Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Kibagari wrote:

WHAT? Shift light on a car?

Yes, manual cars have shift lights because cagers have no idea how to shift based on engine sound or tach. Kinda pathetic, huh?

And as for your question regarding the 250, Jas0n, yes, 10-11k is where the Ninja starts to get good acceleration.

Odd, my standard cars don't have a shift light. They have a tach, and I shift before it hits that little red section (what's that red section called)?


I've always called the idiot light the little one that pops on when you're getting low on gas. Most FI bikes have one.

Sev wrote:

Kibagari wrote:

WHAT? Shift light on a car?

Yes, manual cars have shift lights because cagers have no idea how to shift based on engine sound or tach. Kinda pathetic, huh?

And as for your question regarding the 250, Jas0n, yes, 10-11k is where the Ninja starts to get good acceleration.

Odd, my standard cars don't have a shift light. They have a tach, and I shift before it hits that little red section (what's that red section called)?


I've always called the idiot light the little one that pops on when you're getting low on gas. Most FI bikes have one.

Yeah, loads of cars in the states have shift lights. They're for the mechanically impaired. You know the type, they want to seem like they're into cars and such so they buy a manual car; and then replace the clutch five times in one year.

I've got a '95 Integra and it doesn't have a shift light. If you needed one of those to tell you when you should be shifting, you probably should just get an auto

And on my 250 I normally shift in the 7-8 range if I'm happily cruizing. If I'm getting up to freeway speeds it's normally 11+

I haven't bought a new car/truck in the last 8 yrs., so I'm finding this thread amazing. Are you guys saying that, even with a tach, people need a light to tell them when to shift? That sounds ridiculous! Why even bother installing a tach.

Personally, for most (non-performance) road vehicles, even a tach is overkill. Your not going to be shifting near the redline, so who cares what the rpms are.

My current cage is a Nissan truck. When I bought it, they gave me the option of getting a simplified instrument panel with no tach, for a lot less money. After 8 yrs. I haven't once said, "Gee, I wish I would have bought the one with the tach in it."

On the other hand, the I-4 on my Nighthawk will wind up rather quickly when I'm in a hurry. I consider its tach a "must have" item.

Artticus wrote:Just seems like when im passing people i get up into the 7-8 rpms and just wondering if i should not be there.

I know that with a car it would be horrible.

Josh

Artticus,

Your tach has a red line on it. Just shift before the needle gets there and you'll be fine.

My '02 wrangler had one. I pulled the dash off and got rid of that light the first weekend I had it. My '07 wrangler seems to be missing this "feature", I'm happy to say.

Are you guys saying that, even with a tach, people need a light to tell them when to shift?

Yup... the world is doomed we can't figure out when to shift when a little needle gets to a red line and the engine starts screaming. Stock up on food and water folks the apocalypse is upon us.

Regarding the ninja 250 question there. If you were trying to get the best acceleration you would want to even push it a bit past the 11k mark. Because all the power is right around there from about 9k till 12k is the most I believe, and redlines not till 14k on mine not sure if its different becuase it's older.