RPM's Vs Lugging the engine
#61
I use the tach more than the speedometer, I wouldn't ride a bike without one. As for sound of engine my pipes are so loud can't hear the engine if I wanted to.
#63
I never watch the tach at low speed around town, it's easy to tell if the motor is running freely. It doesn't take a lot of power to move a bike at a constant 30 or so mph so why would you want to rev a vtwin with virtually no load. If you need to accelerate quickly then of course you need to get the motor into the power band by downshifting.
#65
When to shift up or down depends on the load the bike is under. Are you carrying a passenger? Are you going up or down a hill? Are you expecting to slow down or speed up in the next few seconds? The speed and gear you're in also affects the load the bike is under, doing 30 mph in a 25 mph zone can be done at lower revs. I like to ride at RPMs that allow me the option to speed up or slow down without shifting if traffic does that same.
Last edited by StreetGlider57; 04-04-2010 at 07:41 AM.
#66
Here again, it's as you said: how fast you're accellerating. Defining "lugging" in my unwarranted opinion is simply having too much throttle at a given rpm that has no noticable accelleration effect - I may shift to 2nd at 20, 3rd at 30 and so forth if I'm just easing along, but wouldn't think of doing that with a handful of gas.
So it really doesn't have so much to do with a SPECIFIC rpm, but rather too much throttle for the displacement of gasses.
The book recommendations are fine for keeping up with normal traffic. But even that would be "lugging" if you wanted to shoot ahead of them to change lanes or whatnot, and any of us with a brain knows to rev it a bit to do that.
So it really doesn't have so much to do with a SPECIFIC rpm, but rather too much throttle for the displacement of gasses.
The book recommendations are fine for keeping up with normal traffic. But even that would be "lugging" if you wanted to shoot ahead of them to change lanes or whatnot, and any of us with a brain knows to rev it a bit to do that.
#67
When to shift up or down depends on the load the bike is under. Are you carrying a passenger? Are you going up or down a hill? Are you expecting to slow down or speed up in the next few seconds? The speed and gear you're in also affects the load the bike is under, doing 30 mph in a 25 mph zone can be done at lower revs. I like to ride at RPMs that allow me the option to speed up or slow down without shifting if traffic does that same.
#68
Yep. I experience the same thing. Do I speed 10 over in 3rd at 35 mph or do I ride like a slug at 25 mph in 2nd? There doesn't seem to be a sweet spot for 30 mph.
#69
When I ride cross country on two-lanes I like to ride through towns and not even take my feet off the highway pegs - just leave her in 5th and roll along along at 30. Any slower than that and she starts to complain (my King, not my wife). Then I just roll it back on slowly and work my way back up to cruising speed - 55 or 70 or whatever. Always puts a smile on my face. Definitely avoid lugging the motor - I have a carb - you can tell easily if motor isn't happy. If it doesn't like it (too slow, or maybe a hill, or whatever) then I just click down (usually two in a row) and i'm on my way.
I've been riding harleys for a while. I read somewhere a long time ago that the MoCo built the old ones to do just what I described - back before there were freeways. The whole idea was to be able to just roll along across America and leave the bike in 4th gear. I read that. Figured I'd give it a try. And I like it.
I've been riding harleys for a while. I read somewhere a long time ago that the MoCo built the old ones to do just what I described - back before there were freeways. The whole idea was to be able to just roll along across America and leave the bike in 4th gear. I read that. Figured I'd give it a try. And I like it.
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