We're doing a steady 80-85mph.  If you don't ride a sportbike you may think these are dangerous speeds, but you gotta know the bikes to realize it's no big deal.

Disclaimer: If I owned a motorcycle I would have no problem with riding fast so don't take this as judgemental.   

You have to love the irony of this statement considering the story that it prefaces.  Riding a motorcycle at 80-85 mph isn't dangerous until you can't slow down fast enough to avoid hitting a large bird.  Speed is dangerous as it greatly increases the probability of accidents and increases the expected damage.

I have a friend that bumped over a dead deer one night on his R6.  He was going about 70 mph+ and slowed to around 40 mph before he hit it.