When I was a kid I had two rods on the rack of my XL 185. My dad had me tie a red shop rag to them. When I think back on that it wasn't about the rods being extended, he just wanted me to be more visible to other drivers.
The top speed at that time was only 55 even on I-94 and the XL could do 63 on flat pavement with stock gearing. First gear was useless and only used for wheelies or rode the bike before it warmed up.
