Riding around in what rev range?

[HyperM3]

Ok, I feel really silly for asking this but I need to clear my mind.

I feel like Im switching gears a lot so I can stay at lower RPM's all the time and I know this cant be right. My last bike was a Duc and its rev limiter was around 9k. I used to keep it geared so when I was riding around it was between 3.5-4k rpm. That seemed where the bike was most comfortable when cruising and best on gas mileage.

So here I am, Ive never owned a sport bike before. I just got the 600 mile service done and now I have a crapload of revrange more than before. I was quite happy going to the 9k limiter because thats what I was used to. Now I have up to 14k.

Is it bad to leave it in one gear the whole time and cruise at 7,8,9k rpm? Coming from driving a car Im always used to putting it right in 6th gear early so I can get the best gas mileage out of it. Might not be the most fun, but its the most practical. I also know that cruising around in 2nd gear with it whining at 5k is bad for the motor if you do that continuously.

I know this isnt about saving gas and why am I really worried about it. But is keeping it in a lower gear and cruising at that 7-9k range bad for the engine? Or is it happy there since thats only halfway through the rpm band?

Thanks in advance.

[1000RR]

Riding around in 1st 2nd at that RPM is gonna be a little harsh as you will probably get some throttle bounce and the bike will jump a little. If you're on the highway in higher gear (and smoother roads), you're probably going to be in that range anyway.

Around town, I usually ride about 4500-5000... I dropped a tooth so that I could be in 2nd gear at those RPMs (35-45mph).

[AMRRA12]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

Ok, I feel really silly for asking this but I need to clear my mind.

I feel like Im switching gears a lot so I can stay at lower RPM's all the time and I know this cant be right. My last bike was a Duc and its rev limiter was around 9k. I used to keep it geared so when I was riding around it was between 3.5-4k rpm. That seemed where the bike was most comfortable when cruising and best on gas mileage.

So here I am, Ive never owned a sport bike before. I just got the 600 mile service done and now I have a crapload of revrange more than before. I was quite happy going to the 9k limiter because thats what I was used to. Now I have up to 14k.

Is it bad to leave it in one gear the whole time and cruise at 7,8,9k rpm? Coming from driving a car Im always used to putting it right in 6th gear early so I can get the best gas mileage out of it. Might not be the most fun, but its the most practical. I also know that cruising around in 2nd gear with it whining at 5k is bad for the motor if you do that continuously.

I know this isnt about saving gas and why am I really worried about it. But is keeping it in a lower gear and cruising at that 7-9k range bad for the engine? Or is it happy there since thats only halfway through the rpm band?

Thanks in advance.

no, bogging the motor is harder on it then say running around at 12k all day. but at 8k your fine

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by AMRRA#12

no, bogging the bike is harder on it then say running around at 12k all day

Ok, cool. Thats what I was thinking. The bike just doesnt like to be chugging along at low RPM's. Although on the other hand I thought that keeping it at high RPM's wasnt good for it either.

[AMRRA12]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

Ok, cool. Thats what I was thinking. The bike just doesnt like to be chugging along at low RPM's. Although on the other hand I thought that keeping it at high RPM's wasnt good for it either.

high rpm's are fine (all the way to redline) you have a rev limiter to stop you from hurting the motor, the motor was designed to spin that fast

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by AMRRA#12

high rpm's are fine (all the way to redline) you have a rev limiter to stop you from hurting the motor, the motor was designed to spin that fast

Oh, I get that. Im just talking about cruising around at say 75mph. Is it better to be at 4kRPM or 8kRPM? Which does the bike like better?

[AMRRA12]

i would say as long as your not bogging it its fine

[1000RR]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

Oh, I get that. Im just talking about cruising around at say 75mph. Is it better to be at 4kRPM or 8kRPM? Which does the bike like better?

At that speed, I'd generally say I'm in the 6-8K range (normal cruising)... and the motor is just starting to get in it's sweet spot at that point. I'd agree w/#12... no bogging. In your lower, shorter gears... and being around town, 4500-5000 seems good. 4000 and below seems (to me) to be a little low and closer to that bogging area.

[awelch85]

Most of the time in town I'm in 1st-3rd. Any higher <50 mph and it doesn't have the oomph I like it to have without being rough and not having to down shift.

[markjenn]

Everything else being equal, an engine that is constantly running 8K RPM in cruise rather than 5K RPM in cruise is going to suffer a little more wear, but it's probably not significant for most people - VERY few of these bikes will probably see anywhere near the mileage where this sort of thing will be a factor. Now, start keeping it near redline all the time and it will start to be a factor - stresses on an engine rise exponentially with RPM.

I do think running around at high RPM all the time when it isn't necessary isn't as comfortable as shifting up and having less noise, vibes, and a smoother throttle response. Unless I'm "on it", I generally cruise between 3.5K and 6K, more or less. You can use very low revs too if you prefer, as long as you don't use a lot of throttle. The engine will let you know if you're lugging it. It's a personal preference tradeoff between shifting vs. just letting it rev. On lots of roads, just leaving it in a single gear often makes you smoother and faster.

Basically, don't lug it and don't scream it all the time - anything in-between is fine.

- Mark