Good write up!

If your 2009 is anything like my '87, that stuffed up "Rebel with a headcold" sound went away between 3000 and 4000 miles of break in after new.

Moving this to Rebel reviews for easy access.

 

So far the the sound/vibration at 65mph has me pleasantly surprised.
I had feared for much more buzzing but the sound is dark enough and not bothersome.

Keep in mind that I only ride 8 mile to max 11 mile stretches on the freeway so it's not really a judgment of long distance comfort. Louder pipes definitely would bother me, that I know.

I sometimes leave at 5:30am out of my neighborhood and the sound the Rebel makes is just the maximum I want my neighbors to be bothered with. Works well.

 

You actually got up to speed on a Socal freeway? LOL. learned to drive in LA, and it never ceases to amaze me how much more crowded it is every time I visit.

I did ride down once, forgot that the eastbound 210 becomes a parking lot on Friday afternoons. Thought our air-cooled Guzzi's were gonna implode from lack of cooling (it was close to 100F out).

I think I have become chicken though, from being away for so long. I get the heebie jeebies when I think about keeping up with car pool lane traffic on the 60 e/o the 57 on a bike. I found myself doing 85+ just trying to keep up and not get run over/shot/etc in my car.

 

Well good for you and nice writeup. I picked mine up south of San Diego and didn't care for the 80 mile ride on the 5, mostly due to slowing down on the long hills. On the flat freeways of LA/OC it'll do 75+ (I weight 155#), but I use the bigger bike since getting it. My morning commute isn't quite so early. Good idea on selecting the smaller windshield.

As for the mirrors, I'd recommend replacements with flatter stems that sit the mirrors wider - but no wider than your bar-ends as we're allowed to split traffic. The stock size is perfect and I prefer the very functional rectangular shape but I too am mostly seeing my shoulders.

 

I usually check the freeway status on Google maps before I head out, things indeed can get clogged around here in a really bad way.

The speed differential can be pretty daunting, with what little experience I have here I see people blasting by with what seems like 85mph when I am cruising 65mph in the slow lane.

 

I usually check the freeway status on Google maps before I head out, things indeed can get clogged around here in a really bad way.

That's a good idea - I use sigalert.com myself.

The speed differential can be pretty daunting, with what little experience I have here I see people blasting by with what seems like 85mph when I am cruising 65mph in the slow lane.

Same down here. If traffic isn't too heavy you can cross over to the carpool lane where there's much less going on, but you have to keep the engine near the top end; you also have to get there and back. Choosing the slow lanes means dealing with traffic merging every mile or less. Really different on a bike, isn't it?

 

Last season I rode two 400+ mile trips on mostly highway, and it only cost me $16 and some change. It didn't exactly like the hills and 70 MPH speed limit in Kentucky though. But it did good enough to pretty much stay with traffic.

 

I'm surprisingly comfortable on I-95 on this side of the country. Depending on the wind direction (seriously), I can speed along at 75 or fight to make 65. I've found that in adverse wind conditions, a little careful drafting can wring an extra 5 or 10 mph out of it.

 

Excellent write up. I would be afraid to get on the freeways there in LA myself. And I agree, need a different set of mirrors.

I have driven my Rebel from Springvile, AL to Carrolton, GA twice. It is about 180 miles round trip. I can tell you that at the 100 mile mark I had to pull over and stretch. I am 6'1 and about 234 poounds and the bike cruized right along at 70-75 mph except on a couple rather long and tall hills. I like the idea of getting a back rest, I need to invest in one of those and preferebly some crashbars with highway pegs to let me stretch my legs wen cruising in 5th for long periods of time.

I hope to have my baby back up and running in the next couple of weeks. I broke down and called the insurance company (GEICO) and it sounds like they will cover the repairs since it was due to me laying it down. I was shocked since I laid it down in October and am just now getting around to calling it in.

 

I hear ya on the I95, toughest is the beltway...

 

I ride the freeway here in Chicago pretty regularly. It's a a real mixed bag. Speed limt through the city limits is "55mph" but it's really "as fast as every one else" If it's busy it's a crawl. Stop and go and heaven forbid you're on the Ike or the Kennedy/Edens junction (parking lots). If it's clear you have to go at least 70mph to not get runover. I still dont have any problems on the Rebel though. I usually take the surface streets for more scenery though. Sometimes I gotta take the expressway if I'm in a hurry. I'm gonna take lakeshore drive home tonight after my overnight shift and watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan.

 

I just took my rebel up to 60-62 yesterday. Is it normal at higher speeds (maybe starting to occur around 40 mph) for the speedometer needle to "bounce" a little? When I approached 60 mph it was probably bouncing between 2 and 4 mph. Thanks for the input!

By the way, it was MUCH quieter and smoother than I expected at 60mph. I felt like a had QUITE a bit left "under the hood", so to speak.

 

I can get mine max about 65, almost 70, not sure how accurate that is. I would only ride interstate if the alternative is lots of downtown traffic or some poorly paved windy bumpy road.

The interstate feels like a very alien environment. In a car, you're insulated from it, but on a motorcycle, I feel VERY vulnerable! I start getting anxious that if I had a blowout or sudden breakdown, I'd probably be dead or paralyzed.

I think they should have slow lanes, I mean, real slow lanes. I wonder if you could get away with just going 60, though car drivers tend to be very rude about it. Anyone ever try just riding on emergency lane when it's really hairy?

