RPM's and shifting.... newbie question

[forbes]

Okay, so this will be a real newbie question, and I'm sure if I would have spent some time searching I may have found the answer I'm looking for, but I felt maybe this would be quicker, to just ask.  I don't mind asking.  I just started riding on the street this year (January/February).  I started out with a DRZ400s and quickly found my current bike, a 2009 GS500f which I absolutely love.  I have ridden dirt bikes and quads for several years, but none of them ever had a tachometer.  Now that I have one, and I'm reading more and more online (which could be part of the problem lol) I see some folks ride high into the rpm range before shifting.  I'm used to shifting on feel and sound, not a tach.  Now that I've been watching my tach, I see that I'm shifting my GS between the 4k-6k range.  It's only barely broken in (just turned over 1000 miles).  Should I be using more of the rpm range, or does it really matter?  I see that with my riding, it seems to run fine around the 5k-6.5k range.  I know I have a little more power if I open it up a little further, but do I need to?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your time.
Jason

[gsJack]

Your 4-6k rpm works for me for everyday riding.  Use to run 7k-9k for hours on end for max performance in the mountains, won't hurt it a bit.  From 9k-11k redline is not even needed on a stock GS that hits peak power at 8500 rpm.

[Jimbob]

G'day Jason, I normally change gear at about 5k and just cruise along at about 3.5k. I know some people rev higher than that. Realistically your bike is worn in now so as far as I'm aware you don't need to very the range that much.

[tomgus]

Hi Jason. I think gsJack hit the nail on the head when he says that 4-6000 revs suits most of us for everyday riding. But in the mountains, where you've got plenty of bends, you need rapid acceleration and more importantly rapid deceleration. This is where higher revs make more sense.
Of course, some riders (perhaps all of us at some time or other!) rev the bike a bit higher to accelerate more quickly.
Tom.

[jdoorn14]

I guess it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. The higher the rpms when you shift, the worse your fuel economy. On the other hand, I think we all have days where we just want to move if you catch my drift.

[forbes]

Sounds good guys.  I was hoping to find out sort of what others are doing, and I have done just that.  THanks for the input. 

[twocool]

Get an owners manual and read the part about engine break in.........I think they want you to limit the rpm to under 5000 during break in period......

Cookie

Okay, so this will be a real newbie question, and I'm sure if I would have spent some time searching I may have found the answer I'm looking for, but I felt maybe this would be quicker, to just ask.  I don't mind asking.  I just started riding on the street this year (January/February).  I started out with a DRZ400s and quickly found my current bike, a 2009 GS500f which I absolutely love.  I have ridden dirt bikes and quads for several years, but none of them ever had a tachometer.  Now that I have one, and I'm reading more and more online (which could be part of the problem lol) I see some folks ride high into the rpm range before shifting.  I'm used to shifting on feel and sound, not a tach.  Now that I've been watching my tach, I see that I'm shifting my GS between the 4k-6k range.  It's only barely broken in (just turned over 1000 miles).  Should I be using more of the rpm range, or does it really matter?  I see that with my riding, it seems to run fine around the 5k-6.5k range.  I know I have a little more power if I open it up a little further, but do I need to?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your time.
Jason

[rasusto]

I usually keep the revs under 5k when commuting. I shift by the sound, but I took note of where that is on the tach. When I'm just fooling around I don't normally go over 8k because at that speed the engine is screaming and I don't want to blow anything up.

[forbes]

Thanks guys.  I've only had the bike a few months, and have only gotten to ride about 300 miles so far, but adding up each week.    I do love this bike.  I'm getting about 61 mpg or a little better, so I guess I'm doing alright with my current shifting habbits. 

[Watcher]

I don't even really look at my tach, my cage doesn't even have one so I, much like you, am used to shifting by feel.  And that's the way it should be, as riding style will dictate whether you ride a gear out or short-shift it.


The tach is more useful as a troubleshooting and tuning tool, in my opinion.  For example, if you're riding a gear out and all of a sudden the bike falls on it's face, you can say it happened at 8k rpm.

Or, if you normally cruise at highway speeds and notice that the constant rpm is kind of high, like around 5k, then it might be worth it to go bigger on your final-drive sprocket for better fuel efficiency.

[mjj4]

You're bike will love you, that's gentle on the engine which is good! I change gear around 8k on mine and cruise between 6-8k in 6th (more like 7-8k on motorway). I rarely take mine to the redline but it pulls strongly to 11.5k so I use it sometimes

[Watevaman]

You're bike will love you, that's gentle on the engine which is good! I change gear around 8k on mine and cruise between 6-8k in 6th (more like 7-8k on motorway). I rarely take mine to the redline but it pulls strongly to 11.5k so I use it sometimes

Jesus christ. With the V&H exhaust on mine I'd wake up the neighborhood if I shifted around 8k.

I normally shift around 5/5.5k as that's where I feel it change from pulling to pulling, but I'll go up to around 8k if I'm doing some spirited riding. Redline is only seen when I'm hooning for a good 0-60 time.

[DrtRydr23]

I haven't ridden the GS in some time, but on my old YZF 600 and my current SV650, 5500rpm seems like kind of the sweet spot for smooth shifting.  There is very little weight shifting forward and backward when shifting at that rpm, and it seems easiest to keep it feeling smooth around that range.  As others have said, shift points change depending on what type of riding your are doing as well.