When I take the OL for a putt when I really want to be riding alone.

 

Wow.
They're not diesels.

Never below 2500.

4th gear @ 30 mph? 1500 rpm? You ARE kidding right?

Shift about 3000. Ok to run a (little) below. Not totally familiar with the
gearing on the new ones. The 103 RG I demo'd didn't like 6th til over
70. Below that, the poor thing couldn't blow it's way thru a wet kleenex.
Very dissapointed in the stock (Calif) 103. I hear the "B motors" are even worse.

Only thing worse than luggin a Harley, is luggin it W/O oil in it.

 

There's no magic RPM to define it, a great description here was "labored", if your motor strains to accelerate, very slow to accelerate, valves rattlin, you're lugging. Doesn't mean you cant cruise casual, if you don't need instant roll on max power immediately all the time, you can run low RPMs, just downshift if you need to launch. I cruise 2-2.2k all the time, been doin it for years, my bottom end isn't about to fly apart.

 

I try to cruise between 2500 - 3000. I live right around 2900. Will up shift at 3500, and down at 2200. Never a problem with lack of power.

 

Mate, You should be able to feel where your bike runs best. WTF ?

 

+1
You do not need to keep it at high RPM unless you want instant power. If you are just cruising then keep the RPMs low. I putt around at under 2k all the time, I like the feel and I like the sound, If I need power then I shift down, no problem. It is not lugging unless the engine has to labor to pull the load, whatever the speed or RPM may be. Cruising at low RPM is not the same as lugging. Some people think you need to have full torque and power all the time, they just never learned how to cruise. To each their own. Just remember, low RPM does not equal Lugging, not enough RPM to pull the load does equals lugging.

 

Same here
If I ran around at 2500 and 3000rpms thru town all the time I would not be able to hear myself think and the cops would always be on my azz

 

IMHO There is way too much emphasis placed on crank runout recently. Rubber mounted touring bikes in basically stock configuration are much more likely to experience adjustment issues than crank run out issues. Also, most of the vibration that owners seem to want to blame on crank runout, can usually be associated with something they have done themselves, such as install a simple new exhaust. They install it and don't follow the tightening procedures and this leads to a binding system hence, high frequency vibration. Check those mounts, the exhaust, engine mount torque and alignment etc before blaming the far less likely crank runout.

 

Oops. Double tap. Excuse me!

 

This agrees with my thinking.