Where do you shift?

[jetmechmarty]

On a winding mountain road, I try not to let my RPM drop below 5000. I want to be sure I stay well into the power band running the turns.

[cywelchjr]

I find the chance of a missed shift is directly proportional to the chance of a pretty girl witnessing said missed shift.

Either that of a bunch of guys on Hardleys.

[Bonz]

Yeah, or in direct proportion to the rider (me) not keeping focused and whizzing the engine to the stratosphere, or 8,500 rpm!

[Irukandji]

Keeping with the shifting theme and not to hijack the thread, how about going in the other direction, Downshifting?
I sometimes find myself dropping to a lower gear and find Ive entered into the over reving portion of that gear.
So I wonder if there is a way to avoid or a sence of feel that I need to learn?

[DGXSER]

Practice...or wait till your down to about 2-3k when downshifting. These bikes have enough engine to actually skid the tire if you down shift to far DAMHIKIJK. So do be cautious of that little pants filler, when downshifting at 70 MPH.

[WMarshy]

Keeping with the shifting theme and not to hijack the thread, how about going in the other direction, Downshifting?
I sometimes find myself dropping to a lower gear and find Ive entered into the over reving portion of that gear.
So I wonder if there is a way to avoid or a sence of feel that I need to learn?

What do you mean by "entered into the over reving portion of that gear"?

If you downshifted and your up in 7000-8000 rpm then that is a bad shift in my book, you down shifted too soon. When shifting down or up, the RPM change is approximently 1000 revs. As mentioned, down shifting at too high of a RPM will cause rear tire to skidd. I try to match the RPMs by bliping the throttle and I also try to shift such that my RPMs are around 6000 and not much higher, if your over that then you need to use the brake a little more before down shifting.... IMHO

Oh yeah... down shifting can be done without a clutch just like up shifting but it take a lot more skill and a lot lower RPM.

[Irukandji]

WMarshy

OhYes, a really bad shift!
I do find the skid effect unnerving. By over reving i mean it seems I run out of gear to quick when down shifting. Just a really bad habit I find hard to break. Been riding for many years and I can go like a bat outa hell when accellerating. But down shifting getting ready to enter a corner has been a problem for me. A corner is NO place to be fighting a bike.

DGXER

I know SLOW DOWN !!

[Bonz]

Ditto.... What is "the over-revving" portion of the power band that you are referring to?

If you are doing the downshift at high engine speed, then you have to know how to blip the throttle to match the engine speed to your road speed as you are letting the clutch out. It is a very easy process, and once you get the timing and feel for it, it becomes second nature.

Otherwise, you are putting extra strain on the drive train, you risk breaking the rear end loose (skid the tire) and overall it's not smooth riding and you could upset the chassis/handling of the bike as well if you enter "the over-revving" portion of the power band going into a corner, etc.

When I hear you saying this, I imagine downshifts at 4,000+ rpm and that you are not blipping the throttle.

[Intelcamo1232]

Wow, thanks very much to everybody for your responses and advice, I'm trying to learn quickly on the bike, and she's not forgiving if gravity starts to take over so I'm told...

[Bonz]

Based on riding of my 80 SG, when downshifting while trying to maintain a good pace, I find it best to choose the lower gear that allows me to be at around 4k rpm, which allows good drive when you get back on the throttle. Anything lower than 3k rpm and the bike will pull, but not with authority. Anything between 3k-4k is good for general riding, and thus anything above 4k rpm to keep it movin' along well.

For all the power and torque the XS has, it is not so strong below 3k rpm compared to more modern 1100 size and larger in-line 4 cylinder bikes.

[jetmechmarty]

If you are new to motorcycling and this is your first bike, take it easy! Shift early. This thing really comes on as you approach 5K RPM, so I would suggest backing off. Enter turns slowly, and gently apply power through them. Having to use the brakes in a turn is not a good thing.

[Bonz]

In a technical and proper riding sense, you want to have your shifting and braking done before you start turning into the corner, and keep a neutral throttle so you don't upset the bike mid-turn, then roll on smoothly when it's safe to add throttle.

SMOOTH is the operative term here when it comes to all control inputs.

[Irukandji]

Thanks for thinking it through for me fellows. I guess my over reving in the downshift is just really grabbing a lot of torque that I dont properly use.
Anyway... if this helps Intelcamo too then it was worth asking the Question.

[SFerinTEXAS]

I never think about it. Just do what seems right for the moment. still alive. so far.

[Irukandji]

Found a chart that shows MAX MPH at 8500rpm

1st...........50
2nd..........65
3rd...........85
4th..........115
5th..........135