike other than a silky smooth 6 cylinder. Apple does warns against mounting iPhones on motorcycles.

Yea it worried me when I put my phone in that clamp on ram mount and saw it shaking.

 

[mzflorida]

They have anti-vibration mounts now if someone wanted to mount their phones that have image stabilization cameras. I use Rockform but quad lock seems to be very popular. Before I had the Rokform mount I, like @davidc83 , used an older phone. Now I mount my iPhone and have had no issues.

 

[Itdoesn'taddup]

well after downloading the Speedometer App I went out and tested my 2021 NC today. I discovered several things..the bike speedo reacts quicker than the app both accelerating and decelerating and the Speedometer App takes a second to catch up. However, if you can hold at a steady speed for at least 2 seconds, the bike and the App agree (at least on my bike). I'd say my speedometer is pretty much right on at all speeds up to 65 (the limit of my testing as I was in no zones over 55) when tested against the gps derived Speedometer App

Completely off topic: You posted these pics about 40 minutes after I went through there going the other direction! Whenever I see you out and about, you're always going the other direction. Maybe we can sort this out and ride together in the same direction.

 

[the Ferret]

Completely off topic: You posted these pics about 40 minutes after I went through there going the other direction! Whenever I see you out and about, you're always going the other direction. Maybe we can sort this out and ride together in the same direction.

LOL yea, lets meet up and ride sometime

 

[rstatham]

You raise a great question. One of the first things I did with my “new to me” 2012 NC700X and new GPS was to check my GPS speed vs my bike’s speedometer at 40, 50, 60 and 70 mph. I had noticed a couple of years ago in my Chevy pickup truck that the speed on my speedometer rarely matched the speed on the GPS, and I’ve learned to trust the GPS speed as I’ve dug pretty deep in the GPS technology in the aviation side of my life. My truck is old and analog, but speedometer runs on both sides of actual. (!!) My bike speedometer runs consistently 1 mph above actual.

I live in Florida, and in most parts of the south, the police give us 10 miles an hour for free. But even then I try to keep my speed no more than 9 miles over the speed limit, but usually 8. But that’s me.

 

[Hank]

In the USA Federal regulations provide for substantial penalties if speedometers read too low, but no penalty if they read too high. So for many years vehicle makers sent them out low. Possibly as GPS becomes better and more available they no longer feel as much need to do that. My 2015 NC700 reads a mile or two low. My 2018 Goldwing is right on.

 

[670cc]

In the USA Federal regulations provide for substantial penalties if speedometers read too low, but no penalty if they read too high. So for many years vehicle makers sent them out low. Possibly as GPS becomes better and more available they no longer feel as much need to do that. My 2015 NC700 reads a mile or two low. My 2018 Goldwing is right on.

Do you mean to say that your NC700X speedometer “reads a mile or two low” (below) the actual speed traveled? All of my speedometers read actual speed, or they display a number higher than actual speed.

 

[Hank]

Do you mean to say that your NC700X speedometer “reads a mile or two low” (below) the actual speed traveled? All of my speedometers read actual speed, or they display a number higher than actual speed.

Sorry, had it backwards. It reads high. 71 if it’s really 70.

 

[GregC]

My friend on the highway patrol here says their motto is “nine you’re fine, ten you’re mine.” But I agree it has a lot to do with traffic flow and whether you’re otherwise being an asshat.