DCinCT

When I first got into riding back in 2004 I read a book "Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way" which offered a take on his style of riding basicily rising in higher rpms...while his style seemed geared more toward sport tourers than cruisers I tried his ideas and found the bike responded better using his techniques for the type of riding I usually do which is back country roads 45-60 mph...I will add I did add a tach and found the ranges of rpms that I mostly rode in was in the mid 3's...no that a tach is needed...by feel you will be able to develop a sense when its time to shift according to your style...these engines are not fragile or sensitive...challenge them and let them work to your needs.

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Whats the big hurry...slow down and enjoy the ride!

wayne ian

Ride it like you stole it. They like to rev. I cruse all day at 80k in 4th with no problems and it will pull to 120k before hitting 5th. Lug it to low and it will stall and you will fall down! Bin there don that.

MoDZuKi

I REALLY try to keep the motor at around 3000-3500 when I cruise in any gear. My shifting I feel is best around 3500 or upwards of 4500 if I am in a hurry. I do have a tach and it does help. Also have a Modded rear drive.
I can cruise in 5th down to 2000 but tend to NOT do that as it can lug if you accellerate and is sluggish.
If you keep your shifting above 3000 at least you will be OK..
Cheers

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It ain't getting what you want..It's wanting what u got!
**I am a victim of Mod- Mania The bike itself was the cheap part!!!!!...**

Kestrel

When I do that I get:


1st - 2nd @ 32 kph (20 mph),
2nd - 3rd @ 48 kph (30 mph),
3rd - 4th @ 64 kph, (40 mph) and
4th - 5th @ 80 kph (50 mph).

These seem like much better numbers for shifting to me.

Good to know I can't over rev the engine - when I was first learning to drive I accidentally damaged my mom's car engine by red-lining it. Luckily it was only minor damage, but I've been a little sensitive about doing that ever since.

kerf

My rule about shifting, there ain't no rule about shifting except don't lug the engine. My shift points will change with the conditions I'm driving in. Stop and go in traffic gets a different shift point than hitting an entrance ramp on the highway or pulling away from a light next to some young guy trying to impress his girl.

Yeah, I know 62 year old men are supposed to be beyond that sort of thing. Go figure.

MoDZuKi

Redlining these motors is unlikely as they sound like a freaking jet engine. You can hear they are labouring. Not like a sport bike motor. at 6000 it sounds like its gonna fly a piston at my crotch. No need for those RPM's on a motor designed for low end torque! in fact you will lose power up that high compared to shifting where the motor is making power generally I feel under 5k. They just are not ported nor breath nearly well enough to develope effective power at high RPM's
Cheers

__________________
It ain't getting what you want..It's wanting what u got!
**I am a victim of Mod- Mania The bike itself was the cheap part!!!!!...**

Two Red Ryders

Green values are speedometer speeds I have Used on my 2007 C50. Values shown are approximate and are mathematically calculated not speedometer speeds. Hope you guys like me without a Tack find this useful. The C50 likes to be revved and it has a computer RPM limiter. It can however be overreved by shifting down at too high a speed. But the bike has no way to prevent engine damage from lugging which comes from loading the bike too hard at low RPM. If riding two up let the bike rev a little more than normal it will thank you. If I am crusing near the bottom of a gears range I generally will downshift to accelerate rather than just twist the throttle.

And I agree the book shifting speeds are way too low. Closer to the minimum speed to be used for shifting to the next gear.

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SC50

Depending on the speed i'm trying to get to, I'm usually in 5th only if over 45mph. On the group ride today, i found it best to gun it, shift when i felt the torque start to diminish, then keep hitting the heel shifter 2-3 times looking for 6th and 7th gear LOL Excluding deceleration, i'm either in 3rd or 5th a majority of the time. Sometimes 4th if it's a 35mph road and i'm just bobbing along

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2005 C50 Buh-luh-vahd

k9bite

I'm always torn between first and second gear when I'm driving at slow speeds, like in a parking lot. What's the maximum speed at which you can downshift into first, without damage or excessive wear?

dfinitlydisturbd

your bike will tell you, first tends to be stubborn to engage until you get close to 10mph (without matching engine to road speed for 1st). In a parking lot just lump around in first, with all of the idiots in cages out there and people that don't GAF about what's going on around them you want to be moving slow anyway. Besides 1st minimizes the possibility of stalling out and allows rapid deceleration without touching the brakes. On the road in light traffic 2nd, heavy traffic and/or frequent stops keep it in 1st. No point popping up into second just to have to pop back to first and stop half a block later.