Buses that can move!!

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

Ride On:  I paced #5717 operating S/B counterflow express service on Route 70 to Bethesda from Germantown (Milestone) on I-270 doing 65 mph between Route 28 and Montrose Road.  I didn't think the old girl still had that kind of speed in her (lol). 

Oh yeah she does. 5722 is also pretty fast, but I guess it just depends on who's driving.
I remember once riding the 54 home on 5717, the driver was literally FLOORING it, my god that was the fastest ride home ever.

[DCT S9Z4Z6]

I once had Ride-On #5140 deadheading from Montgomery Mall, from Old Georgetown Rd, I-270 up to 70MPH.

I even passed a 5300 series Gillig  before I made 495, enroute to the Brookville Depot.
(he was deadheading from The Kemper Open). It was a Saturday just after 415pm.
By the time I parked #5140, said goodnite & walked up the hill, that bus was only arriving to Brookville.
5140 & 5142 neither bus had a working governer, and the A/C was so cold, you needed a sweater.
I LOVED that TMC, even with the oversized steering wheel & the drivers seat, that was rock hard.

Sometimes, dem old girls put out da speed!

[RideOn5905]

I remember the fastest ride I've ever had on a bus. It was a couple years ago, it was 5819 on the 70. I know there's a thread somewhere on these forums that details which of the 5800s have governors and which don't; 5819 was part of the latter. I swear, we must've been doing 70 MPH during that trip.

And to keep this post relevant, I saw MTA #C186 at Germantown, getting ready for a 205 run. I really need to ride that route one day...

[rideonrulez]

I too drove some good running buses at Ride On. The 1997 Gillig Phantoms (5400-5409) were great for speed! I did almost 70 on the beltway deadheading to Hillandale at 4am with one of them. 

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

I knew this was gonna be a separate topic, seems more appropriate

but my theory for the most part is that all buses are as fast as the driver wants to drive them, a lot have potential but some drivers take extra precaution (can't blame them since they're responsible for anything that may happen in an event of an accident)
5706 was considered the fastest of its class for a while, after riding it on the 46 a couple of weeks ago, she seemed to have lost her luster, though like I said it may just be a slower driver.
5819 I can agree with, that's a very fast one.
As for the 5300s, I remember riding 5373 on the 47 one day, poor thing could barely keep it up, the driver had to floor it to go up a hill, the passengers were aware and we were all hoping we would make it up. Similar thing happened when I rode 4333 on the Q line a month ago, though the bus was overcrowded (as usual) so that may have played a factor. Either way I think 4333's days with WMATA are over

[RideOn5905]

I remember when 5572 was still in service; that bus was another really fast one. My favorite ride on that one was probably on the 74; the driver was flooring it down Great Seneca Hwy. In all honesty, pretty much anything assigned to the 100 can be classified as a fast ride (unless traffic is heavy).

In regards to the Orion VIIs, one thing I like about the ZFs is the 6th gear. When the bus hits that, you know you're in for a fast ride. One thing I don't like about the ZFs, though, is 5934. I don't know why, but every ride I've ever had on that bus has been a slow one.

As far as Metrobus goes, I really enjoyed a ride I had on 6211 on the T2 a while ago; River Road was the perfect opportunity to get it to open up.

Overall, I think it depends on not just the driver, but the condition of the road.

[WayneNYC]

I knew this was gonna be a separate topic, seems more appropriate

but my theory for the most part is that all buses are as fast as the driver wants to drive them, a lot have potential but some drivers take extra precaution (can't blame them since they're responsible for anything that may happen in an event of an accident)
5706 was considered the fastest of its class for a while, after riding it on the 46 a couple of weeks ago, she seemed to have lost her luster, though like I said it may just be a slower driver.
5819 I can agree with, that's a very fast one.
As for the 5300s, I remember riding 5373 on the 47 one day, poor thing could barely keep it up, the driver had to floor it to go up a hill, the passengers were aware and we were all hoping we would make it up. Similar thing happened when I rode 4333 on the Q line a month ago, though the bus was overcrowded (as usual) so that may have played a factor. Either way I think 4333's days with WMATA are over

Hmm... I don't agree.  In most cases you can tell if a bus is slow (or fast) vs. the operator driving it slow (or fast), but that said, buses are defintely limited in their top speed ability.  I've heard comments from some on other boards suggesting that a bus (with them driving) could run with a car.  That I think is far from the truth.  If you look at some of the slower cars, they usually car reach at least 110 MPH.  I'm sure some buses (without a governor) can probably flirt with 90 MPH but, I doubt they'd break 100 MPH.

I do agree that many buses in the DC area are quite fast, but that means being able to reach 70 MPH and better.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

WMATA's 2602, my god she can run FAST, very nice for an unrehabbed Orion VII with a C Gas

[RideOn5905]

Speaking of WMATA's Orion VIIs, I remember riding 2641 on the 23A back in December; the driver was PUSHING IT along Old Dominion Drive & Dolley Madison Boulevard. That's the telltale sign of a good John Deere engine. And fortunately, 2641 remains unrehabbed, and I have a feeling it'll stay that way for quite a while.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

Speaking of WMATA's Orion VIIs, I remember riding 2641 on the 23A back in December; the driver was PUSHING IT along Old Dominion Drive & Dolley Madison Boulevard. That's the telltale sign of a good John Deere engine. And fortunately, 2641 remains unrehabbed, and I have a feeling it'll stay that way for quite a while.

After 2632 has been captured and rehabbed at Bburg, I put 2641 to be the last one rehabbed in my predictions. 2501 and 2668 were also way up there, but now that's changed
Now that I mention this, let's hope it stays that way. I actually rode 2641 a couple days ago, she's still running nice