With gas prices rising fast, and all this talk about re-creating the energy infrastruture, I think we're going to see a lot more motorcycles and scooters. One thing I've noted is if I cruise around 35-40 I can get maybe 75-80 mpg.

I may be old-fashioned and it's non-American, but I really don't like fast driving. It's much more relaxing and less stressful on myself AND the cycle to go slow, and enjoy the ride. MPG is more important to me than MPH. And if there's a line behind me, to hell with them, they all drive too fast anyway!

 

Hey John, I'm more like you than those red-blooded American speed demons too! I'd like to take in a little scenery other than the back end of 18-wheelers or learning where your kid goes to school through bumper stickers. I felt the same way, that "alien" feeling you described, but as I got more comfortable I feel more of the "outside" and less on my handlebars. I'm more comfortable with the speed and the handling so I'm paying more attention to what's going on around and ahead of me. It takes a lot of mirror and shoulder checks too, a lot of surprises tend to come from behind. In short, I think it's just time and experience. Stay where you're comfortable and stay safe! :thumb:

 

One of the problems of riding on the freeway is drivers assume that one is an experience rider. That one is able to do all sort of maneuvering at high speeds.

 

I am able to avoid freeways the closest one it 200 miles north of me. The highways on the other hand are not that bad, speed limits between 60 and 70mph. I learned how to down shift this weekend riding to Ruidoso an 80 mile up hill ride for the most part.

 

Really good write up pilotmaker, I had my Rebel out today here in Missouri near STL.. 67 out today very nice but windy... the bike performed really well, had to be careful of cross winds that were blowing around 25 - 30 mph and some gust that were even hitting harder. But all in all the Rebel came through like a champ. I plan on taking a trip back to the east coast come late spring early summer, I think thats around 750 miles... should be a fun trip.

 

As an experiment, I tried riding at just 55. It didn't seem to be that much of a problem, but this was at a slack time on remote strip. I wouldn't want to ride the interstate that much, but it's nice to have that option, if you're on a longer trip and are tired of winding country highways.

 

so far, longest I've done in a single trip was from here in NY to Gettysburg, pa. The Ex and I used to do re-enacting, so it was cool wearing our rebel uniforms riding our rebels. Got lost of "Oh, finally the reb cavalry shows up" jokes.
Bout 5 hours each way, 600 miles round trip. Thruway and Turnpike the whole way 70mph+ (loaded with camping gear) and smooth as butter.

 

That's an advantage we have here in Texas. Most freeways here have feeder roads. I bought my bike as a work commuter anyhow. And my ride to work is 12 miles on side streets. There is one spot I could get onto the freeway to avoid 1 stop sign. But more times than not I just make the stop. With it stalling like it was last week I didn't feel comfortable on the highway. The 1 time I did it did stall and had to wheel it down over the median to tinker with it to get it going again....all at midnight.

But I might get it on the freeway this summer for a beach trip to Galveston. But there's not lots of traffic and it's got feeders most of the way again.

 

I take the backroads to work. Even though my 250 Rebel will go 65 mph easily, if it's not uphill and there's no fierce cross winds, I'd rather be taking the scenic route and to view it as " therapy". You're going to see more animals, enjoy the clouds, the sunrise, experience the weather (good and bad), and get to work feeling like the whole day is a gift you didn't expect. Slow down and see if just getting there is a reason enough to be on your Rebel!

LittleRebel in the Colorado foothills

 

Thats what Im saying,cruz be free,u want to race get a rocket!

 

Hear, Hear. I have to agree

 

I am new and don't know if I can do this, but please try this link and see if it works. It shows what can happen on the Freeway/Interstate. Traffic slowed down all of a sudden and motorcycle got rear ended.
It looks like the driver may have survived the incident. Anyone in the Dallas area know condition of driver?

Video shows motorcycle wreck on tollway | wfaa.com | Dallas - Fort Worth Local News

Also posted link under Introductions so new riders like me can see real world of cycling.

Judy

 

Yes, he is fine. Busted rib and they took out his spleen.

 

A friend took my 450 rebel out sence I dont have my licence yet we had done some work on it . Was following him at 70 he open it up he was doing 90 in about a mile then he shut it down. He has a HD sporster 883 said he couldnt tell a whole lot of differance in the two the HD had a little bit more pick up and top end but not much he said it still would go faster he weigh about 240 .So from what I am reading on here the 450 must have a lot more speed I know the HP is more that twice 16 w /250 and 33w/450.I am glad I came across it for the price.

 

The Rebel 450 has a very favorable power to weight ratio, especially for a cruiser.
It has a ratio comparable to many 750cc cruiser bikes. Don't underestimate it.

 

I've tried riding on I95 around here, and usually feel very uptight at high speeds. I keep worrying about some sudden malfunction, tires blowing, hitting some bump. I'd never take interstate more than 10 miles or so to avoid city traffic or poorly paved secondary roads.

Whether it's highway or backroad, I have a firm belief in keeping right at the speed limit, if not a few mph under. It saves gas and makes a more relaxing ride. I like to defy the others; they go too fast anyway, though I tend to keep to the side. And I like to dig the scenery, too!

I find that riding this way I'm getting 75-80 miles per gallon! That's almost as good as one of those small scooters or moped.