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Old 02-03-2018, 03:05 PM   #1
ChopperCharles   ChopperCharles is offline
 
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Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: RDU, NC
Posts: 683
How capable is the RX3 for highway riding?

The highway is not my favorite, but sometimes it's the best option. How capable is this bike to haul around a 230lb man and all his gear on the superslab for hours on end? I'm not worried about the motor exploding or anything. From what I've read the bike can handle it. What's the *experience* like? Can you compare it to other motorcycles perhaps?

Probably the closest things I've ridden to the RX3 are the CX500, TW200, and EX250 Ninja. The Ninja would cruise at 80mph all day, two up, and have plenty of power for passing. I saw north of 107mph in a full tuck, and I still had a gear left. (I needed to gear it lower, because top speed was achieved in 5th, it didn't have the power to accelerate in 6th). This bike was very relaxing and easy to ride on the highway. It was smooth and silky and refined.

The TW200 couldn't get out of its own way on the highway. 70mph downhill with a tailwind. 65mph on level ground. Struggling to maintain 62mph going uphill. Not ideal. Basically it was all I could do to maintain 65mph with all the headwinds and hill. It was EXHAUSTING to ride on the highway, felt like I got roughed up by a bouncer and thrown out on my arse. But it was also absolutely a pleasure around town and on any kind of little trail. It'd go anywhere and if it got stuck I'd just pick it up and keep on trucking.

The CX500 spins a lot of RPM to maintain any speed, really. 80mph and it sounds like you're hauling ass, engine is really spinning hard. But it'll happily do that for 8 hours straight, and then start right up ready to go again. Redline was 9500rpm, which equated to 100mph. You could eke 105mph out of it before the valves started to float. It's a little tiring to ride on the highway, but it's not terrible. The bike is not refined, but it's not beating me up either. It's not intimidating, and is capable on gravel and dirt roads. (Places I'd never feel comfortable with the ninja).

Now that you've got an idea what I've ridden and how I feel riding it, how do oyu think the RX3 stacks up? Thanks!

Charles.


 
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