i try to cruise @RPM where the vibs are at min which is usually 80 - 95 range for my bike unicorn , others range may vary depends upon how they maintained it!! also keeps feel on how much trottle i m opening up , that should be min too!!

While on our 11K odd kms trip, it took us about 500Kms to get the right speed for our bikes.

As we had 180's, I found out that 90kmph, (on speedo) is just sweet spot for our bikes. Least Vibes, de-stressed engines. But let me tell you it's quiet difficult for ppl like us to maintain below 90, on good roads. Especially roads like GVK Express way on Jaipur-Ajemer, or GQ strech of Bangalore- Chennai!

I would pin down following variables which should effect your cruising speeds (in descending order of priority)

(1) Ambient Temperature - Very Very Important. If it's below zero, your bike wouldn't mind 110+ constant speeds, on the other hand riding in 40+, slow down to 60 with frequent breaks!

(2) Engine Oil - Type and Age - Older the oil, least the bike should be heated up, especially in mineral oils.

(3) Load and tail wind - Going against the wind on 100+ is difficult and also more tiring for the bike!

(3) Age of Engine - I would rate a engine between 8K to 18K best suited for touring long distance at sustained speeds.

even i maintain speeds between 80 to 90 kmph in my fi 220 and ZMR !
that feels relaxed and planted !

i had a fz before and found 70-80kmph the most comfortable cruising speed since it dint have a wind shield it gets really uncomfortable @ 90-100kmph...

now in my P220 i do 80-100kmph...

i find 80kmph most comfortable not just cause of the way bike behaves but also for our roads and drivers its the safest.. its just fast enough but not too fast for us to not to reach our destination.. braking handling efficiency.. everything changes when you do triple digit speeds.. ride safe !

and i still tour with my 75,000 kms old P150......but yes a bike which has just completed say 5000 kms is most probably in best condition.

i go at a speed of 70-80 kmph normally, and sometimes 80-90 kmph as at this speed i feel that vibes are lesser and bikes pulls nicely. but not on hot days, in summer it is 60-70 kmph.

I would say 70-80 kmph would be ideal for our bikes. But in the discussion something else caught my attention. i.e. the best mileage at what speed.

Some have suggested peak torque. I'm no expert, but I have been commuting everyday for the past two years on highway and as per my experience on my Zma-R, I get max mileage doing around 60 and that is nowhere near the peak torque. 80-100 sees drop in mileage. The way I see it, One has to consider that wind resistance increases with speed, meaning you have to twist the throttle more to get the same amount of torque as you would in a dyno. Besides wind resistance, the road is never perfectly level to replicate the result of a dyno. Meaning 50% throttle on the dyno for 'x' torque may be something like 70% or 80% throttle for the same amount of torque on the road depending on wind resistance/speed and elevation/rider weight/pillion etc.(numbers are purely illustration). So even if a bike can extract max mileage at peak torque on the dyno. In the real world, I guess the ideal speed will be somewhere around 60kmph.

Would love to hear other comments.

the touring speed varies for me.....
if its proper type double lane highway, then it'll be somewhere around 120-135..... n in this range it gives the best mileage..... though never tried any other speed on these highways.....
if its single lane highways, then the sped is around 90-110..... need to be in control of the bike and the on coming traffic and the overtaking and the general public and everything..... but mileage drops.....
on bad roads, with construction or potholes or with no roads, the speed will be around 30-90..... worst for the bike & the biker.....

What motorcycle are we talking about? The speed you quote are 100% speed or more for almost all Indian manufactured bikes. Big Imported one, I guess.

Here we are talking about Speedo reads on a P220F which can do such speeds with ease(on Speedo ). The speeds Pads has mentioned are the kinds of speeds even I maintain if there is low traffic on the roads. Anyways.. the best mileage will be at a constant speed of 75 on a Stock P220 (82 on mine). This speed comes at around 5k RPM (Peak Torque is at 7k). All mentioned speeds are speedo reads.

P.S.: I ride at 110 on a 4-lane GQ type road when I am trying to 'not rip'

@kaynmantis -- it was speedo read as Antz said..... n these speeds are very much possible on very few bikes..... n above this the cross-winds become so wild that, u have to very alert and cautious..... moreover on highways, its not advisable to drive at the peak power..... drive in such a range after which u can use some power if u r in need.....

@Antz -- very true..... the best mileage will come in 5-5 ratio..... 5th gear & 5k rpm..... cruise in this power range & the bike will return amazing mileage on highways..... but do we cruise for mileage .....

Speeds between 100 and 110 would be fine for bikes like P220 and R15 and rest of the bikes between 80 and 90 so that the engine would be comfortable in long rides.