Total Motorcycle Community Forums

My bike doesn't have a tac on it at all.

I have been following the shift patterns below keep in mind this is my first bike.

1-13 mph 1

13-25 mph 2

25-40 mph 3

50+ 4th

Should I be waiting on the shift a little longer the bike pulls ok but sounds like it wants more. It is a Honda Shadow VLX

Thats fine if you like being passed by minivans.

Unless you are in a stoplight to stoplight drag race, which is rather stupid in the first place, those shifting points are OK insofar as not lugging the engine is concerned. Most forstrokes make most of their power at something less than red line rpms anyway. If you were in a hurry you could always increase the shifting points in 2nd , 3rd, & 4th. Otherwise, why waste the tire life & gas mileage on jackrabbit starts. Safe it for 5th gear on the hiway

As long as the engine is not dogging when you shift you are fine. I rarely rev my bike up high when I am just around town.

my totally unhelpful answer would be that i couldn't tell you what mph to shift at since i only use it to see how fast i am going.

you should be able to hear and feel when to shift, it just takes some time.

if you shift up and the engine bogs down, just shift back down and remember what the sound/feel was like and go a little higher the next time.

within a week or two it will become natural

You didn't say what year your shadow vlx is. I have a 2005 model and I can tell you what the owners manual says.

Shifting up
From 1st to 2nd......12 mph
From 2nd to 3rd......19 mph
From 3rd to 4th.......25 mph(I disagree with this should be more like 30 mph)

Shifting down
From 4th to 3rd......22 mph(I disagree again should be more like 30 mph)
From 3rd to 2nd......16 mph

If your getting some sluggish performance from the engine check the oil level & the coolant level.

Like some other guys said, as long as the engine is not lugging you are fine. Easy way to see if you are too low in the rpm (lugging) is to open up the throtle quickly and if there is no real noticible engine rpm/ road speed increase or you are getting a vibration then your rpm is too low. Myself I like to shift somewhere between lugging and valve float

Agreed with bok, it will just come naturally, i drive a standard car to, and after a while you get used to how the engine sounds and when you need to shift,i dont even look at the rev gauge, sense your so new just go by what it sounds like and what the power feels like

Agreed with bok, it will just come naturally, i drive a standard car to, and after a while you get used to how the engine sounds and when you need to shift,i dont even look at the rev gauge, sense your so new just go by what it sounds like and what the power feels like

Ever look at what the manual says. Silly really. They have you shift way to early. I agree with the statements that say you can hear when it is time to shift. Every bike has a lowest sound and a highest sound. Shift before you reach the loudest, highest sound from your bike. My guess if if you are worried about your bike you will not over-rev it since you are being so cautious anyway - but bogging a bike down by shifting too early will hurt the bike.