What's your RPM range?

[cheapskate2]

Just wondering how hard everyone else is rev'ing their FJ's? I know I baby mine too much, but I find that when I'm cruising I always feel the need to shift when I get to about 3500. I'll crack her wide open every now and again just to keep the cobwebs out and to have a little fun. Maybe I've been riding cruisers too long.

 

[buf2phx]

Just wondering how hard everyone else is rev'ing their FJ's? I know I baby mine too much, but I find that when I'm cruising I always feel the need to shift when I get to about 3500. I'll crack her wide open every now and again just to keep the cobwebs out and to have a little fun. Maybe I've been riding cruisers too long.

For day-to-day commuting, I ride pretty much like you do. The reward is better gas mileage,and increased tire life. Now fun rides on the weekend are a completely different story.

Mike

 

[James Burleigh]

Good topic / question. It's probably been discussed before, but if you can figure out how to use the search feature you're a better man than I am (duck!).

So if you're at all representative (actually the first response also), that could explain why folks sometimes ask for a 6th gear. Me, I never use 5th gear, let alone would use a 6th, and if I do use 5th it's for a few seconds till I downshift back to 4th to get a little responsiveness. (I think I used 5th much more on the way to and from NAFO.)

I cruise at about 5 or 6K and shift at about 6 to 7K. I keep it in responsive RPMs because I want to have power in a second if I need it. Of course, that could explain my lousy (34 MPG) fuel mileage.

If I need to get outta Dodge and then some, I'll take it to just before redline. I say just before to give myself a margin of performance because too many times I've hit the rev limiter, which of course defeats the purpose of quick acceleration, since it just goes "whiiiiiiiiiiiiig!"

JB

 

[HYCLE]

I don't look at the tach much.

I seem to up shift when it won't go no faster in that gear, I think Yamaha built an up shift indicator on my bike and others have a rev limiter thingy.

Keep in mind, that's only when I ride with OldMichael.

When I ride with JB it's 4000 to 5000 rpm in heavy bay area traffic.

When I ride with MadMike2 it's 5000 rpm in the twistys without using the brakes for corners, just so smooth in and out. (thats the way I like it)

 

[sporto]

I like to enter dry corners in a gear that gives me 5,000 RPM, typically exit them at near redline, then back off to +8mph over speed limit and wait with anitcipation for the next < 45mph corner. I'll run it up to redline over a hundred times on a 'good' afternoon.

Going to work on patrolled country roads, I'll run up to redline in first and second after each stop...then shift quickly to top gear. In town I shift out early at 4-5k unless provoked.

 

[madmike2]

Typically 3500-4000.

Unless I'm being chased by Hycle.

Sometimes I shift as low as 2500, depending on the roads, traffic, possible-probable police-enforcement presence and weather conditions. Normal freeway commute RPM: 4.5k-5k in 5th gear.

 

[Patriot]

Well, I'm mostly running lead with Jeff_Q chasing me.

He can't ride very well and I'm afraid he might crash staying up.

So I ride about 3500 in 3rd on the back roads and 2000 in 5th on the interstate, with the cruise in light traffic between cities at 80mph in 5th. I feel vulnerable and am afraid to be next to big rig trucks, so I "zoom" past them in the left lane. Sometimes when I get home and check my Zumo's max speed, it's in the 90's and occasionally triple digits when I did not do a "speed" run that day.

 

[Texan]

Good topic and responses.

I wonder, to maximize the engine life, wouldn't you want to keep the revs low?

 

[painman]

What with all the traffic and speed limits around here and an itchy trigger finger and likin to keep it wound up, I just leave the bike in the garage nowdays. Especially since I got back from WFO-8. Its a real bummer around here now and not as pretty......and basiclly I ride as you describe but feel the sweet spot is high 3's to 6 thou. What I do like about this bike that it will perform at just about any rpm with no complaints. She's a good girl. PM. <><

 

[Auburn]

Usually 3500-4000, unless out ont eh back country playing, then I will let her rip a little more. Rarely above 6000 for any length of time. I like to let the torque do it's thing.

 

[SebringSilver]

When I first bought my bike in March of this year, I also wondered why Yamaha hadn’t given this machine a 6th gear. I was at 3500 to 4000 RPM’s at highway speed and it felt like it was going to blow up. Now that I have time and miles on her (500 miles this past Sunday), I regularly run it up to 7 or 8K through the twisties and now highway speeds seem quiet by comparison.

I think a machine like this can be ridden any way you want and will always provide a satisfactory experience.

Baby it or Bully it, it doesn’t care!

 

[GunMD]

What RPM range?

?

All of them.

 

[Intech]

6th gear? What for? It only runs 5.7 to 5.8K at 120 mph. As to normal riding (cruising) I shift at lower rpms. Sprot riding I like to stay in the power band 4000-5500 range.

Use the whole range.

 

[Wee Willy]

~45% of the time, it's just enough to get to speed without pushing hard. 4,500 shift point going to 4th is a good solid start for open-ahead road.

~25% of the time it's canyon riding where torque in the middle to high end of the envelope is what you're looking for. between 3,500 & 6,500 in 3rd & 4th gears. Usually higher in 2nd coming out of the tighter corners.

~20% of the time it's aggressive riding. > 7,000 rpm through 3rd then quick shifts to the highest gears. Freeway on ramp type of riding.

~10% of the time it's at the edge of the envelope...close to red line through 3rd.

It is typically NOT a good idea to continually run an engine in a narrow RPM band continuously at narrowly different torque levels. It's better for the machinery to see a range of torques and RPM's to even out the wear. That said, high RPM and high torque will wear parts out faster than at the other end of the spectrum.

Cheers,

W2

 

[Geezer]

When commuting I normally shift somewhere between 4k and 5k. When riding for fun I don't look at the tach but I'm sure that I use the entire range.

 

[wfooshee]

Around town, I run in the 3000-3500 range. If I get out on the outlying roads or if I'm in a rush, I'll shift at 5 or 6 instead of 4000. When I want to remeber why I like the bike so much, I'll get an empty stretch out of the northern part of the county and do some redline pulls into 4th gear. I won't reach redline in 4th, though, that's just too fast.

I've seen words to the effect that the motor needs high load revs to keep carbon down. Riding to work is the exact antithesis of that, so I make the trip out of town once in a while. That road has a long flat straight, and no houses with people calling the cops for the noisy squid. 2 or 3 runs each direction and it's time to bail, anyway. Just in case.

 

[Bungie]

Around town with light traffic, I usually cruise right around 3k. Heavier traffic, about 4k (I like to have the engine 'right there' if I need it). Twisties, EOM reformed me, I used to run 3K through them, now, 4-5K. Hwy, snick it 5th and fuhgetaboutit until you need to pass, and then 3rd or 4th as haste dictates.

At least every couple of rides I'll give it the balls and let it stretch its legs.

In thrust we trust.

 

[greywolf]

From a power perspective , peak torque occurs from 6-8000 with the top at 7000 , this also corresponds to the near peak HP range.

See https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/roadtest...y/photo_36.html

 

[Afast03nNJ]

3500 - 4000, is my every day driving shift point. Anything above that is fun!