Hey there, I've got a question about shifting and RPMs. I've taken the MSF course but there's still some stuff I need to clarify. A lot of people have been telling me that you should be riding at around 5500-6500 RPMs if you're just cruising. I ride a 2005 Suzuki SV650 and it seems like the engine is starting to whine at those RPMs, and asking for an upshift. I generally try to ride at 3800-4500, which seems a lot quieter and stable, but I've been told you shouldn't do that since it doesn't work the engine. I don't know much about the powerband or anything but it would seem that if you had to gun it, then it would better to start at a lower RPM since you get more room to work with in terms of RPM. I know the redline is 11,000 RPM but there's no need to go that high unless you're racing.
This is what I do if I'm at a stoplight leading to a road with a 40 mph limit. Assuming this is a perfectly flat stretch of road. During the red, I stay in neutral to save the clutch (I've been told to stay in neutral if you're going to be stopped for over 15 secs), and shift down into 1st when the light turns green. I go from about 0-18 mph in 1st gear. I think at about this time, 1st gear is starting to sound really whiny and I'm at around 5.5-6.5k RPMs so I decide to shift about here to 2nd gear. From 2nd gear I go from 20-35, which should also be about 5.5k-6.5k RPM. I shift into 3rd gear and travel anywhere from 35-45.
My questions are:
1. Am I shortshifting at 5.5-6.5k RPMs on a normal city road? Some people suggest shifting up at around 7k or higher.
2. For normal driving, is 4k-4.5k acceptable RPMs for cruising in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear?
3. Am I supposed to close the clutch before I upshift? Lots of times when I shift from 1st to 2nd, I give it throttle and since the clutch is in then it revs up my RPMs to 8000 if I'm not careful. I find if I close the clutch before I upshift then I don't have this issue. Also are you
5. Can you slightly close the clutch to slow down or should you always use break? I find that when I use the front break I often close the clutch because of my hand.
6. When I downshift, what is a good RPM range to be in? I've tried 4k and 3k but they seem to be lurching me even if I release the clutch smoothly.
Thanks for the Help.
Shifting and RPMs
Without reading everything, shift when your bike needs it. Not what everyone else is posting their bike rides at. If it lugs, downshift. If it tops out, upshift. In general you want to stay in a nice medium in the powerband. Drop too far down, it'll lug. Too far up and you've got no go should you need to make a move.
If you want a general idea, look in the owner's manual. Quite frankly, you shouldn't really need to be looking at the tach to ride. Many bikes now a days come sans tacho, which means all the shifting is done by the sound of the engine.
Yes, you can slowly release the clutch to match road speed when downshifting.
If you want a general idea, look in the owner's manual. Quite frankly, you shouldn't really need to be looking at the tach to ride. Many bikes now a days come sans tacho, which means all the shifting is done by the sound of the engine.
Yes, you can slowly release the clutch to match road speed when downshifting.