rpm question

[duma]

at what rpm should i start shifting?  when the arrow reaches 5?  or is it 4 like cars?  thank you veyr much!

[mjm]

at what rpm should i start shifting?  when the arrow reaches 5?  or is it 4 like cars?  thank you veyr much!

Just like with cars it depends on what you are doing.  If you are just cruising along then you  simply shift at a high enough rpm that the bike does not lug in the next higher gear - and that depends on whether you are going up-hill or down etc - in general, keep it so you are at least around 3500 after the shift to keep the oil pressure up etc.  If you are going for acceleration, the shift so that the bike is between the horse power and torque peaks after the shift - say around 9500 before the shift and over 7500 after.  If you are going into a corner fast, then you want to be in a gear that will not  "run out" until you are through the corner - that is where you won't end up over the redline.

Somedays you short shift to keep the noise down and not wake the people next door - somedays you let it scream - the fun is all over 7000, but there is plenty of good transportation between 4000 and 6000.

[duma]

wow thank you!

[neonyello]

I'm pretty much with mjm.  The 2 block between my house and the major road, I keep it in second gear at ~3k so not to bother my neighbors.

Cruising on the freeway when I know I won't need much hp, I keep the rpms near 6k.  On the freeway during commute hours, I hover around 8k in 4th or 5th gears.  When I'm in the hills, I play it by ear depending on the angle of the road and its conditions.  There I'm plenty happy to rev to 9.5k because I know I won't be holding a constant rpm for more than a couple of seconds.

Flashing back to my first rides, I was shifting down at 5k to keep the power down (was only on roads then) to balance my lack of throttle control.  Over time, I started to downshift at 6k, 7k, then at 8k.

My sticky point is when to downshift.  They're not as smooth as I'd like them to be.  Still working on it.

[scratch]

Neonyello - this should help and it's this weekend:

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=5008615d517d7e3bdb3b42d5c2b6d25b&threadid=99893

Duma - I usually upshift around 5500 rpms in first and fifth, so that I'm running about 4000 in second and 4500 in sixth. All the other gears I shift at a minimum of 5 grand, so that I'm not lower that 4 grand in any gear.

[duma]

is the GS engine loud when riding on the freeway at 75+ MPH?  i always have this thought that when having the engine loud means the gas is being used too much, that it looks like the bike gonna break down.

[pantablo]

no, not loud. At least not compared to the wind noise. And you'll have to get used to the high revving engine (once its broken in of course) . The bike likes to be ridden between 7.5-9.5k rpm...

[Kerry]

Pablo's right - unless you have a largish windshield you the rider cannot even hear the engine at freeway speeds.  Not at "cruising RPMs" (6 - 7K) anyway.

My Dad remarked on this once when we traded bikes for about half an hour down in the Moab area.  I got on his big (tall) KLR 650 and he swapped down to my scrunched-up GS.  Besides the lack of noise and the near-fetal riding position (or so it seemed after getting off the KLR) he also commented on how he could feel every bump in the highway.  "Um ... yep!" said I.

Meanwhile, the KLR left me feeling way exposed.  I felt like Yertle the Turtle as I surveyed the world from altitude, my poor head being buffeted about without any windshield to speak of.  The KLR has only one cylinder, which may be part of the reason that I could both feel and hear the bike alot more distinctly than mine.  The bike was an entirely different experience than the GS.  Not necessarily a bad one, just different.  But I was glad to get back on my trusty, familiar 500.  

[duma]

alright cool, thx yall!

[neonyello]

A strange thing happened yesterday.  I was riding from Hollister to Pinnacles National Monument.  I passed a sign that said "Next services 76 miles" and another sign that said "Pinnacles 26 miles".  Then I past a mom-and-pop gas station.  But I figured I had enough gas for the round trip so I went for it.  One minute before getting to the turn around bathroom in Pinnacles, I hit my reserve.  I was watching my tripmeter so I knew that I had to get back to that gas station 26 miles away.  So I decided to ride back with my RPMs as low as I could get it.

So I rode back in 6th gear at ~3700.  I didn't use the brakes and would coast through some downhills.  The ride back was pretty fun.  6th gear at 3700 was still around 50mph.  That road is pretty smooth and clean so I ended up taking corners pretty fast.  My power at that RPM must have been <20hp but it was still working for me.  I eventually made it back to the gas station with what looks to be enough gas for another 20 miles.

The lesson I learned yesterday was Gus was still ridable, though not powerful, at 3500 RPM.  And I realize that my normal riding style is not good for gas mileage.  That won't stop me, but at least I know what to do if I'm far from a gas station and hit reserve again.

[Kerry]

at least I know what to do if I'm far from a gas station and hit reserve again.

Great story!  If you're interested, see these two posts for a similar experience I had last year in the middle of ... Montana.  

PRI can definitely be your friend.