So much horsepower, so little time :-)

Maybe I'm just getting old, but I wonder why we'd want to push these little motorcycles to their physical limits. I don't break a sweat on my Triumph at 80 or 90, but 55 is plenty for me on the Benly.

So many factors, too. Red line RPMs can be limited by weakened valve springs that have been compressed for decades.

I know that some people rebuild these engines over and over, like Sam, who races these little beasts, but I'll measure my reborn Benly not by RPMs or MPH but how many years (decades?) of casual cruising it will provide.

Yeah, I know - I'm no fun. My wife tells me that all the time.

ByTheLake: I thought it was just me......!

I don't think it's an intent to wring them out...heck, that's not what this bike is for....but in my case, I have two 10 year old boys that will be learning to ride on it, with no tach, rev-light, or fuel cut.

My problem is I enjoy hearing the sound of any good running engine and once the revs start to climb, so does my adrenaline, and it when that happens... it's hard to keep my right wrist from doing the twist!

Done.

My sentiments exactly. I am not trying to race the benly just wanna go and keep up. My engine is back apart waiting on a new cam chain (used the old one intially) i am hoping the cam chain will tighten up the timing.. after i get buttoned back up and check for good compression i will wind it back out and see what she will do. Btw my honda manual says compression should be at 130 is that right or should it be higher?

Update: the engine is back on the bike and I have ridden it to work a few times. Compression is at 120 psi and I am hitting 55 at top. On a cold mornings I hit 60 once. I just love riding this bike it is too much fun!!!

Excellent! 55-60 is pretty good for a little 150. These bikes are happiest when see some use. I still have a foot of snow, so no riding to work for me at the moment, although I did squeeze in a ride to work a few days before Christmas on my Triumph. It was in the mid 30s, but there was no snow.

Hey I hit the half ton yesterday... actually 55 with plenty left, except for the wobbly original tires...

My Benly gained power as the engine broke in. I'm nearing 500 miles since the engine rebuild, and the little bike surprises me. The Benly likes higher RPMs, so if I hold 3rd gear to 50 MPH, 4th gear takes me past 60. I can reach 65 if I give it enough time - not bad for a 150 hauling a 200 pound American.

Yes Kev as it should be on the break in. I think 65 is no problem if allow to wind up on my 160 but again I'm tire limited.

The cool thing about 60 in 4th is that it's right in the power band and actually does pretty good going up hills. A headwind sure can be a killer though.

My favorite thing to do on the Benly is to ride DOWN (not up, that's kind of a necessary chore) a winding mountain road. These little bikes handle like crazy and the sport bike guys are always surprised that I keep up with them through the bends.

Sounds to me like it's time for a GoPro on the side of that Benly. What tires are you running?

I plan on buying a go pro at some point. It just isn't a priority now. I'm still running the cheap knobbies I bought from JC Whitney. They sing a lot but they really stick to the road.

Decided to comment on this post, not sure how accurate my speedometer is. I mean it seems to read fine, but if I'm not careful on the throttle - it is super easy to suddenly go from 33-34 mph to 40mph. I try keeping up with traffic, but traffic may be going faster than the speed limit so I'm not sure how accurate I can say my speedometer really is right now. I did try the suggestion of going to max RPMs then shifting, and works great. If my speedo is working close to correctly, I got up just past 60 mph on a flat road on my '63 Honda CA95.