don't forget some are 96ci and some are 103ci, so there will be a difference.

 

owners manual sez shift to 6th at 55.....but what does Harley know !!! LOL

 

On the new frame they changed the read sprocket you can run 60 in 6th all day and night any one that tells you different needs to get back on their metric.
Now if you need to pull a long steep hill or pass you will want to drop one.
My 2011 spend most of it life between 2100 3000 rpms.

 

Since adding my PCV and experimenting with differant RPMs trying to nail down a ping I found if I shift into 6th sooner than 75 the engine cadence doesnt seem right. I also believe carbon buildup can be minimized and I get better gas mileage than if I shift into 6th at 60-65 the way I did before I developed a ping. Ive got one of those tiny tachs I use to sync the carbs on my wifes Metric bike. I thought about tossing it on my RK while Ive been dialing in my PC but keeping it from vibrating all over the
place is holding me up. I dont want the damn thing to bounce around putting divets in my tank paint.
So then what I hear everyone saying is the motor is doing 3000 rpm in 6th gear at 80 mph......2500 @70mph (in 6 th).....?
I know I know just hook the damn mini tach to the bike and find that out for myself ........

 

same here sawbones, and my 2011 RGU improved a lot after installing xieds-10

 

3000 rpm in 6TH is 80 mph did it today 2012-103 flhx

 

I never hit 6th gear any slower than 80. Any slower than that and you're more than likely "lugging" the motor.

 

On my 2011, if I drop below 65 mph, I downshift to 5th. Period. I don't usually upshift to 6th unless I'm at 70, but once cruising, I don't mind running 6th at 65 on flat terrain. What RPMs am I at? I have no idea. I just know how the bike sounds and it don't like 6th gear below 65 mph.

I think you'll also notice that the more miles you put on, the looser things become as she breaks in good. When I first got the bike, 60-65 was no problem for 6th. As she has gotten more and more broken in, it likes to be up in rpms a little more before shifting to it.

 

While 5th gear will easily get you to 80 mph (even 4th will do that), I seriously doubt you are "lugging" the motor below that speed. So if you are cruising at 75 mph in 5th gear, you're probably getting pretty crappy gas mileage too.

 

I think Joe's original reply was good advice to you. I didn't see the need to critisize him. You don't have a tach, so he was suggesting monitoring the speed instead and staying out of 6th gear unless you were hitting 70 mph. You may find your bike is actually happier at 75 in 6th gear, though.

I know how you feel about all the recent lugging posts. My toughest challenge sometimes is trying to maintain 45 mph on some roads (Malibu Canyon in CA. is my daily commute). 3rd gear puts me around 3200 rpm which I feel is racing it a bit in that gear (but perfect in 5th and 6th gear), but 4th gear puts me around 2500 or 2600 which I feel is too low. I'm sure you'll get some real good advice here... good luck!