I'm looking at doing decently length commutes, I rode yesterday for 103 miles, the seat will be needing an upgrade and the tank will for sure need to happen. That's why I originally posted, so I could find a great tank. I'm thinking cruise control because holding my throttle back was tiring!

With gearing, is this the sprockets? Or something completely different?

 

Sprocket and/or countersprocket. You don't want it to be too much higher geared, as you'll lose the pull at the bottom end. A stock bike will barely pull 70 mph as it is. The key to better road-worthiness lies in a bigger bore kit. My opinion, fwiw....

Instead of cruise control, maybe just an add-on lever that goes right on the end of the throttle, so your outside palm can rest on it.

 

Welcome to the forums! I still think 13-45 is the best combo for gears. Not too high for the highway and still has that low end when you need it on trails.

 

My stock '09 would easily go into the high 80's (MPH) going uphill... (this was with a SpeedoDRD installed, so - true MPH). I never tried to go any faster, but there was plenty of throttle and RPM left to get it well into the 90's (MPH). That was completely stock (except for the corrected MPH).

Not dissing the usefulness of a big bore, but just trying to give an honest evaluation of the stock bike.

I have since gone to a 13T CS, so my highway MPH doesn't get much past 86+ (true MPH) now, and I wouldn't want to run at those speeds for any length of time.

 

On Saturday, I decided to see what my bikes top speed is. Perfectly flat road, at sea level, no wind. 88 mph indicated, so probably really only about 81-82.

Stock gears, stock bore. It took a long time to creep up from 87 to 88. I weigh a whopping 140 lbs. If I had removed my windscreen and tucked in, I might have gotten to 90, but that is still only maybe 84 actual.

I don't see how you can get a stock bike into the 90's (actual, not indicated)...

 

Due to decreased resistance (less dense air) at 4-5000 feet elevation. That's why there so many homeruns hit (at least the ball travel farther) in Denver and even punts/kicks travel farther in the mile high city. Better gas mileage and top spedd given all other factors are the same.

edit: I just did the math and 2 bikes with the same hp, same temp - 1 at SL and one at 4500' - if the bike at SL can go 84mph then it should be able to go 91.2 mph at 4500 feet.

 

"Instead of cruise control, maybe just an add-on lever that goes right on the end of the throttle, so your outside palm can rest on it".

I had one of those and I thought it sucked. Get the Go Throttle cruise control for $20. Works great, the only thing I don't like if you have bigger hands is you run out of room on the grip.

 

Did you factor in the roughly 15% loss in HP from the altitude change?

 

Nope - don't need to. That's why you jet differently at elevation - to account for the change in air density. 4500' elevation is well within the range where a CV carb can operate and produce full power. If you get up above 10-11K feet, theres no way you can get enough air volume through a CV carb to produce full power.

 

Ah, didn't realize that!